Srs malfunction visit workshop

[benzakita]

Just had 'SRS malfunction visit workshop' warning come up! My kid spilled a bottle of water on the back seat earlier in the day, could this have done a sensor? have dried it up as much as possible and WD40'd the buckles as these got pretty wet. I have been told if I disconnect the battery this will get rid of malfunction message. Is this B.S. ??? Thanks in anticipation

 

[horgantrevor]

it might get rid of message but a SRS light means a air bag fault

give it a day or so when the area drys it may go away

i hope some one comes along soon too shed more light on this for you

 

[alibally]

Disconnecting the battery won't reset the srs light. If water is spilled on the buckles it may damage them as they have an explosive squib in them to pull the buckles down in an accident. I wouldn't mess about too much with them and get it checked at a qualified garage.

 

[markjay]

If it's a late model, 2004 or later, then these cars have a known issue with the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor. Essentially it is a thin 'mat' with several tinny switched that is stitched into the seat cushion, attached to a controller module. The idea is that the air-bag will deploy in stages according to the weight of the occupant (e.g. a full-blast air bag could injure a child or person of slim build etc.).

The only way to verify this is by reading the SRS error codes using diagnostic kit (preferably MB STAR - but cheaper ones can read these codes as well).

If confirmed, the only solution is a new mat, MB RRP is £124+VAT (the mat and controller module are replaced as one unit). If you don't fancy taking the seat out yourself, it is between 1 to 2 hours labours, and leather seats are a bit more awkward to work with than fabric ones.

After sorting it out, the stored SRS error code can be deleted from memory, but once the problem is fixed the light on the dash will go out by itself anyway.

 

[alibally]

Don't see how spilling water down the back seat would cause a problem with the seat recognition pad in the front seat.

 

[markjay]

The Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor is a common fault, which is why I mentioned it, but without actually reading the codes it is impossible to say which component of the SRS system the dash is complaining about.

You are quite right that, if it does prove to be the Front Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor, then it is unlikely to be related to the spilled bottle incident.

But either way, the fault codes need to be read first....