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Airbag light...sometimes. Console problem?


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Hi guys and gals,

 

I recently got my first non-american car, an 07 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited. So far, I really like it. I do have one small problem with it though. It currently has 42k miles on it and there has been an intermittent problem since I got it.

 

I noticed this a couple times a few weeks after I got it. The red airbag light would come on on the dash and stay on until after that trip. Then, the next time I would get in, it would be off. I've also noticed that the overhead console indicator for the passenger light is not always either "on" or "off". Sometimes it doesn't indicate one or the other, but just shows the words "passenger airbag".

 

Then, I had an aftermarket car starter installed in my car last week. It works great, but I noticed that the airbag light comes on more often now. I also noted that if I start it and immediately press the brake and put it into gear that the light is more likely to be on. If I start it and wait, it may not come on. It doesn't always do it... Odd....

 

So I called my local Subaru dealer and, of course, I'm out of warranty for that, but he immediately thought that my overhead console was bad based on what I said about the indicator light up there. He gave me the p/n 84601AG03A0R and said it was about $50. I haven't been able to find ANY info on this p/n online, so I thought I would post up on here and get some input.

 

Has anyone else seen anything weird like this? I did a search and saw that people have seen the airbag light come on for several different reasons, but I don't want to drop $50 if it's not going to fix it.

 

Please offer up your thoughts on this as I'd like to get it fixed. My understanding is that if the red airbag light is on, my airbag system is turned off, which isn't good.

 

Thanks for any help!

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Well after I wrote this thread, I looked around a bit more and found a used overhead console complete with sunroof controls like mine for $13 shipped on ebay, so I bought it. Hopefully that fixes it, but even if it doesn't, I feel a lot better about wasting $13 than $50 plus tax.

 

I'll post again when I get it and find out if it fixes the problem. Until then, any ideas are still welcome!

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There may also be a contact in/under the passenger seat that detects if there is a passenger in the seat. You may want to check that too. If it's not working as it should the passenger seat belt light may be inconsistent.

 

If you drive with stuff in the passenger seat it may of course also be the problem. My camera bag does sometimes trigger the passenger detector contact causing the seat belt buzzer to go off.

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Well, I occasionally have something in the seat, but nothing large or heavy. I haven't ever noticed the seat buzzer going off. I definitely have noticed that it's much more avid at reminding you when you don't have a seatbelt buckled than any of my previous cars. That's probably the very next thing I'll look at if the console doesn't fix it.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Update on this. I got my console on ebay and took mine down to check it out and possibly swap. I noted that what is actually on the overhead console concerning the airbag is just a small LED pc board with 4 LED lights. I'm pretty sure that's not the problem because I don't think an LED circuit is going to throw my airbad light on the dash. I would have tried to just swap out the console and see, but the one that arrived didn't quite match the one in the picture on the auction. This one has several blemishes that I would consider unaccepable. I'm working with the seller now to settle this.

 

I found a section in the forum about diagnosing the airbag light code, so I'm going to try that out soon. Hopefully i'll find the problem and it won't cost me an arm and a leg.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Ditto. Been having the AIRBAG light on and off just as O/P noted. I haven't modified anything on the car for over a year now, and it just started about 1 month ago.
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed." - T. Jefferson
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Any electrical connections related to the airbag system can trigger that light since it does a diagnostic check every time you start the car. In my old Impreza, it was caused by a corroded "clock spring" / roll connector in the steering wheel. A side effect was that my horn didn't work. I think other common points of failure are related to the seats or the front sub sensor.

 

All airbag wiring is bright yellow. Probably the best thing to do if you really want to fix it is to get someone to pull the code (DTC) for you, which will hopefully tell you where the fault is.

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'05 wagon - center console passenger airbag light would sometimes display *both* on and off at the same time. Took the passenger seat out for examination of contacts and such - no luck. Dealer suggested center console display - they replaced it with no luck and put the old one back in and wanted to do more diagnostics the next day. Next day - it works fine and has ever since. I'm with those suspecting dicey contacts.
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  • 4 weeks later...

interesting hatchetman. I tilted the pass seat back and checked all connections and didn't see anything loose.

 

I did look into the LED status circuit board in the maplight console, but couldn't test any of them. Looking at the vaca pics for that part of my "trip", I did see that the signal goes through the LED before terminating at the ABS Control module.

 

With the range of temps we're experiencing here in CO now (-35*F to 53*F), it is NOT consistent in it's operation. Sometimes the "OFF" light won't illuminate, sometimes the "PASS AIR BAG" light won't illuminate...all regardless whether or not my wife is in the pass seat.

 

When it gets warmer out and I have more time, I'll take a look at the R150 Connector (harness that plugs into the LED status circuit board) on the CAR side, versus the board side, to see if the female connectors are stretched and loose.

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed." - T. Jefferson
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A quick update for today. Last night I was driving home and noticed that the light on the overhead was out completely (and my dash light was on of course). Normally the "pass airbag" is lit but no "on" or "off". Just for fun I hit the overhead console and the "pass airbag" light blinked. I waited a few minutes and hit it again and it stayed on. Nothing else came on though.

 

I got home and decided to pull the overhead down and check for loose connections. I unplugged a few things and wiggled a few things and had no luck getting anything to change. I put it all back together and called it a night.

 

This morning I left the house and again everything was out. I hit the overhead again and both the "pass airbag" and "off" lights blinked. I hit it several times and they only flashed as I hit them. Then, a few minutes later, they both came on by themselves and stayed on for the rest of the trip.

 

This is really strange and confusing.....

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  • 7 months later...
Did anyone ever find a solution to this? My 2008 Legacy is having the exact same issue, though I'll admit to not yet resorting to pounding on the overhead to see if that makes it go on or off. :) It seems that some sort of easy remedy should be available ... right?
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I wonder if it is the clock spring... mine makes a good amount of noise sometimes when i turn the steering wheel, like something is binding/rubbing. I'm going to wait till i get a hard code istead of this on/off stuff i get 4-5 times a year.
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  • 1 month later...

I know you got the part replaced. But did anyone figure out how to fix it. I own a 2008 OB LL Bean edition and sometimes I see that airbag light come on on my dash. To correct the problem I turn the car off and then on. The light turns off. I bought my OB Oct 5, 2011 and love it.

 

Anyone know how to fix this?

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i noticed that when the "airbag" is on in the gauge cluster, the passenger indicator by the lamp, its supposed to say "on" or "off" and it says neither, just "passenger airbag". so i assume my problem is the lamp also. i might just take it out and look for any broken wires.
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