Air Bag light stays on all the time (except when the ignition is off !!)

1998 Ford Focus 1.8 LX
Car: Ford Focus
Year: 1998
Variant: 1.8 LX
Categories: Running Rough, Starting & Power Loss
Hi,
Can anyone please point me in the right direction with the dash airbag warning light which used to intermittantly remain on when I bought the car. It has now progressed to staying on all the time and I would like to try and fix it. I have checked out the underseat harnesses which I learned was a big failure area for broken and damaged wiring but they seem to be OK.

Q1:If these are just switches can I just short them out or do they cause a resistance change when a person sits on the seat?

Q2:Are there any switches associated with the seat belt installations which would cause my symptoms?

Thanks,

Paul_B
Problem added: Mar 13, 2010 (14 years ago)
This might help you ,


http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=75762

Re . seat belts , don't know for sure if that car is fitted with pre tensioners , probably has .
Answered Mar 13, 2010 (14 years ago)
I have read the link to the response posted but it is not relevant as the fault symptoms are different.

I have persued this issue a little further and checked my seat's belt pr-tensioners. I have also checked the witring looms by shorting out the plugs and checking the readings at the module connector and no broken wires are apparent. With the seat plugs shorted I have again checked the system but the light remains on.

Can anyone please answer a simple question :- are these tensioner switches supposed to be open circuit or closed circuit in normal operating environment? This will help me to decide if the fault lies elsewhere.

Thanks,

Paul_B
Answered Mar 22, 2010 (14 years ago)
OK I have now established that my underseat connections and wiring is is in good condition to the pretensioners which are also in good condition (not deployed). I have also now learned from other information that a constantly lit warning light is telling me that the module is faulty OR there is a broken feed or broken earth.

Are there any other common areas where the system wiring can be damaged in this manner?

Thanks,
Vanguard_1
Answered Apr 2, 2010 (14 years ago)
you may have a problem with the rotary connector at the steering wheel. But my advise is if you dont know what you are doing with the airbag system i would leave well alone.... you could do yourself a serious injury or worse!!!!!
Answered Apr 27, 2010 (13 years ago)

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