[spongeandy87]

hi there i have a 52 plate cooper and my airbag warning light has came on

not being a mechanic i decided 2 "look for the problem" i think the little connecters under the driving seat have snapped, does this mean my air bags wont work??

also how much would it be to sort this and from where?

i phoned my local mini dealer and they wanted £40 to, "find the problem" i think this is a little steep as its clear that the problem is the air bag warning light its so frustrating, please help.

cheers,
Andy

[Paul]

Very common issue. Try here for starters: Airbag Warning Light Petition To Bmw Uk

[rgn]

Hi Andy,

Yes it seems to be a common problem. The cables under the seats connect to the pre tensioners and the airbags.

The can become detached, over a period of time, when the seat is moved. Or if somethifg under the seat catches on them. Once th ECU stops 'talking' to these items it puts the light on. Even if the cables are re connected the light will stay on until reset in the ecu.

Some say the the all airbags are disabled when the light is on some say just the effected ones.

My dealer wanted £60.99 to reset it, so £40 sound good in comparison, but not good for 2 mins work!

[Richard Crofts]

Its the reset they charge for not really the "finding"

Its a con really but the kit to do the reset is much £££! Do you live in the midlands? If so contact bluecoopers he might be able to help.

Oh and having looked at the wiring an auto electrician has confirmed to me that only the effected airbag would be disabled

[rgn]

I have bought a tool and reset my daughters Airbag light. Tool cost me £53 so i figure it will pay for it's self over time.

I'm in Worcestershire also WR13

It make sense to only disable the effected airbag.

[Ant FR]

Yeah lovely is'nt it, my bloody airbag light is on and i have an MOT due next month, so no bloody way around it, I have to admit i am rather ****ed off by it, but i will see if they can do it as a freebie as it has been on before

[Step_7]

Mine was on (again) when it went in for Inpection II last month - The dealer offered to remove the plugs under the seats and hard wire the cables by soldering them together. I've no plans to change seats so I let them do it. Hopefully a final fix to the problem for me anyhow. Time will tell......

[rgn]

Where abouts are you Ant FR?

[Ant FR]

not worried now as i just found out airbags are not included on the MOT, result,

[mab01uk]

The BMW/ MINI airbag light reset tool is easily found on Ebay for around £53, I bought one last week.

[MCZ2047]

RE FR
Mine air bag light came on during the MOT and it passed noo problem. The only warning lights there worried about is ABS and engine management lights

[spongeandy87]

hey thanks for all the replies guys, its just really distracting, especially at night!
i got in touch with the garage i bought the car from (not mini dealership) and was given the number of some electrical gut but he never gets back to me,
think i'l just have 2 save some cash n cough up 2 mini
in scotland so dont think theres a lot of memebers round here, in reply to asking blue cooper.

[hanoi]

Quote: Originally Posted by Step_7 (original)

Mine was on (again) when it went in for Inpection II last month - The dealer offered to remove the plugs under the seats and hard wire the cables by soldering them together. I've no plans to change seats so I let them do it. Hopefully a final fix to the problem for me anyhow. Time will tell......

Has this worked OK so far?

[Step_7]

Quote: Originally Posted by hanoi (original)

Has this worked OK so far?

Well, its only been a month but so far so good.

[hanoi]

Quote: Originally Posted by Step_7 (original)

Well, its only been a month but so far so good.

Good news.
I'm thinking of wiring this myself.
How many connections are there?

[ScottyBoy]

Hey guys, this weekend i fitted a set of JCW seats in my MCS, i knew the airbag light would come on when the plugs were disconnected, but i have a friend with a Snap on Scanner and he said it will reset them. He plugged the scanner in it came up with the driver and passenger airbags.

Took it to him started on the drivers airbag and that reset fine, then the passenger airbag it reset and then popped back on straight away, un clipped it again the treid another 4 times and it will not go out, so.... i phoned the dealer and the response was

"The light does not always reset as when it is unplugged it damages the wiring harness to the airbag, this has to be replaced at £90 plus £48.50 for the reset"

This sort off made sense as to why it will not reset but then i doubt that the harness is damaged as all i did was un-clip it, i didnt snag it at all or anything when i removed the seats

Any help will be great..

Scott

[Step_7]

Quote: Originally Posted by hanoi (original)

Good news.
I'm thinking of wiring this myself.
How many connections are there?

Sorry, no idea on the connections - the Dealer did it.

[n1tr0]

! Warning !
them airbags are explosive !

seriously, if your airbag light's on & you want to poke around make sure your ignition is turned off & it's recommended you disconnect the battery. The airbag wires are usually contained within yellow shielding & covers. If you find a broken wire, make sure you use a high quality crimp connector as the computer checks the resistance in the harness and the difference between 2.7ohms & 3.1ohms is enough to set a fault.

[hanoi]

I believe that the wiring in question is under the seat - the seat belt pre-tensioner, but grateful for the warning.

It can send a fault signal which for a reason I do not understand switches on the airbag light and therein switches off the airbag/does not switch off the air bag (depending who you believe) until the fault is repaired. Annoying.