You mean the one above the rearview mirror? It's normal. It's to remind you that the passenger seat occupant won't be saved/exposed to a bag deployment.
I had one during my PDI that delayed my delivery by a few days. It turned out to be a bad electrical connection in the passenger airbag assembly.
A little wiggling and pushing the connector tightly together solved it. No replacement parts required.
I did a search on airbag and this is the only thread which didn't appear to address the passenger side airbag 'not active' light above the rear view mirror.
The past few days my airbag error light (instrument cluster) has been intermittently on.
Post #3 above gives a clue as to what the cause might be. But, the solution sounds kinda Iffy for a DIY Klutz like me.
Is a loose connection the only likely possibility?
Does the presence of the error light mean the airbag might not be functional?
Airbag fault light can be caused by many things: A faulty harness, bad bumper sensor, faulted ECU, etc. The only way to really know is to have the dealer pull the code. Unfortunately, most regular OBD readers won't pull codes for the airbag system. These are quite often manufacture specific.
When I went to pick my car up after an accident repair, my airbag warning light was on. It took the dealership 4 days to fix it. They finally had to repalce the ECU, and both front bumper sensors. $1400 later the car was fixed. Fortunately it was covered by my insurance as a "residual" from the accident. Personally I think the dealer's body shop screwed up and didn't want to have to pay the bill. BTW, my airbag light wasn't on after the accident, or when I took the car down to the body shop.
I know there were a few early adopters that posted having an issue with the wiring harness.
To address your last question, I was told by the dealership, that if the warning light is on, your airbag system may not function properly. In fact I was told that the car was unsafe to drive, so they legally had to keep it until repaired.
Last edited by WhiteNBlack08; 02-09-2011 at 02:00 PM.
Reason: added info.
Expensive repair. I'm out of manufacturer's warranty. But, I do have an extended warranty. I guess I'll have to call them. Likely to be told that it isn't covered.
The light wasn't on today. As I said, it is intermittent.
And, I've got 900+ miles of road trip coming up beginning the end of next week.
Now I'm forced to reconsider. Argggg.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
"the car", "la voiture"
smart - aka Smurf
Today
Linear Mode
