Airbag light flashing... needs to be fixed... Dealer rant...
 

Ok so now my airbag light is flashing... Actually its been flashing for about a year now. I can't reset it anymore because I think there's genuinely something wrong with it because if I reset it, it goes off for like 10 mins, then its back to flashing again.

Before it used to go off (and start flashing) when someone/or something is on the passenger's seat. Soooo how can I diagnose this.

I took it to the nissan dealer, and on top of the $115 "diagnostic fee" he said and I quote, "I have to warn you, we have to replace one part that is related to it, but if that doesn't fix it, we will go on to the next"... and HERE's THE KICKER... "for each replace part will be an additional $$$$$$$$$$$". Soo that's lovely...

Can an OBDII scanner tell me what's wrong with the flashing light??? I'm pretty handy with working on cars so your help is greatly appreciated.

Had the same prob a few years back after an accident where my airbag deployed. Dealer stated it was a defective airbag and charged me $250. Two weeks later the light started blinking again....still haven't bothered to go back.

If you ultimately figure out what the issue is, please let me know aswell.

It's common for side impact airbags to go bad. That is the airbag that is attached to both seats.

I would try and reach under the seats and unplug then replug all of the plugs you can get to. On my Rx8 the airbag light would come up but in order to get it to go away I'd fiddle with the plugs underneath the seats.

Have we ever determined how to disable this? Mine refuses to stop blinking.
Regardless of reset. Ugh.

:+1:

Ok let me try plugging and unplugging. **** this is frustrating.

Is there a shop that works on airbags? F-the dealer.

Could it be something wrOng with the air bag system to make it blink? I would like to get this fix and not just trick the computer to stop blinking since I would want the air bags to work in an accident.

My 2003 has been blinking for about 3 years. Honestly I forget it is there now. I'd still like to make it go away though.

If the light is flashing there is a code.

1. Turn ignition switch from OFF to ON.
2. Within 1 second after air bag warning lamp is on for 7 seconds and turns off, turn off ignition switch.
3. After ignition switch is off, wait for more than three seconds.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 twice. (Perform 3 times total)
5. Turn ignition switch to ON again.

That puts it in diagnosis mode, after you retrieve the codes do the whole thing over again to go back to user mode. Or disconnect the battery, seems faster.

Count the flashes, report back. If the code pops up when someone sits in the passenger seat its most likely the pass seat weight sensor.

I tried the suggested procedure and it was flashing slowly... I counted it and it went up all the way to 100... Is that right? I gave up counting after that. I'll post a YouTube link.

Is it supposed to flash so slowly?

It can be scanned with any proper scan tool, for example we have a pegisys scanner from OTC at my job that would tell me what the actual issue/code is.

Problem is, only the dealership has a Consult which you will need to re-program everything after you replace stuff. You could have it scanned and swap out the defective part with a new or known good used one and hope for the best, but odds are you will end up at a nissan dealership at some point. Airbag/SRS systems are a *****, just because they are all proprietary and you have to use an OEM scan-tool to work with them.

No you don't need OEM scan tool. I forgot I was in this thread. Using the method I showed you can get the codes and reset after fixing. Here's the flash patterns:

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I think the problem a lot of people have (myself included), is that the light flashes but there is no error code. Reset the light and eventually it comes back on. Again with no code. There could be a small problem anywhere in the entire cars electrical system (not just the airbag system) that can cause this. Troubleshooting is near impossible. The fix is to hope that light burns itself out.

You have to put it in diagnosis mode; read my first post. If there is no code the diagnosis gets simpler, most likely module. Troubleshooting is only impossible if you don't use the most important tool; your brain.

No kidding dude. When I say no code, I mean the error code is to reset it. Not very helping when finding the problem. Like I said before, many electrical issues with the car can cause this scenario.

No, if you can read a wiring diagram you can figure this out. Otherwise you don't know what you are doing.

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That stuff costs me $1500 a year to access.