Airbag warning light on Gen 4.

The airbag warning light started to stay on a month or so back and has now reached the point where it is on permanently. The light adjacent to the interior mirror behaves normally.
Any body got any suggestions?

Cheers.

Roger

Get the code read and you'll know why the light is on.

As fordem says read the codes.

SZViewer will read the SRS codes, you only need a compatible bluetooth dongle thingie for your 'phone/tablet.

At a guess it will be either a connector under the seat for the seat airbag or the seatbelt tensioner, or (much more likely as it is a million times more trouble and costs £££ to sort) the clockspring behind the steering wheel.

Fingers crossed it is just a loose connector from moving the seat!

Electronics are not my strong point, so any advice on a suitable reader - and accessories needed - would be appreciated.

Cheers

Roger

You need an android/windows/linux smartphone/tablet/notepad/laptop with bluetooth, a copy of SZViewer, and a suitable dongle to plug into the OBD port above the driver's legs.


SZViewer malykh.com/soft/sz-viewer/

If you have an android phone or tablet, get SZViewer from the google play store (It doesn't work on iphones/ipads)

Download it now, and play with it, there is an emulation mode that pretends it is connected and makes up some measurements and error codes to show you how it works.


The dongle that I use www.lonelec.com/product/obd2-wireless-bl...ve-data-reader-v1-5/

Everyone else in the entire Universe just uses the cheapest eBay/Amazon/Aliexpress dongle for £5, but I have a couple of different versions of those, including a white one with "Proscan Automotive" on it, and absolutely nothing that I can do will get them to work, so I bought the Lonelec one, as I have one of their motorcycle interfaces that works perfectly.

I have a Proscan Automotive that apparently has a genuine chip (probably a genuine copy as the original ones are no longer made). My Proscan works on every vehicle I have/had including a Gen 3 and a Gen 4.

I also have an Autel ML629 handheld reader that also works on every car, although on a Jimny if you hit SCAN it seldom finds the correct protocol for a Jimny, but you can see fault codes if you go in to OBD option.

SZViewer is considerably cheaper and does everything the Autel does, except I am an Apple man so have to take my laptop out.

Robin

Roger -

1) Like Facade says, the plugs under the seat will cause an SRS light. Easy to check them -- unplug, blow out, replug. That is also the kind of failure that would cause the intermittent-graudating-to-permanent warning light mode. These connectors are exposed and liable to get bumped, get wet, etc.

2) A failure of the clockspring is also possible but IMO less likely. The failure mode would look different.

3) You can pull the airbag pretty easily if you are just curious what it looks like "inside" your steering wheel. But it is not at all likely that the connector airbag-to-clockspring is bad, as this is a substantial, locked plug.

4) Internal failure of the airbag unit itself is ultrarare. Failure of the central controller unit is also pretty unusual. Either of those failing would almost certainly cause the warning light to come on and stay on, one and done. So again, my vote is to check the connectors that are exposed and easily accessible.

Not disagreeing with the above posts about the usefulness of SZViewer. But I suspect it may not be needed to diagnose the problem here.

Let us know how it goes, good luck!

As suggested by facade and Motocilla, I unplugged the under seat connectors and checked them out and then re-assembled and now 5 days later the light has behaved itself, so I have decided that the connections must have been faulty in some way. So many thanks to all who contributed with suggestions and I will buy for future use a suitable reader.

Chhers

Roger