Recently my airbag dashboard light (in the driver's consol, not the passenger light on the dash) started blinking and staying on after the normal start up (normally upon start it comes on, then turns off). It didn't happen every time and I ignored it.

Then, the fasten seat belt light (which is in the same light cluster and the airbag light) came on and wouldn't go off, despite the fact that my seat belt was securely fastened. This would also just be annoying, except that the seat belt light is accompanied by the "chimes" as well, which makes it MIND NUMBINGLY annoying.

Based on something that I read on a forum thread regarding the airbag light, I moved the driver's seat up slightly (I'm 6'5 so it's normally all the way back) and this problem went away. I suspect this means that there is a bad connection somewhere. I looked under the seat with a flashlight but can't see anything worth looking at. I assume I'd have to remove the seat in order to see what all is under there and I'm not sure I want to sign up for that.

Is my fix (moving the seat) a temporary one? Should I expect this problem to re-appear and therefore organize a bake sale to pay the dealer to look at this?

Thanks,
Dave
2005 S type 4.2

 

If you have a bit of mechanical skills and is/are willing to get your hand a bit dirty, removing the seat is not hard. There are four bolts that hold it in place, two in front and two in back. Move the seat back and fourth to expose the bolts. You probably wont have to take the seat out of the car. Tilting it back should give you the clearance to see if any wires came loose.

 

Excellent points sivkov-y!!


Dave he hit it right on the head, the seatbelt (shoulder belt) would not have to be removed to tilt the seat back enough and have a thorough looksie.

 

OK I'll take a crack at this as I'm all too familiar with the SRS setup. Only thing is ours is an 03. I would assume the systems to be the same. I will tell you what I know about the 03.

Sivkov is correct. No need to remove the seat. It will tilt back revealing the bottom. I'm not sure my back would have tolerated lifting it out. The frt bolts are Torx and the rear 15mm if I remember correctly.

The electrics that may be the problem are located in the buckle which is the part next to the console. It contains the pretensioner and the switch/sensor to tell if the belt is buckled. A fault in the pretensioner circuit will trip the airbag light. An open in the buckle circuit would make it indicate the belt not buckled.

So, There is a small harness (black plastic covering with only 4 wires) that loops around the seat adjuster mechanism and has a connector to the seat harness in about the middle of the seat bottom. You will see a row of connectors there. The pretensioner one is yellow as are all the SRS connectors. But just follow what comes from the buckle assembly. Hopefully you find the harness snagged and worn through or some obvious connection problem. Sure sounds like it from your symptoms.

My recent experiance with the dealer diagnostics of an SRS was less than satisfactory. I don't blame you wanting to DIY. I doubt they get a lot since most cars with SRS problems are total loss vehicles.


Oh BTW, count the flashes of the light when you power up. There will be two series of flashes. My guess is you will count three then a pause and six.

By all means let us know what you find.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I may just let sleeping dogs lie for now, but will definitely hang onto the detailed instructions if I decide to tackle this and will post my experiences afterwards.

Cheers!

 

The flash codes are in the PDFs (JTIS or I think in the FAQs). Or post them and someone may explain