; Hey all! Have had our '01 Tribute in dealer 3x for same problem. Air bag ; warning light codes 4/6.
I have just finished (I hope...) going through something similar with my '03 Mazda6. Not the airbag, but a persistent trouble-code problem.
This started last December, when the check engine light came on. Dealer said it had to do with the vapor recovery system, and was just a momentary spike that the computer should have ignored. Mazda had a reprogram already, but had not yet sent it out to the dealers. They offered to either keep the car a couple days so they could express ship my car's computer to the California factory for reprogramming, or they'll let me know when it's available there and I can bring my car back. I opted for the latter. In January, it was reprogrammed.
About two weeks ago, the check engine light came on. I had moved to another part of the state, so I'm now going to a different dealer, and this is my first service call with them. Code checks out to be something to do with the vapor recovery system, and they were reflashing it as a matter of course because the software version was older than current. I had two other physical items that needed looking at, and they needed to order the parts.
Two days later, the check engine light came on. I inform the service writer, and opt to wait until the ordered parts arrive before bringing it in. The parts arrived last week, so I brought the car in on Wednesday.
This time, they read two codes. The first is, naturally, the vapor recovery code. The second one has to do with the radiator fan control module, and they've never seen this before on a 6. All of their literature on "this" problem refers to the MPV. They expect to have an answer by the middle of the afternoon, but I can't hang around any longer. With assurances that the car won't break, I take it home.
On the way, I get stuck behind road repair equipment a few times. The first time, at one point I noticed that the AC wasn't working, so I check the dash. No warning lights, but while the gear indicator showed I was in manual, there was no number, and it was shifting automatically. And the temp gauge was all the way to the top.
I get around the road blockage and my speed picks up, the temp gauge drops, and my AC and manual shifting come back on. Repeat three or four more times.
I call the service dept. I bring the car back on Thursday with instructions to them that I need a loaner because they are to keep my car as long as it takes to find and fix the problem.
Friday, they call me. The fan control module is what was overheating. And with the sequence of ECU reflashes, it is possible that this had been the problem all along, and the software was misreading the problem, that this last reflash finally fixed the software so that the correct codes could be read. There likely was never anything wrong with the vapor recovery system.
How does this relate to your airbag problem? It may not be the parts indicated. It may not even be the airbag itself. Have your dealer check the ECU and onboard diagnostic systems for software versions and update as indicated.