Airbag Light Fix

[fritzm]

The airbag light ( Gen1 MS3 2007) showed up now and then over the past year, and recently stayed on all the time. After a new bulb didn't work, I switched the glove box bulb with the passenger airbag light (bulb). Driven for two days now and the aribag light is gone! Hopefully a longterm fix! Now on to the CEL !

[Rob777]

Originally Posted by fritzm The airbag light ( Gen1 MS3 2007) showed up now and then over the past year, and recently stayed on all the time. After a new bulb didn't work, I switched the glove box bulb with the passenger airbag light (bulb). Driven for two days now and the aribag light is gone! Hopefully a longterm fix! Now on to the CEL !

How'd you go with this? And what do you mean changed the bulbs?? Where?
My light just came on after going too fast into a corner..
Thanks

[fritzm]

Try a new light bulb first ( I couldn't find in one to match). So I switched the Glove box light bulb with the Air bag light bulb and all is well. The airbag bulb is easy, just pull the out cup holder (no screws ) then the cover around the shifter (again no screws) then pull out the ashtray to reveal the screws to get out the lighter panel, really easy. The glove box come out by removing the trim above the glove box to reveal some screws and also a couple underneath the dash. Just switch out the bulbs from one to the other and you should be good.

[Vansquish]

So what you're saying is that you didn't actually fix anything, and that all you did was switch the bulbs so that the airbag light can't illuminate because it doesn't have the same power requirements as the glovebox light.

Moreover, whatever sensor has triggered the airbag light to illuminate is still malfunctioning and could be causing an unsafe condition where it might not work if you have an accident.

Great idea...








1. Do you have anything sitting on the seat? If so, and if it's less than 100lbs, you might be triggering the Passenger weight sensor to shut the passenger airbag off.

2. If you don't have weight on that seat, then there's a pretty good chance you have either a failed SRS module or a failed Passenger weight sensor, and you'll need to go to a dealer to find out which.

Also, @fritzm; if you couldn't find the "right bulb" you weren't trying hard enough. Call onlinemazdaparts.com (yes, call them), and they'll tell you what part number you're looking for.

[Raider]

There was a guy who test drove a MS3 with a bag light on. Turn out it was salvaged and the whole front was replaced.

[fritzm]

This is the trouble with many in the import world. You are not experienced enough or have been too spoiled by technology to gain an appreciation for out of the box thinking or the logic that often the simplest idea is the best. You don't know how to drive fast so you add the all this aftermarket bolt on crap to gain a few horsepower and to make your car loud. Yet, put you on the Tail of the Dragon or a even 1/4 mile and all you can do is make noise. This fix worked and according to the dealer is a common problem and has nothing to do with sensors.

[Raider]

I don't know why the airbag light comes on...Oh, wait.

brownie noob OP, you gave NO FUCKING BACKGROUND other than airbag light on, airbag light off.

[Raider]

But to add to this, Mister Menchinger, the airbag light is set to go off if there is a malfunction in the airbag circuit. That is what it is supposed to do. Replacing it with different bulbs is not fixing the problem, only masking them. If you talked to your dealer, then why didn't they fix it there, instead of having you swap bulbs?

You talk a lot of crap for an old man.

This is coming from the president of a company, too. Oh, airbag light coming on? Swap bulbs until it does not come back on. Yeah, new cars suck.

Probably drives a 1985 Buick Century with the left blinker on.

LOL @ just making noise. OP sucks.

[daafisch]

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by fritzm This is the trouble with many in the import world. You are not experienced enough or have been too spoiled by technology to gain an appreciation for out of the box thinking or the logic that often the simplest idea is the best. You don't know how to drive fast so you add the all this aftermarket bolt on crap to gain a few horsepower and to make your car loud. Yet, put you on the Tail of the Dragon or a even 1/4 mile and all you can do is make noise. This fix worked and according to the dealer is a common problem and has nothing to do with sensors.

I'm going to ignore most of what you said above, as while I generally find out-of-the-box thinking to be laudable, when it comes to safety equipment I categorically don't believe it's a good plan.

As for your dealer, it sounds like you need to find another one.

Logic would dictate that if the light turned on the following applies:

1. Something caused the light to illuminate.

2. In order for something to cause the light to illuminate, something must be triggering the circuit or malfunctioning somewhere in the circuit, as the non-failure condition is "light off."

3. If there's nothing on the seat and the light is still on, then see 2), but start leaning towards malfunction.

4. If the passenger weight sensor harness clip has failed, maybe it's the harness clip/harness that needs replacing.

5. If not 4), then it's probably either the SRS module (in the center console), or the passenger weight sensor itself.

6. If not 5, then it is also possible that the passenger airbag harness may be malfunctioning.

7. If any of 2-6, then the airbag is likely set to NOT DEPLOY on impact. Basically, if that light turns on, it makes ZERO sense that replacing the bulb will cause the fail-state to be erased.

If you're upset that I suggested onlinemazdaparts.com because you think I'm a ricer (and that because this is an "import" platform, that we can't "think outside the box"), then you need to do a little research first. That website IS a Mazda dealership. They just happen to have good over-the-phone service and cheap OEM parts prices.

[Raider]

I am not sure if he is referring to the light near the cig lighter, but I am thinking it is the dashboard illumination, where that indeed signifies a problem.

[Vansquish]

It sounds like he's talking about the one in the center console, as that's what he describes pulling apart for access.

[skeeter149]

Raiser judging by his quick how to, its the one by the cig lighter.

[Raider]

He probably left his dentures on the seat and the jar spilled, shorting the sensor.

[bplus]

The glove box and the passenger airbag light bulb (next to the cig lighter) are the same part. Same power requirement. When that passenger airbag bulb blows, it causes the airbag malfunction light on the cluster to stay on. Why is that so unbelievable?

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by bplus The glove box and the passenger airbag light bulb (next to the cig lighter) are the same part. Same power requirement. When that passenger airbag bulb blows, it causes the airbag malfunction light on the cluster to stay on. Why is that so unbelievable?

1. Great necro-thread revival for your first post. Maybe next time, you can do a little more silent reading instead of posting unnecessary, and irrelevant information.

2. The failure mode for the light is "on." What does that mean? Current flows through the circuit to the bulb when a failure condition occurs. That could be when there's weight, but less than 66lbs of it on the front passenger seat, in which case the airbag is DEACTIVATED. If there is no failure condition, such as when there's more than 93lbs on the seat, the lightbulb doesn't turn on, and the airbag is ACTIVATED.

3. The OP wrote that, "The airbag light ( Gen1 MS3 2007) showed up now and then over the past year, and recently stayed on all the time. After a new bulb didn't work, I switched the glove box bulb with the passenger airbag light (bulb). Driven for two days now and the aribag light is gone! Hopefully a longterm fix! Now on to the CEL !"

That means that BOTH the bulb in the console, and the bulb in the instrument cluster were working. THEY WEREN'T BLOWN!!! So, proceeding from this, his solution of replacing the bulb in the console with another working(?) bulb from the glovebox was a totally pointless exercise, and would've merely masked any problem that might've caused the bulb to illuminate. Moreover, the fact that there was a MIL indicates that there WAS in fact a problem NOT caused by a fucking lightbulb.

Now, if a circuit discontinuity caused by a burnt out light-bulb causes a failure mode during the initial system check and that illuminates the airbag MIL, then sure, I can believe your diagnosis. (I'd have to check the shop manual to see if that's an accurate description of the car's behavior, and I don't have that in front of me at the moment.) However, your suggestion makes absolutely no sense when we consider that both the airbag light and the glovebox light were functioning before the swap occurred.

[bplus]

Thanks for the clarification. My airbag MIL is on constantly, no code is showing up, and the passenger airbag light at console never lights up (burnt out?). If you find an answer to that let me know.

[Vansquish]

If the airbag MIL is on, then the airbags will not work if you get in an accident. You should go somewhere like Autozone and have them pull the OBDII code so you can figure out what the failure is.

[bplus]

I was told by my mechanic that no code is showing up when scanned. Is that b.s.?

[Vansquish]

Originally Posted by bplus I was told by my mechanic that no code is showing up when scanned. Is that b.s.?

If the airbag light on the gauge cluster is illuminated, there's probably a code.

[leka]

hello, I accidentally broke my airbag light in the center console, and My airbag In the speedometer is on all the time, could the light in the center console be the Cause?

Also should I go oem ?

[Raider]

Could be. Get a replacement and hook it up.

[leka]

I Can't find the OEM bulb online, I could need some help to find it, who will be my Hero ?

I tried all the OEM sites that I know

[Raider]

Just the bulb? Oh take it out and look at it. Grab same one from a parts store.

[leka]

Got it!

[leka]

It worked, if the light in the center console is broke or disconnected, the airbag light will be triggered and will be illuminated

[brandon3212]

Usually anything to do with a safety circuit is all wired together. If any 1 part fails the whole system stops working.

[markrodriguez0721]

The bulb Part No. is H450-55-431. It's marked "TOSHIBA A12V 1.7W" on the globe. My dealer had it cheaper than online. They charged me $5.92 USD.