airbag light is on, 2002 Sebring convertible

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GNRick

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Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
5,485
Not Buick related, but my dash light for my airbag came on today. Also get that annoying chime. Car has 47k miles. I want the bag to work in an emergency. What should I do? Can I diagnose it myself? Where is the sensor located? Also, about a month ago. my neighbor backed into it. I was on the street and he was coming out of his driveway. Bodyshop didn't think this is accident related as it was just dented from the side. Driver front fender and headlight got hit. Could it be related? Thanks.
 
Not Buick related, but my dash light for my airbag came on today. Also get that annoying chime. Car has 47k miles. I want the bag to work in an emergency. What should I do? Can I diagnose it myself? Where is the sensor located? Also, about a month ago. my neighbor backed into it. I was on the street and he was coming out of his driveway. Bodyshop didn't think this is accident related as it was just dented from the side. Driver front fender and headlight got hit. Could it be related? Thanks.

I put in junkyard power/heated/leather seats in my wife's old Jeep Liberty and when I plugged in the seats the airbag light came on. I removed the sensor from the seats (was screwed to the passenger side seat bottom) and installed the one from my old seats. The Airbag light went out and all was well.

Don't know where the sensor is on a sebring, but since you are going to have to buy the sensor from the dealer, anyway, you may want to take it to a dealer.
 
Windshield or conv. top leak?

I got the dash wet on my ford last friday, it has a rubber mat and i pressure washed it out ,.. well, apparently too good.

The brake light and the airbag light stayed on for 2 days, i had even blow dried it out right after i washed it.

Possible to just start giggling wires under the dash?:eek:

BW
 
FWIW last week I replaced a rear seatbelt on the same car you have. I dont know how it fixed the Airbag light, It didnt have any wires going to it unless it uses radio frequencys to communicate, but fixed the problem nonetheless. Get a scan tool and see if it says which belt could be causing the problem.
 
Great info guys! Thanks! I'll check in with my mechanic and see what he says. His uncle is a mechanic at a Chrysler dealer so I'm sure I'll get to the bottom of this, and will report back.
 
Windshield or conv. top leak?

I got the dash wet on my ford last friday, it has a rubber mat and i pressure washed it out ,.. well, apparently too good.

The brake light and the airbag light stayed on for 2 days, i had even blow dried it out right after i washed it.

Possible to just start giggling wires under the dash?:eek:

BW

No leaks as far as I can tell.
 
Get it scannned for the code and go from there. Does the cruise control and/or horn still work. On our 99 Grand Caravan, all 3 stopped working at the same time. Code set was clockspring (for airbag in padded steering wheel) out of sync. All 3 items are in the same wiring harness. Fixed free under recall at the dealer! HTH.
 
Get it scannned for the code and go from there. Does the cruise control and/or horn still work. On our 99 Grand Caravan, all 3 stopped working at the same time. Code set was clockspring (for airbag in padded steering wheel) out of sync. All 3 items are in the same wiring harness. Fixed free under recall at the dealer! HTH.

Cruise works, will try the horn later and let you know. Thanks.
 
Yep, clockspring is a known issue for Chryslers. (Ask me how I know...)

Other than that, get it scanned to see for sure what it is. My 01 Cruiser's module went bust on me, just happened to be under the center console where the sunroof was open and got a little bit damp.
 
My horn works. What is the clock spring and where is it located and can I do it myself without special tools? Can I tell if it is bad by looking at it? Thanks.
 
My horn works. What is the clock spring and where is it located and can I do it myself without special tools? Can I tell if it is bad by looking at it? Thanks.

Get it scanned first before you start ripping stuff apart! The clock spring is in the steering wheel, Becareful of the Airbag if you decide to take it apart.
 
The clockspring is basically a disc inside the wheel/column that transmits your electrical signals from steering wheel to column, no matter what position the wheel is in. So it looks like a bunch of circular contact points on a big disc. All of your electricals from the wheel (airbag, cruise, radio controls, horn, etc) use this to transmit signals back and forth no matter where the wheel is.
Its a pretty involved process, you'll probably want a manual of some sort.

But, make sure of what it is before you start ripping stuff apart. Lots of things make up the airbag system, and you probably don't want to keep replacing parts until the light goes out, or you accidentally trip a sensor and get a bag in the face, whichever happens first...
 
Mechanic's report:
Diagnose $32.50

Seat Belt pretensioner $225.12

Interior labor 1.5 hours $97.50

Shop supplies $3.55

Total bill..............$358.67

Mechanic said while light is on, air bag circuit does not work. So I guess I need to fix it. Do I have any other options except leaving it alone?
 
Lots of cars came without airbags ;) . Which seatbelt was it? If you have some mechanic skills you can probably do it yourself.
 
Lots of cars came without airbags ;) . Which seatbelt was it? If you have some mechanic skills you can probably do it yourself.

I don't know which seatbelt....that's a good question! I'm still shell shocked from the price! Anyway it will be fixed today and I will be $350 poorer. I've been warned to stay clear of anything related to the airbag as I don't want to set it off. I know many cars don't have airbags:biggrin:
 
I don't know which seatbelt....that's a good question! I'm still shell shocked from the price! Anyway it will be fixed today and I will be $350 poorer. I've been warned to stay clear of anything related to the airbag as I don't want to set it off. I know many cars don't have airbags:biggrin:

They can go off but you have to really be rough, or jump the terminals :rolleyes:. Good luck.
 
Lots of cars came without airbags ;) . Which seatbelt was it? If you have some mechanic skills you can probably do it yourself.

It is the driver's side seatbelt. Mechanic spent extra time tryng to remove the torx bolt that holds the belt. He broke a Snap On bit and a Matco bit. So now due to his extra time the bill is $410 and he had to order a new bolt. Won't be fixed until Monday. I did save a few dollars yesterday with him-he installed a mini starter for me on my 87 TR for $40. Sometimes he does me favors and he does real good work.
 
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