# Airbag Light's Come On....



## londonblade (Sep 29, 2011)

Guys

Not sure if anyone can give any advice from knowledge or experience, but the airbag light (red) is staying on in the dash: local Audi thieves want £150/hr just to diagnose then who knows what, and the TT Shop have given me more realistic figures on the same thing, but is there anyone had the same and what it could be? I know that no one has a crystal ball, but should I expect a large or small bill? One guy said it could even be a loose wire to the side airbag if the seat is moved forward backward a lot, which I have done so far when the kids get in the back.

Oh, and the short balance of the 3rd party warranty still on the car since I bought it early October, now says they dont cover airbags or wiring. Nice. They'll be saying it doen't cover engine parts etc next. Damn that small print.

Anyway, open to comments until it goes into the garage pretty soon.

Cheers 
Karl


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

Either check the 2 connectors under the seat (easy) or scan it with vag com and find out which air bag it is throwing up the error


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## londonblade (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks for that: I take another look as I tried to look under the seat with the torch last night but did not seem to be much there but then it was very dark and raining on my back whilst reaching in....must try harder!! 
No idea what 'scanning with vag com' means but sounds interesting and perhaps beyond my technical ability :lol:

Thanks again, much appreciated


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2011)

When I first bought my TT the airbag light came on from moving the drivers seat a few times. I disconnected the plug, cleaned up the contact, reset the airbag light using vagcom and all has been good since 8)

From what i've read, the problem occurs due to either dirty contacts or the plug coming loose and dropping connection even for a fraction of a second. I think some people cable tie the airbag plug to the seat frame to stop it from moving about. As soon as the airbag circuit has been disturbed the light will come on until it's reset...


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## SeedyAre (Aug 23, 2011)

Do you have to unplug the battery before disconnecting the cable? I have an aftermarket head unit from previous owner and not sure If it would have a code to turn on after power loss or not so nervous about trying until I know more!


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## TTQ2K2 (Jun 25, 2009)

0. Once you've had it scanned to determine where the fault is, *disconnect the battery.* yes, I know for electrical work people always say this, but this is one time when you really, really, need to disconnect the battery.
1. you need to have it scanned via VAGCOM to determine which bag is causing the fault. Usually, it's either left/right seat, but only VAGCOM will tell you where the problem is and only VAGCOM can clear the code/light. Tt will probably say, "too much resistance..." Scan before the battery is disconnected.
2. if left/right seat, check connectors under the seat bottom cushion (you will have to unbolt the seat to gain access, but it is easy as there are only 4 bolts). Tip it back so you can gain access to the connectors.
3. The seat airbag connector is the yellow/purple one. disconnect and clean the tabs if possible. there may be a little corrosion which would cause the resistance to go up and cause the bag-light to illuminate.
4. reconnect and be sure it is connected securely
5. insert key and turn to on position, but don't start the car
6. re-connect the battery. 5 and 6, in this order, are critical as if for any reason you've done some thing wrong, and the battery spark ignites the bag-trigger, YOU ARE IN FRONT OF THE CAR NOT IN THE SEAT WHEN THE BAG BLOW UP!!!
7. scan with vagcom and reset the airbag light to off.
8. re install the seat
9. have a pint and rejoice in knowing you just saved several hundred quid.

cheers


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## scooby-bloo (Jun 14, 2010)

Good info, I'll be doing this tomorrow.. Typically my airbag light has come on 3 weeks before my MOT is due, great! 
One question, is VAGCOM an Audi thing only ? :?


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## JS53MES (Apr 11, 2012)

scooby-bloo said:


> Good info, I'll be doing this tomorrow.. Typically my airbag light has come on 3 weeks before my MOT is due, great!
> One question, is VAGCOM an Audi thing only ? :?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-409-1-KKL ... 122&_uhb=1

i got one and it works perfectly.


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## matty fitz (Feb 8, 2012)

scooby-bloo said:


> Good info, I'll be doing this tomorrow.. Typically my airbag light has come on 3 weeks before my MOT is due, great!
> One question, is VAGCOM an Audi thing only ? :?


Im around alton way to go to the gym most days after work if you can get yuorself there i can scan if for you then email the fault codes


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## jeffb (May 25, 2011)

Hi,

As per the OT, typically my TT airbag light has come on a few weeks before it's MOT. The same happened on my Mondeo but fiddling with the wires under the seat appeared to fix that. Tried the obvious on the TT and the light is still on.

I've got one of the cheapo VAGCOM cables which worked previously but when I've tried it this time it is coming up with an error (can't remember what off the top of my head), I've changed the COM port etc and it looks like it is starting to query the diags but then gets the error. BTW, standard stereo etc.

Am I better off taking it to the local garage to get it looked at or does anyone have a VAGCOM that might be able to run a quick check to see which airbag is causing the problem? I'm based in the Middlesbrough area.

Not even sure how many airbags there are in the car, it's an 04 V6.

Thanks

Jeff


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

You shouldn't need to unbolt the seats to access the cables. They loop towards the front of the seat quite a way so follow them back to the brightly coloured plugs. I've snagged a cable myself before I realised what they were, rather than grab-handles for pulling the seat forwards.


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## miller (Mar 5, 2009)

I had airbag light on for weeks and read various posts on here about it been a nightmare to turn off. Some people had purchased the cheap item below of ebay with varying results, seemed to work for some and not others! Decided to give it a go and it put the light out straight away and its not been back on since! Got to be worth a gamble at £18!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321001209731? ... 1439.l2649


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## jeffb (May 25, 2011)

I've ordered a similar device from a UK seller and will see what happens.

Jeff


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## firstflute (Nov 30, 2018)

Hi
I had this problem and tried everything. Drove me insane. I cleaned the under seat connector and taking forum advice, I secured it with a cable tie. No dice still the wretched error code. I located the airbag module, removed it, and sent it to crashdata.co.uk who cleared the fault. It lasted a day. Then I remembered I'd sent off and received the little black box gizmo from ebay. Tried it and wow problem solved!
One piece of good advice I got was that the code can come up if the voltage is low. So starting from cold, with all singing and dancing electrics can drop the voltage enough for the airbag code to trigger.
A brilliant piece of advice also is to turn on the ignition without cranking the engine. Then wait for the airbag module to go through its diagnostic test. Only then after the airbag light has gone off and the big yellow "ok" has closed, start the engine as normal. It only takes a few seconds longer, and since I've followed this routine, I've had no further problems.
Ebay search is: Airbag Reseter Tool A2 A3 A4 A6 A8 B5 / B6.
Good luck and now I can face the MOT with no warning lights showing.
BTW I did also replace the battery as a precaution with a genuine Bosch one.


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## lord_of_the_rings (Jan 30, 2014)

Hi 
I had the same problem not long after getting my car, after cleaning it out and moving the seats about the air bag light came on. I took a punt and bought this scanner from ebay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vgate-VAG-Di ... 0505.m3226

I scanned the air bag module and cleared the fault code and the lights never come back on.
If you have been cleaning or hovering out the car and moving the seats back and forth it may just have been enough strain put on the cable to throw up the fault and for the light to come on.
Its woth a go as it costs less than an hour of labour at a garage and you also have a scan tool for future use.
If you know someone with VAGCOM or scanner you could borrow one and try it.
Its worth a go as I would imagine a garage would charge an hours labour and all they will possibly try first is clearing the fault code anyway.

Ally


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