Re: 2001 Hyundai XG300 - Air Bag Light

John: I think you've given me enough information here. If the dealer tells you each time to not put items under the seat, then we're most likely dealing with the codes for high side air bag resistance.

The part about not hearing of it before is pure BS. There was recall on this issue. That doesn't mean that Hyundai is required to fix your vehicle for free for forever whenever the air bag light comes on, but it does mean that Hyundai *is required* at no charge to you to perform those repairs outlined in the bulletin (one time). If this doesn't properly fix the vehicles, then it's the job of the NHTSA to require additional recall work.

I see numerous vehicles which haven't had the recall done properly. The issue is that the harnesses under the seat move around and the small movement of the terminals in the connectors causes an intermittent high resistance issue. In almost every case where I've routed the wiring and secured as per the recall bulletin, the problem has never come back (to my knowledge). So, my initial suspicion is that the recall was not done properly.

Here's what I'd do: First, get an account at

if you haven't already done so, and see if you can access the TSB for the air bag wiring recall (I'm not sure if you can). Then, if you can operate a socket wrench, remove the four 14mm bolts holding each seat down and tip them back so you can see the wiring really well. If the wiring isn't exactly as it should be, as described in the bulletin (lots of pictures), then you should contact Hyundai immediately and tell them what you've found and that you demand that they arrange to have the recall properly performed. If you want, you could even call NHTSA for them to investigate. I think you'll find Hyundai very responsive if there's any doubt on their part that the recall was performed properly.

If everything appears proper, then I have little to offer other than returning to the dealer for diagnosis and repair.

Sorry about the disjointed reply.

As far as knowing what the codes were, you'll have access to that as long as the dealer tells you. It's something they need to document for Hyundai to reimburse them fully. In most cases, the dealer will document the codes on the customer copy of the receipt.

While I don't think you should be required to not keep things under the seat-- the vehicle *should* be well enough designed that this isn't an issue unless things are literally *crammed* under there-- you are nonetheless in the situation where this can aggravate a problem with the connectors, so I recommend it just so you won't have any unnecessary problems (hopefully).