airbag light

[silk08]

hey guys i noticed while i was driving last night my airbag light came on by my gauges then it came off and then on again i have no idea what the problem is i did the key rotation drill and no codes came up ever heard of this problem ??

[BaconFlavoredChunkies]

Was there something on the passenger's seat? I believe there is an automatic disable, intended to sense babyseats and disable the passenger airbag... I'm guessing it's magnetically triggered by metal items on the passenger seat -- I know my airbag light goes on if I sit my laptop on it...

[442&Magnum]

It's a weight related issue I have found. If there is some less than human size but more than 5 pounds the will come on. Also if it cannot sense a stable weight in the seat it will go on and off.

[fnkychkn]

if the warning lamp in the cluster illuminates, there's a malfunction in the airbag system or a bus failure. the only way to retrieve DTCs from the airbag control module is with a scanner. best see your dealer.

[Dern51]

Hello there! First and foremost, this is a great site and it’s awesome to see so many LX enthusiasts collaborating. I’ve found much useful information here and appreciate all who have posted things that I’ve needed.

Now, of course airbag diagnosis and repair should be either completed by a good mechanic (if there are any good ones left... Sorry... a bit bitter...) or with a good understanding of the risks and good practices for working on them. Now with that disclaimer out of the way and a recommendation to always disconnect the neg. battery cable;

It sounds from your description that the small red airbag light in the temperature gauge in the cluster is on, not the larger amber passenger airbag disabled light in the middle of the dash.. Based on that assumption here’s what I know…

I have had a similar problem with my '05 Mag. When turning the wheel, only sometimes, the airbag light comes on and then usually it eventually goes out. The dealership I was dealing with couldn't retrieve any usable codes for the problem either but with the diagnostic thingy attached, pushing, pulling and turning the wheel eventually caused a failure. The mechanic called the defective part a "clock-spring". Essentially it's the little brushes on the back of the steering wheel to make all the buttons, horn and airbag work.

So... Before I took the car in, I noticed that the collar on the steering column seemed a bit loose, but I had nothing to compare it to. When I got the car back I noticed that the collar was tightened, though they claimed that they replaced the part. I know they at least took the wheel off, 'cause they put it back on crooked. (love mechanics )... The problem hadn’t occurred again until last night when I adjusted the telescope on the steering column so it would seem that the problem remains. I put the column about where it was before the error was triggered again and it hasn’t come back so I’m venturing a bet that it’s the wiring harness in the column not the “clock-spring”. At least in my car…

So… All of that to say I think that you have either a wiring problem in the column, a loose part in the column or a faulty/worn “clock-spring”. If the car has higher mileage or a lot of city driving or trailering (ie. a lot of wheel turns causing excessive wear to the clock-spring).

Sorry for the long winded-ness. I hope this helps…

[fnkychkn]

hey Dern51. welcome to LXforums.

if you can get the red airbag warning lamp to illuminate when tilting/telescoping the steering wheel, you most likely have a poor connection at the SCM (steering column module). all wheel and hub mounted components communicate through this connector. a revised connector is now available which has a stress relief feature to prevent intermittant contact. this connector is P/N 05189795AA.

btw, i have yet to replace a defective clockspring on LX.