Airbag Light - repair/replacement module

[Pat]

Yep, another airbag related question please.

My airbag light is flashing, and using the instructions on this forum (thanks!) to go into diagnostic mode I get 7 flashes which apparently points to the module being at fault. A reset didn't clear it and nor did disconnecting the battery & grounding the leads.

I've pulled the module out and my first thought was why the hell would you put an airbag module under the cup holders - mine had obvious signs of drinks being spilled on it by previous owners. I opened the module and its clean inside (i.e. no liquid damage), but there was some residue around the plugs so I've sprayed them with contact cleaner and will put it back tomorrow. Maybe it'll work. Maybe I blow an airbag

Assuming it doesn't work I'll get another unit but a couple of questions...

- Does anyone know if these store crash damage? If they do then buying from a wrecker without knowing what happened to the car it came from seems risky - i.e. if the car it came from had been crashed then the unit at best will need to be re-set somehow? Or at worst even trigger my airbags when I reconnect the battery?

- Secondly - I know the units from Thai / Spanish Navs are different, but there's also lots of different module numbers within the Spanish range - I imagine some module numbers just supersede others but I'm hesitant to try anything other than an exact match for my current one, and I can't find any cross reference tables. Any thoughts on interchangeability anyone (my Nav is a 2009 Spanish)?

- @Old.Tony - In a post a year or so ago, you said '... I've opened mine up, it has a faulty 3900uF 25V electrolytic capacitor...'. Can I ask how you know the cap was faulty (mine is visually OK with no bulging)? Might be an option to just replace the cap if I can test it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Old.Tony]

My capacitor had started pushing the boot out the bottom and had a small amount of bulging at the top.

I didn't bother trying to repair it - I couldn't find the specific capacitor and a nearby wrecker had a module available. I took the gamble that the car didn't wreck because the airbag diagnostic module was stuffed and it worked, so I haven't bothered with the old module.

 

[Pat]

Thanks for the info Tony, can't see anything wrong with my cap so so will keep hunting around...sigh...!

Cheers

 

[mx231]

Yep, another airbag related question please.

My airbag light is flashing, and using the instructions on this forum (thanks!) to go into diagnostic mode I get 7 flashes which apparently points to the module being at fault. A reset didn't clear it and nor did disconnecting the battery & grounding the leads.

I've pulled the module out and my first thought was why the hell would you put an airbag module under the cup holders - mine had obvious signs of drinks being spilled on it by previous owners. I opened the module and its clean inside (i.e. no liquid damage), but there was some residue around the plugs so I've sprayed them with contact cleaner and will put it back tomorrow. Maybe it'll work. Maybe I blow an airbag

Assuming it doesn't work I'll get another unit but a couple of questions...

- Does anyone know if these store crash damage? If they do then buying from a wrecker without knowing what happened to the car it came from seems risky - i.e. if the car it came from had been crashed then the unit at best will need to be re-set somehow? Or at worst even trigger my airbags when I reconnect the battery?

- Secondly - I know the units from Thai / Spanish Navs are different, but there's also lots of different module numbers within the Spanish range - I imagine some module numbers just supersede others but I'm hesitant to try anything other than an exact match for my current one, and I can't find any cross reference tables. Any thoughts on interchangeability anyone (my Nav is a 2009 Spanish)?

- @Old.Tony - In a post a year or so ago, you said '... I've opened mine up, it has a faulty 3900uF 25V electrolytic capacitor...'. Can I ask how you know the cap was faulty (mine is visually OK with no bulging)? Might be an option to just replace the cap if I can test it?

Thanks in advance
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View attachment 34697

Hello Pat,

I’m just wondering how you went with the module? I have a problem with mine as it failed the rego check because the airbag light came on. I have just found and bought one the same from eBay. But now I’m bricking it. I have just seen your questions and I didn’t even give it a thought that it might record crash data on it or make your airbags go off. Is it possible for them to happen.

I’m sure wreckers wouldn’t be able to sell them if that was the case?

Can you let me know how you got on. Thanks that would be very helpful to me and others on here!

 

[Pat]

Hi MX,

No dramas when I replaced my airbag module. It was plug & play and the light now goes out as it should. No error codes since (well, not airbag related ones anyway).

From digging around the net, even though the modules can store crash data I don't think stored crash data makes your airbags go off, you're more likely to just get an error and the light will stay on. Caveat - I'm not an autoelectrican, please don't take my word for it!

The wreckers that I got the module from confirmed that it wasn't from a crashed vehicle - for peace of mind it might be worth asking whoever you got yours from to confirm?

Also for peace of mind, make sure your battery is disconnected and the system discharged (turn lights on, ground battery leads etc). And after replacing it, turn the ignition on from outside the car if you're still crapping yourself (I was).

Good luck

 

[Pat]

Oh, by the way MX - you didn't mention if you'd gone into diagnostic mode to check that it was the module that was faulty or just the clockspring which is more common?