Airbags and Airbag Lights

[Mike13579]

Hi everyone, i got my first car yesterday and its a 2005 FWD automatic Vibe. I have already fell in love with it but there is one problem. The airbag light on the gauge cluster is on and when there is a adult in the passanger seat the the passanger airbage does not turn on. The guy I bought it from buys cars and than sells them so he does not know much about the problem. He took it to the mechanic yesterday and they replaced the airbag sensor but that did not fix the problem. I was searching around on the forum and one person posted that it could be a wire on the HU but the radio is old and does not look like it was ever replaced. Thanks for your help.

[djkeev]

Owners manual is here....http://www.genvibe.com/images/...e.pdfOn used cars, it begs to be asked, are there REALLY air bags installed?? Often a car is wrecked and fixed for sale but with the price of replacement bags, they are "overlooked".Have someone verify the physical presence of the bags.Dave

[Mike13579]

Heres an update: I did check and the airbags are still in the car, we took it over to a family mechanic who hooked the car up to a scanner and it came back with these code readings, 1650, 1653, 1900, and 1901. He reset the system and these codes came back 1650, and 1900. The 1650 said there was a short in the Knee Squib but the 1900 had no description. Does anyone know what the 1900 code indicates? Thanks-Michael

[lovemyraffe]

The B1900 is "Short in Front Driver Side Pretensioner SquibCircuit"

[Mike13579]

Thanks for the info, everything points to the squib so i went to Chevy today and ordered one for $89. Should be in tuesday. Ill keep everyone posted.Thanks-Michael

[Mike13579]

Update: I took the car over to Chevy dealership for a second opinion before i ordered the part. They ran the codes and diagnosed the problem and said that the previous owner tried to disable the airbags by cutting the wiring harness and the wires on the passenger side and want $1350 to rewire the car. Is this something that I can order and wire up myself? Or is it best to pay the $1350 and have Chevy do? Thanks-Michael

[09vGT]

I've always heard messing with airbags is a NO NO unless you know what you are doing.. Maybe you can find somewhere that knows how to repair airbags for cheaper? But I would definitely not do it myself if not knowing anything about them..

[Wolfman213]

Ouch!!! That def hurts!! Yeah, unless you know of a non-dealership that you are comfortable and confident in, def don't mess with it yourself. If you do something wrong and it goes off while you are driving or something, that could lead to some extremely bad things versus an empty wallet.

[tpollauf]

Quote, originally posted by Mike13579 »Update: I took the car over to Chevy dealership for a second opinion before i ordered the part. They ran the codes and diagnosed the problem and said that the previous owner tried to disable the airbags by cutting the wiring harness and the wires on the passenger side and want $1350 to rewire the car. Is this something that I can order and wire up myself? Or is it best to pay the $1350 and have Chevy do? Thanks-MichaelI take it this was NOT a GM certified used car My take on this is if fewer than 10 wires were cut AND if they are in an area that is somewhat accessible, then reconnect the wires (one at a time, with the battery disconnected) then run a follow up diagnostic test to verify all back to normal. If it was 15-20 or more wires, then forget it. Either drive the Vibe, like we all did years ago when airbags we're not around, OR pay the big bucks to have it properly repaired. If you got the Vibe for a steal, then maybe have it fixed

[09vGT]

I've read where airbags can deploy even after disconnecting the battery.. So be EXTREMELY careful if you do touch it. But just think.. whats your hospital bill going to be if you get airbag in your face? Just a though!

[star_deceiver]

Pull all the airbag fuses as well before you start!