Hi,
I have a company Alfa 156 which is due to be changed at the end of the month. When picking the car up new the airbag light was on. This was corrected but came on again 6 months later but was fixed again. The airbag warning light has just again come on. Took to the dealer. They said it was the wiring under the passenger seat sqab, wiggled the wires and deleted the fault code. All OK untill this morning and the warning light is on again.
I telphoned the dealer and they said they will need the car for the day. Next time they can book in in and provide a Courtersy car is the 24th October!!
I understand that when the light is on the Airbags will not fire in an accident.
Where do I/Dealer stand legally. What if I give someone a lift, have a crash and they are injured due to lack of airbags?
Any advice please. Not a lot I can do as have to wait for dealer to fix it and problem reported?
Kind Regards
James
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There's no legal requirement to have an airbag, so not sure where you stand if you have one that doesn't work! A notice to the passenger (airbag u/s) may indemnify you...
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Jlo,
I have had three alfas with this condition. Seems to be reasonably well known.. The fault can be avoided by disconnecting the connection under the seat (hope the dealer showed you where), cleaning with wire wool, and re connecting it with some vaseline - this should prevent the contacts oxidising. This MUST be done with the ignition off as any break in the airbag loop will trip the WHOLE airbag system off (including drivers SRS) until a reset is performed.
I suppose legally, you have a duty of care on passengers insomuch as if you crash and they are injured in any way, a claim could be made. . Maybe it's time to carry "damage waiver" forms for passengers?? :-(
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Thanks for the advice and information.
I suppose even if I clean the conectors my self the system will need to be reset at the dealer.
As it is a lease (Company Car) I think I will leave it untill the 24th Oct when the Garage can look at it. I will just try not to crash in the meantime!
Kind Regards
James
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Legally, if you have an accident, the question is not whether you pay but whether your insurance company or Alfa pays. The court case might be brought in your name, but you'd have lost your NCD anyway - or the other driver would be paying regardless of the condition of your car.
Obviously it's good to have an airbag and you might ask whether you want to buy a car with an ongoing fault, especially on a safety component, but if you can get your head around that, you need have no fear about invalidating your insurance (as the car would be roadworthy and not modified) nor being liable financially.
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I own a 156 which also has the airbag warning lights on. No amount of seat-wiggling helps in my case - they claim its the ECU which needs replacing. Sadly I cannot afford the £250 the Alfa dealer is quoting to replace it!
From the Alfaowner.com forum, it's clear the 156 is particularly prone to this problem. One of the Alfa's many "quirks".
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Hi,
Yes I have had a ECU when the airbag light came on a year ago. The fault code is now pointing to under the wires under the seat. At least I got the ECU changed whist the car was under warrranty.
Cheers
Jlo
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I own a 156 which also has the airbag warning lights on. No amount of seat-wiggling helps in my case - they claim its the ECU which needs replacing. Sadly I cannot afford the £250 the Alfa dealer is quoting to replace it! From the Alfaowner.com forum, it\'s clear the 156 is particularly prone to this problem. One of the Alfa\'s many \"quirks\".
Find a different dealer and get a second opinion. It is nearly always the wiring under the seat, although not always fixed by wiggling your seat. I post on Alfaowner from time to time myself.
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