Airbag light - changed steering wheel

ProjectGT

ProjectGT

Member
I have changed from a 4 spike steering wheel, to a three spoke sport wheel.

Airbag indictor light is now on the dash

I followed the guide and all is connected up with the correct loom.

Horn works as it should.

Any ideas why it would come on?
 
As long as the replacement air bag is compatible with the A2, and that you have connected it correctly, as @birtyA2 suggests, run a scan to check. You may be able to clear the fault with VCDS, but not all airbag warning can be cleared with VCDS.
Please be ultra careful, if the air bag was to trigger it is likely to cause a serious injury. If in doubt, don't.
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
As long as the replacement air bag is compatible with the A2, and that you have connected it correctly, as @birtyA2 suggests, run a scan to check. You may be able to clear the fault with VCDS, but not all airbag warning can be cleared with VCDS.
Please be ultra careful, if the air bag was to trigger it is likely to cause a serious injury. If in doubt, don't.
Mac.
Click to expand...

Yes don't do air bag related things whilst in the driver's seat. Try to be in the passenger seat or just outside the car just in case.
Did you disconnect the battery when you replaced the steering wheel? If not that might have caused the issue, and the light might go away if you leave it disconnected for a bit (30 minutes just in case).
 
Penny to a pound the connector in the airbag has fallen out (dont ask me how i know lol)
Diag kit will be required to clear the fault light when fixed
 
As @Howey has said either the air bag connector is not making contact with the air bag or a faulty loom or worse a faulty bag. Was everything supposedly fully functional when you bought it? You did disconnect the battery and dissipate any remaining power before you disconnected the air bag?
 
If the ignition was switched on, even briefly, during the steering wheel swap, then the airbag warning light will illuminate.

If the ignition wasn't switched on at all during the steering wheel swap, then the airbag warning light will be illuminated for one of two reasons: airbag circuit resistance too high, or airbag circuit resistance too low.
Too high a resistance is indicative of a loose, broken or corroded connection. Too low a resistance is indicative of a failed airbag or a fault within a wiring loom.

Some of the A2's control modules will auto-clear fault codes and warning lights once the issue has been resolved. So, if you get an ABS warning light, for instance, then the warning light will extinguish as soon as the underlying fault is fixed. Other control modules, such as the airbag controller, will never auto-clear the fault. Even if you disconnect the battery for a year, the airbag controller retains the fault code and illuminates the warning light in the instrument cluster. The fault must be cleared with VCDS or some other compatible diagnostic scanner.

Cheers,

Tom
 
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BearMcPear said:
Yes don't do air bag related things whilst in the driver's seat. Try to be in the passenger seat or just outside the car just in case.
Did you disconnect the battery when you replaced the steering wheel? If not that might have caused the issue, and the light might go away if you leave it disconnected for a bit (30 minutes just in case).
Click to expand...
Yes I had battery disconnected whilst completing the swap.

No harm in trying a batt disconnect for half hour I guess.
 
Thanks all for your input here. I will whip the airbag off (with batt disconnected of course), recheck all connections, refit and then clear down warning light and see where we are from there.
 
Hopefully you can sort the issue out.
Just on the side note, I've never understood why changing to 3 spoke steering wheel is better. When I cruise at low speed, I hook my hand over the lower right spoke to keep the car straight and I rest my elbow on the door armrest. Feels natural and I'm in full control when driving straight. You can't do that with the 3 spoke wheel. So what's the benefit to it?
 
Sylvester said:
Hopefully you can sort the issue out.
Just on the side note, I've never understood why changing to 3 spoke steering wheel is better. When I cruise at low speed, I hook my hand over the lower right spoke to keep the car straight and I rest my elbow on the door armrest. Feels natural and I'm in full control when driving straight. You can't do that with the 3 spoke wheel. So what's the benefit to it?
Click to expand...
When your orignal is plastic and you always fancied a TT so you fit the wheel, then the pedal covers, then a pair of front heated leather seats lol!
 
Sylvester said:
Hopefully you can sort the issue out.
Just on the side note, I've never understood why changing to 3 spoke steering wheel is better. When I cruise at low speed, I hook my hand over the lower right spoke to keep the car straight and I rest my elbow on the door armrest. Feels natural and I'm in full control when driving straight. You can't do that with the 3 spoke wheel. So what's the benefit to it?
Click to expand...
The reason for changing steering wheels was to get rid of the plastic wheel which had wear and had come unstuck at the top from the metal rim within - horrible.

Moving to the MK1 TT style leather wheel feels moving up from economy to business class ;-)
 
In fairness i felt exactly the same having followed the hype with my B5 passat that had leather 4 spoke, went to 3 spoke and really i was dissapointed, however i was able to replace my brothers b5 tatty plastic wheel with my old 4 spoke so sort of worked out
 
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