Help, pls, SRS light

I think it would be extremely unwise to change an airbag as a DIY. You do know there's an explosive charge in there, right?

AC

Thanks for the info... I have a mechanic that will install it...

The bag that is causing the SRS light to go on is supposedly the SIPS bag, in the seat.

But I need to ask a question from someone who knows this system... what I found on the web tells me the side impact bag (sips) is a self contained mechanical unit, and not part of the SRS system. Is this correct? If so, how would this bag cause the SRS light to go on?

Or, is the 850/960 material I found different - this is a 2000 C70...

thanks!

Yes the sips bag is separate from the main srs system as that it does not rely on the crash sensor but there is a connector that connects under the seat so it can be monitored in case of a failure in the system

The SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) is designed to restrain the driver in the seat, while the SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) is designed to cushion the driver from a side impact. Therefore, the SIPS cannot be part of the SRS because it does not restrain the driver in the seat. Even seat belts can be considered part of the SRS system, though, so it does cover a broader range of devices than just the front airbags.

However, to save on costs and space, for diagnostic purposes, the SRS warning light on the dash represents all airbags in the car, even the SIPS ones. So if your SRS light is on, it is entirely likely that it is indicating a problem with the SIPS airbag.

One last item though...have your mechanic check all of the wiring in the car having to do with the airbags and that light. On my 1998 V70XC the light came on about eight months ago, and my mechanic and I went through a complicated cycle of replacing all of the mechanical parts of the airbags, eventually replaceing each individual airbag, and finally I took it to another mechanic who diagnosed it as a faulty wiring harness...who would have thought? So I spent upwards of $3,000 for a simple repair that should have only cost $750. Oh well.

Good luck!

Thank you, thank you..

That is exactly where I am at... he is a Volvo mechanic who I've used for 16 years... he knows his stuff...in this case, he unplugged and cleaned the contacts.. only for the light to come back on again.... he initially thought it might be a harness since it was initially intermittent, but there is no harness- it's part of the bag...

If I get a new bag either from the net (airbags-oem.com), and it's not the bag, I could be in the middle of the same goose chase you were...

Is there a harness or something we might have overlooked??

Thanks!

Just have your mechanic check all of the electrical systems affiliated with the airbag, SRS, and SIPS systems. If it is not an electrical problem (as mine was), then it probably is the airbag...which one, however, I don't know. I'm not too sure if there is an accurate way of finding out either...good luck though!

Well, he found what was wrong.

When he took apart the seat to remove the old bag, the harness was in pretty bad shape.. the outside jacket had a few cuts, and at one point, one of the wires was showing.. possibly grounding out...

All is fixed.. thanks!