Airbag or battery fault

SG29 · Post by **SG29** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:22 pm

Hi I've seen similar problems on here to the one I'm having, but not exactly the same, so I hope someone can help me!

I bought an '05 206cc 1.6 in April 08, in Oct 08 the screen was showing 'Passenger Airbag Deactivated'. I took it back to my Peugeot dealer who said the battery was working at 40% of it's capacity which "might be" the cause of the problem, so they fitted a new one and it all seemed to be working fine. However a year later I have started having the same problem again but this time the engine seems to stall slightly before turning on and there is a loud click coming from somewhere behind the steering wheel, and the airbag fault then comes on. I have to restart the car a few times until the airbag fault disappears, if at all. I took it to a local garage who didn't look at it but said that it's happening because I only drive it a short distance each day and I should try and drive it more to help charge the battery and clear some filters.

I drive it a fairly short distance at least twice a day and for longer on the motorway etc at weekends and sometimes during the week. The problem happens in the morning and then when I'm coming home from work just 8 hours later. It doesn't seem right to me that I'd have to drive my car that much just to charge the battery properly, especially when the battery's only 1 year old, so I'm pretty sure there's an actual fault somewhere.

Can someone please let me know if they have any idea what could be causing this, and also whether the airbag fault would definitely be shown due to a low battery?? Hope someone can help! Thanks!

Thar · Post by **Thar** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:50 pm

My usage is similar to yours in that I drive a short distance every day, leave the car for 7 hours then drive the same distance home, my battery charges fine.

The only time I have seen an airbag fault was when I kept the car off the road over Winter. I started it after a few weeks, the battery was obviously losing charge and the airbag fault came on.

Could it be the alternator?

SG29 · Post by **SG29** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:12 pm

Well the alternator has actually also been mentioned to me by someone else, I think I'll have to take it back to the garage and suggest that to them, unless there is anyway of checking this myself? Thanks for your reply though it's useful to know I'm not the only person who's had this problem! I'll report back if I get any answers!

52nd of February · Post by **52nd of February** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 5:05 am

When my car displayed "AIRBAG FAULT" on startup, it was caused by the alternator "kicking in, causing a spike in the voltage" (quoted from the dealer), and this was triggering (what the dealer calls) a "phantom fault" - nothing's wrong with the airbags, but the error code appears on the main ECU. The reason this alternator problem can be a big deal is because these voltage spikes cause damage to the various ECUs in the car - notably the very expensive roof ECU.

My problem was fixed with a new battery, but since you've already tried that, I agree with Thar - get the alternator checked out ASAP

Thar · Post by **Thar** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:04 am

SG29 wrote:Well the alternator has actually also been mentioned to me by someone else, I think I'll have to take it back to the garage and suggest that to them, unless there is anyway of checking this myself? Thanks for your reply though it's useful to know I'm not the only person who's had this problem! I'll report back if I get any answers!

I don't think you can test it yourself but some Kwikfit type garages may have tools to test it...not sure if I trust them though

Let us know how you get on.

angel-face 29 · Post by **angel-face 29** » Sun May 30, 2010 5:03 pm

Hi there the airbag fault could be caused by loose connections under the drivers or passenger seat and sometimes when you jump the car it can bring lights on on the dash and just need deleted the easiest way to check this fault is to switch the car off and remove the key wiggle the wires underneath the seat and then start the car and see if the light has disappered it happened with my car.

cheekee · Post by **cheekee** » Sun May 30, 2010 9:24 pm

Its also a similar problem known on the peugeot 306 cabriolet.

The wiring harness develops a loose connection and the airbag light comes on.

I had a 306 cabriolet before the 206 cc and I had the same problem.