airbag warning light on my 156 GTA

the airbag warning light came on in the dash but i do not know the reason for this. everything is working fine.
please help me diagnose the problem or if any other member has come across the same problem.
thanks

Danyal,

This is a fairly common problem. There is a yellow connector under the driver's seat, which is not very clever. Some people cut them off and solder the ends together, with the battery disconnected, some try and pull the ends together with a cable tie. Often people say that to get the light to go out you have to visit the dealer to get the light reset (after you have sorted out the plug), but I just ignore mine and depending where the seat is the light is sometimes on and sometimes off. It's the same in both cars. When the light is on I drive a bit slower!

I could get round to fixing it - but somehow.........

Spot on!

Ignoring it isn't a good idea in general when the light is on, ALL the airbags are completely de-activated and will not deploy even in a serious crash.

Its not neccessarily just a loose connection under the seat, some of the contacts in various locations corrode over time and need replacing, its a real pain in the ass - I have had various ones replaced over the years.

..and can also reoccur eventually.

Edwards scenario sounds like a loose connection rather than a corroded connection that won't reestablish a circuit.

Peter K had determined a new better quality component, albeit expensive that lasted longer. Don't have the details though..

Edward, let me know how much those airbags weigh when you take them out

Steve McQueen never cared for airbags

Me neither. They bl00dy well hurt.

The easist away to fix the airbag light is with a very small amount of black nail varnish carefully applied to the right part of the dash.

So if the warning light is on, the entire system is inactive TB?

A well respected alfa garage told me not to worry about the light and to ignore it!! Thats pretty bloody ropey advice knowing what i now know!

Steve McQueen nope - but I bet James Dean wish he had

I recently had this light on on mine. Got my local mechanic to check the underseat connectors but all were fine. He then found the problem to be in the curtain airbag connectors, which are found in the inside off the boot, under the trim. Once he connected them properly the light went out with no need for maindealer reset.

I remember someone said the GTA will reset itself if the connection is fixed. Can anyone confirm that?

Yes, see above

Yes, the curtain airbag connectors were one of the ones that went in mine.

I don't know if they absolutely needed to reset the error using examiner, but it was a main dealer that I used, and their work sheet stated :

"ERASE CONNECTION FAULT @ LH CURTAIN A/BAG - ERASE FAULT CODE"

From the other guys experience above it sounds like you might be able to get away without it?

Being advised by a main dealer to drive around with an air-bag light on sounds very dodgy, US attorneys seek cases like that

Cheers,
TB

Originally Posted by PR

I recently had this light on on mine. Got my local mechanic to check the underseat connectors but all were fine. He then found the problem to be in the curtain airbag connectors, which are found in the inside off the boot, under the trim. Once he connected them properly the light went out with no need for maindealer reset.

to PR club member
please can you tell me on which side of the boot and where i can find the curtain airbag connector under the boot trim.
thanks
danyal

I think it is located under the parcel shelf. But you have to take the rear seat out in order to remove the parcel shelf. I saw it last time when the car is getting window tint.

Mine will regularly come on and then go off again, It is always the under seat connectors on mine and a good wiggle to them will sort them out, the one thing that annoys me though is that it usually comes on when traveling over a very bumpy road so it would seem that any kind of shock sets the light on de-activating the airbags so if I were to have a crash chances are that the impact from the collision will disable the airbags anyway sounds like lose, lose to me

Luckily it was while still under warranty but mine would come on and off, it turned out to be the rear airbags had a wiring problem.

Originally Posted by danyal

to PR club member
please can you tell me on which side of the boot and where i can find the curtain airbag connector under the boot trim.
thanks
danyal

I believe it was on the drivers side. But that is for the drivers side window bags, I presume if the prblem is the passenger side then the connectors will be on the passenger side. My mechanic certainly didnt take the rear seats out.

Im not sure exactly where they are I wasnt there when he did it. I did give him a print of the airbag system from the service CD but it didnt show much, other than there were connectors under the boot trim!

Does anyoe know if the Spider resets the airbag light when the connector is put back on, I took mine off to get a key that fell down the side of the seat and the light is still on. I have a battery kill switch but didn't reset it!

Most probably not, my previous Alfa's never re-set themselves, although the GTA does. Looks like a trip to the dealers for a re-set I'm afraid.

Hmm hopefully my mechanic friend can do it on this computer thingy!! Yes I am that technical!!! Out of curiosty anyone know what the charge is to re-set the light?