airbag warning light/control unit
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 198
Likes: 14
airbag warning light/control unit
This is my story but may be good reference when the time comes- I have '99 C4, 2nd owner, 75K miles, last year (9/05) the airbag warning light came on, a trip the the dealer and $529 later it's fixed. The dealer replaced the seatbelt sensors on the driver and passanger sides. In July 06 the airbag warning light comes back on. I try the 'ol black tape over the light trick which works OK but kind of grinds on me since it's a reminder that I do not have active airbags, at least not for sure.
In Sept 06 I go back to the dealer and after checking the fault codes and service history they advise me that I need an airbag control unit. Here is the pisser- the TSB says (roughly) that the airbag warning fix is as follows: replace the seatbelt sensors, if the airbag light comes on again, replace the seatbelt sensors, if the airbag light comes on again replace the airbag control unit. It turns out the first owner had replaced the sensors, so when I had it done it was the second time.
The airbag control unit was about $450 and $120 for labor and now the problem should be solved. (Be sure to ask if there is discount for PCA members, mine was 15%) Oddly enough, the new part # 996-618-219-02 is made in Mexico and replaced the orginal made in Germany- Viva Porsche!
It just kind of frosts me that I ended up paying an extra $500 to solve this. The fix it twice and move on method may be great for the dealer but not for me.
There, I feel better now.
In Sept 06 I go back to the dealer and after checking the fault codes and service history they advise me that I need an airbag control unit. Here is the pisser- the TSB says (roughly) that the airbag warning fix is as follows: replace the seatbelt sensors, if the airbag light comes on again, replace the seatbelt sensors, if the airbag light comes on again replace the airbag control unit. It turns out the first owner had replaced the sensors, so when I had it done it was the second time.
The airbag control unit was about $450 and $120 for labor and now the problem should be solved. (Be sure to ask if there is discount for PCA members, mine was 15%) Oddly enough, the new part # 996-618-219-02 is made in Mexico and replaced the orginal made in Germany- Viva Porsche!
It just kind of frosts me that I ended up paying an extra $500 to solve this. The fix it twice and move on method may be great for the dealer but not for me.
There, I feel better now.
Race Car
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,861
Likes: 91
It seems to me Porsche NA policy to fix problems is to just replace parts (in some specified order) without really knowing why. My guess is they do not want Porsche dealers to spend "labor time" figuring it out or even fixing it. They did the same thing for my car under warranty (Replaced my NAV, Front Diff, Power Steering Res., fuel pump, alarm sensor module).
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 95
Likes: 1
From: San Mateo, CA
I had the same problem and when I took it in, they were able to get the light to stay off by "grounding the circuit," or something to that effect, which costed be $93. They said it might stay off for a week or a year. So far, it's been about a month.
Drifting
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,042
Likes: 3
From: Roseville, CA USA
It is not the sensors it is the buckle contacts. The newer buckles have gold contacts and the grounds should be re-made per the TSB. A dealer with a PST2 or PIWIS tester should know exactly where the open contact is (becuase it tells them on the display). The second time they should replace only the faulty part -- and if it was replaced before it should be free.
I would ask for a printout (from the tester) of the fault code and the location page.
I would ask for a printout (from the tester) of the fault code and the location page.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,105
Likes: 6
From: MIAMI
well it doesnt really give a location, the fault is usally belt buckle leak/resitance but it doesnt ell you where. on a 99 you need the new terminals the new ground wies clean the ground new buckles and you need to secure the wiring with zipties
