Citroen Xsara Picasso (2000 - 2010) - 01 2.0 Electrical Malfunction?

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Tue 21 Jul 2009 19:33
01 2.0 Electrical Malfunction? - Bluesky
I'm having problems with the central locking on my picasso. In summary it locks and unlocks again as and when it wants. I lock the car, it unlocks itself after a period of time which can be anything frm seconds to hours, it relocks again and the cycle repeats. Alternatively, I can unlock the car and it relocks its self. Sometimes immediately, or after a few minutes or longer. It then relocks again and the cycle repeats. I can be driving the car and suddenly it will lock, or unlock. The locking button on the dash sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. The central locking seems to have developed a mind of its own. This has been going on significantly for a few days but ocassionally for a few months. Note that the remote keyfob has been dead for sometime and I have only been using the key since before these problems began.

Yesterday another fault developed when I started the engine and all warning lights went out as normal and after a few seconds the airbag light came on and has stayed on ever since (the locks are still playing up). Unlike the other lights this one seems to be flickering slightly.

Historically, about a year ago, I was parked up in bad weather during a thunder storm and when I went to unlock the car the remote locking wouldn't work neither did the central locking off the key. The interior lights stopped working and the dash displayed 'Battery Fault'. The car started and I drove off only to find the wipers and indicators were not working. I stopped the car, switched off and studied the handbook for a couple of minutes. I then started to check through everything to isolate the fault only to find the problem gone. Subsequently I checked the battery and alternator for charging output. No fault found.

Last week I had a cooling system problem which resulted in approx 3 litres of boiling water soaking some of the units (including the alternator) under the bonnet. I don't know if any of these units control the airbag but I need to resolve the problem urgently.

Unfortunately I am having trouble even buying fuel to keep the car on the road so any help would be gratefully appreciated.
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Tue 21 Jul 2009 23:05
01 2.0 Electrical Malfunction? - Robin the Technician
Hi,
The most likely cause of the airbag light being constantly on is the plug under either the drivers or passengers seat. It's most likely that someone has got into the car and adjusted the seat - which has upset the plug. This is a well known fault with Peugeots and as Citroen is part of the same group - its likely they use the same harness supplier. First, unplug and re-connect each plug uner the seats. If this cures the problem, you know one of them is faulty. If the problem happens again then all thats require is to cut out the plug and reconnect the wires colour to colour (best soldered).

Can't help with the central locking problem - sorry.

Hope this helps

Robin the Technician
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Wed 22 Jul 2009 00:44
01 2.0 Electrical Malfunction? - steve_earwig
The c/l problem could be one of the lock switches (driver's or passenger's door), either that or the receiver's gone mad.

The airbag seat connectors are a common problem on many cars, not just PSAs.
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