Airbag light on - Have you been affected? (UK)

Sigh... On my first long drive in the Zed from Birmingham to Aberdeen today I stopped at a service station. Came back to the car to find it with an Airbag warning light on... About a minute after driving away from the service station the seatbelt chime went off twice, then stopped. The airbag fault was on for the next 4 hours of the drive.

Is there any consensus on disconnecting the battery to clear these faults. I may take it to a specialist tomorrow to get it checked but just wondered if there was anything I could do tonight!
 
andymol21 said:
Sigh... On my first long drive in the Zed from Birmingham to Aberdeen today I stopped at a service station. Came back to the car to find it with an Airbag warning light on... About a minute after driving away from the service station the seatbelt chime went off twice, then stopped. The airbag fault was on for the next 4 hours of the drive.

Is there any consensus on disconnecting the battery to clear these faults. I may take it to a specialist tomorrow to get it checked but just wondered if there was anything I could do tonight!
Click to expand...

The airbag light won't reset itself. It needs middy or dealer equipment to clear.
Some minor issues are cleared by removing the battery and reconnecting.
 
cj10jeeper said:
andymol21 said:
!
Click to expand...

The airbag light won't reset itself. It needs middy or dealer equipment to clear.
Some minor issues are cleared by removing the battery and reconnecting.
Click to expand...


.........or you can re-set it yourself like I did using the plug in thingy ... :D
 
Just a quick update in my airbag light. Took it to a specialist and had the error checked, was an under voltage that cleared fine and (touch wood) hasn't reappeared. Bought myself a obd cable to do the job myself next time as the garage wanted £24 for the10 min job. Still cheaper than the BMW prices I've seen here for diagnostic work!
 
You need the proper software to go with the cable....... BMTechnic sells a one "click" to install software package... He's local to you in the UK... Airbag faults aren't cleared with a "thingy"...
 
Clearancediver said:
... Airbag faults aren't cleared with a "thingy"...
Click to expand...

hahahahaha .... well yes, thats true
my thingy is a Bavarian Technic thingy with their softeware, wasnt cheap, but it is wonderful .... :D
 
Well finally took my car in to get this sorted at my local dealer as I could not get it fixed my self. Cause was a faulty Gateway Safety Module almost £500 to get it fixed........ :thumbsdown:
 
Do you have a BMW part number for it? Would like to check out where its located etc.. so if I have an issue in the future I can check it out/repair myself.
 
I just managed to get my Airbag light sorted, check out my post:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53076
 
I had an airbag fault which the BMW tech traced to a bad connection causing a voltage issue which caused the error/fault indicator to light. That particular connection in my 2004 3.0i was located in the battery compartment. It's a single two wire connector. Once cleaned the fault went away.
I bought the BMTechnic cable/software afterwards.... cleaned every connection in the car... cleared the codes with my software. My car has satellite modules etc... That's why I was looking to identify which module the previous post was referring to. you can never have enough information......
 
SAMX109 said:
brimoon said:
BMW of N. America sent out a notice dated December 2008 about the failure of the "passenger seat occupant detection mat." When that happens both air bag warning lamp and the passenger air bag "on-off" lamp will illuminate and the passenger side air bag will not deploy. They recommend that the vehicle be serviced promptly and that passenger seat not be used until the problem is corrected. BMW N. America provides an extended warranty for this defect for ten years from the in service date of the vehicle. I got this notice for our 2003 Z4. Of course, none of this may apply to cars delivered in the UK, but if you would like to have a copy of the notice, I will send a scan of it. I don't think I can attach a document to a post on the Forum, so I'll need to direct it to an email address of your choice.

I don't know if disconnecting the battery does anything to fix the problem and I would be reluctant to experiment with the connectors under the seat. Good luck!
Click to expand...

This thread is late but do you still have the article? My passenger light came on randomly after i got my engine oil changed.
Click to expand...

Does anyone still have this notice? I have both lights on and located in the US. Would like to bring this with me to the dealer when I go.
 
My AUX fan was running on full blast from the moment I turned the key on till I turned the car off, and I don't use AC. While I was trying to diagnose the problem I decided to disconnect the coolant temp sensor wire. I then turned the car on and found that the AUX fan did not run but the Airbag light had come on. As the AUX fan runs for a period after you turn the car off I assume the connection to the coolant temp sensor must be hot (connected directly to the battery). So when I disconnected the wire to the coolant temp sensor I should have disconnected the battery first.
In an attempt to clear the fault I bought the B800 tool, but got no fault codes displaying and thus could not clear the light. Anyway it was time for my MOT and the car failed - my mechanic gave me 2 options 1. try and find the reason for the Airbag light or 2. He will just clear the light (ps. he said it was not showing any fault from his diagnosis). This morning I picked the car up and guess what no airbag light!! I'll see how long it lasts - but he did say to me he would just disconnect the light bulb if he could not clear it.

PS. Since June this year warning lights on mean MOT fail.
 
My 2004 2.2 SE had an air bag warning light when I bought it earlier this year. Sorted by an independent BMW specialist garage by replacing the passenger lower belt tensioner, overall cost around £170.00 (approx. $250.00) including labour & VAT.
No further problems since. The garage told me it is a very common Z4 problem.
Do not know manufacture date but was first registered 13/03/2004.
 
Hi, I'm wondering if this is the same as the issue I'm having with my car. I have a 2004 BMW Z4 2.5i Roadster (UK). The airbag light came on a few months ago and when I was getting a service and new pads so I asked the mechanic to look at it. He said the airbag system was working ok but that the fault was to do with the 'Intelligent battery system' (I think!). Anyway, he said it may have happened when my battery went dead over the winter and that my car would need to go to Bavarian (the main BMW dealers in Belfast). What they would need to do is replace some cable (£300 + labour + however long it will be on the computer) and clear the fault. He said that clearing the fault involved doing something in specific sequence and that he wouldn't try it himself.

So, I've been driving away and leaving it til near my MOT but last week my car wouldn't start. I put jump leads on it and got started ok. A week later (Saturday past) it wouldn't start again, I tried the jump leads but no joy. The mechanic jump started it and had a look and ended up putting in a new battery and starter motor. The airbag light was still on but everything else seemed grand and it wasn't as 'lazy' when starting. Then today, driving into my house and the power steering went and every single light on the dash lit up. I turned the car off and it wouldn't start. The mechanic called up and had a look to see if he had maybe affecting something and when he turned the key it started first time! So he turned it off and on a few times and eventually got the same problem, the car wouldn't start and everything lit up, I think the speedo wasn't even working...

Not sure what it is or what to do. I've had an ex BMW guy that has all the right gear recommended but not sure if this is a bit of a false economy or too much of a risk? Maybe I should just go to BMW? I'm wondering if I knew what the issue was then I could call around and see what needs done, what sort of money is involved and who would be the best to go to...

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Martin
 
Wow you've had some problems, a lot worse than me. I would suggest you go to an independant garage, preferably who specialises in BMW but not necessary. They would carry out a full diagnostic check for under £50 and should issue you with a comprehensive report with their recommendations and if they are really good - fully costed.
Yes I'm lucky enough to have good garage within 2 miles. Best of luck!
 
I recently had a passenger airbag light which turned off with a reset of codes but has come back on again. I have just become aware of this as an ongoing issue by reading this post. I am typing this on a Sunday so can't get through to my dealership today, but I will get back to this post with any results I'm able to obtain this week.
 
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