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Airbug

I have a 2003 BMW 5 Series. About a year ago I had a warning that the driver's airbag was faulty. My BMW dealer checked and confirmed that the airbag was functioning properly and reset the warning light. Subsequently OK until recently where the same fault occurred. Twice the dealership has confirmed the status of the air bag as functioning properly and reset as before but on each occasion the warning light has returned within the day. To resolve the problem the dealership say that the fault will have to be traced manually and would take about 3 hours at their rates pretty expensive. I should be grateful for your advice.

Asked on 21 March 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
Airbag triggers have to perform a delicate balance between being sensitive enough to detect a shock from a crash, but not being so sensitive they trigger all the time. It is quite common for road shock to trip them, as has been the case with your car, particularly if the car is fitted with big wheels and ultra low profile tyres. This has happened to me with new cars.
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