Air bag light won't go out

Renault Laguna, "R" Reg, 1997, 1.8 SOHC. Airbag light came on with the ignition, went out as usual, and then came straight back on again. Stopped and started two more times and same thing.

So it looks like I have an airbag fault. Anyone know if there is a reset of these? Am I likely to get punched in the face by a massive boxing glove while tootling down the motorway?

Pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioners?! So not only am I going to be punched in the face, I'll be burnt alive by an insane seatbelt! The Laguna is allegedly a safe car.

I don't know if it does. If it does, what do I do with the wires under the seat? Give them a knowledgeable poke and shoogle?

When my airbag inflated, I suffered a friction burn on the back of my hand, and my partner (in the front passenger seat) suffered chest compression requiring hospitalisation. Without airbags, who knows?

"Malcolm Stewart" wrote in message news:di37h6$5ff$ snipped-for-privacy@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...

Did it do this in a crash, or was it just faulty?

Forgot to mention, ...the noise, smell and powder everywhere was quite frightening. It happened in a low speed crash - but into a pretty solid concrete wall. I maintain that the car (an auto with cruise control) went out of control when I was slowly moving into a parking spot, but what should I know - I was merely the driver! Totally sober at the time... and my first and only incident in over 45 years of driving.

Malcolm Stewart (malcolm snipped-for-privacy@megalith.freeserve.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

In what you describe as "a low speed crash - but into a pretty solid concrete wall."? You'd both be absolutely fine.

I had exactly the same thing on my Rover 200.

My manual said to leave the ignition off for 10 minutes and then completely disconnect the battery, earth lead first.

I then repeatedly pulled and reconnected the connector under each seat and made sure the wiring was free to move and there was no tension on either of the plugs. This cured the problem for me and from what I've read it seems to be a very common cause. It's now about 6 months.

Of course the instructions for your Renault may well be different but it would be worth investigating.

Andy

If poke and shoogle works then do it, and sell car before light comes back...

The number of stories I've heard, both first hand and apocryphal about french wiring harness problems starting with the "airbag light" and ending in lots of trips to dealer, replacement harnesses and in two cases fires, the less likely it is that I'll ever buy a french car (we need another small MPV and the grand scenic would be ideal, if it were made designed / engineered in Germany, Italy, Britain, Russia, China, Australia, Korea, Japan, Mexico or Brazil).

When my airbag inflated and tensioners activated it kept my head seperated from the bits of tree that were making there way towards the windscreen at high speeds. Without airbags, who knows?

Er... Why did you mention cruise control? I don't think the manufacturers intended its use for parking! LOL!

Yeah yeah... I know... the car has been doing at least 40 mph and be in 4th gear for cruise control to operate...I'm scratching my head at the relevance of cruise control to your post :)

Airbags do scare me a bit though thankfully I've never had one deploy on me. Sadly it is difficult to find a modern motor these days without them.

You've just made my day. Thanks. ;o(

But what if the cruise control suffered some severe, and temporary, electrical interference? In a previous life it was my job to ensure that our (military) equipment didn't suffer from unexplained failures which could threaten life, and I can assure you that we were pretty careful and rigorous in our studies and investigations.