Airbag Warning Light

[CFCANG]

I have a 2009 Auris 1.3.  It went into Toyota a few days ago for a airbag recall.  Today the airbag warning light came on, so took it back thinking it must have been something they had done.  They say it's a coincidence and I need a new front passenger seat at a cost of £1000.  After googling it, I fiddled with the wires under the seat and the light has gone out.  My concern is that it needs an MOT in the next few weeks and if this isn't a permanent fix, then it will fail.  My question is, if I unplug the connections under the seat and clean it, can I do this safely without setting the airbag off?

 

[Mooly]

I don't believe in coincidences...

The air bag certainly should not go off if you disturb the connections under the seat. Very specific conditions are required to trigger the bag, these being  centred around the sensors mounted strategically and designed to gauge impact and G forces. Under seat wiring/connections are an apparently common cause of issues across many makes and models.  

When our Corolla had the passenger airbag replaced I was deeply unimpressed that as I started the car in the dealership carpark to drive home I noticed the airbag light remained lit. They attended to it immediately saying it needed 'resetting'. Such actions leave little confidence in the work done. Surely something so safety critical should be 'signed off', and how on earth could whoever drove the car out of the workshop not have noticed.

 

   

   

[eygo]

your normally asked to disconnect the Battery and leave for 20 minutes before disconnecting any YELLOW airbag wiring plugs,

this ensures the system has dischaged itself and there no risk of setting off an airbag.

[SteveB72]

I had a similar issue on my 2007 Auris, the issue was that moving the passenger seat back and forward had loosened the connection to the airbag.

I could make the light go out by wiggling the cables under the passenger seat but this would only work for a short period.

I resolved this by taking the car to a local auto-electrician who re-terminated the airbag connector. Total cost was under £50