# GTI seat belt airbag fault; What to fix



## Silent Wolf (May 5, 2011)

My 2003 GTI VR6 recently starting throwing a airbag fault light. 

I had my roommate read the code form the ECU, and it says :Frost Drivers Side Buckle: Resistance Intermittant."

Now I want to go ahead and fix this problem, but I don't know where to start, or what to fix. Is that code pointing to the buckle itself, or to the seat belt pensioner/reel assembly?

I am going to try unplugging any cables I can get to and cleaning them with some contact cleaner, but if that does not work, which item should I look at replacing?


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## jron20 (Sep 26, 2008)

Hey, know your problem I have 2000 jetta vr6 I moved the passenger seat back and the bag light came on. Did your friend use a regular reader or a vagcom? My reg reader shows no code.


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## Silent Wolf (May 5, 2011)

He used a regular reader, but he is a mechanic and used the pro one at his shop to read the code.

I didn't adjust any seats or anything for weeks before this code appeared, so I cant believe it has to do with seat position. And the other thing is the car still knows if I have my seatbelt on or not. Are those two systems not connected?


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## alexmolinavr6 (May 12, 2007)

Had the same problem on 2 previous GTIs, what i did was to take off the cluster, unscrew it from behind, once is apart,
lift the little black screen where the cell is, and place a piece of black electrical tape to cover it.
Replace cluster.
The whole process should take u about 20 min at the most

Sent from my hTC EVO 
Using Tapatalk!


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## cuppie (May 4, 2005)

alexmolinavr6 said:


> Had the same problem on 2 previous GTIs, what i did was to take off the cluster, unscrew it from behind, once is apart,
> lift the little black screen where the cell is, and place a piece of black electrical tape to cover it.
> Replace cluster.
> The whole process should take u about 20 min at the most!


 That doesn't fix the problem. And, is a *really, really stupid *thing to do. The warning light is there to tell you something is broken (and, therefore, may not operate as intended.)
If you're OK with it, that's fine. It's (potentially) your life, and/or that of your passengers (which you may be held liable for, in the event of injury due to a faulty restraint system.) Advising someone else to do this is just plain ignorant.

@ Silent Wolf:
Belt buckle means belt buckle, not reel.  
IIRC, the tensioner is part of the buckle. If it is, you'll have wiring leading to two places on it.
Also, I do recall seeing others here finding that the latch switch wiring likes to crack / come loose inside the plastic casing of the belt buckle.


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## alexmolinavr6 (May 12, 2007)

@cuppie, did i mentioned it fixed the problem? no!
That's just to stop seeing the annoing light.

Dealer told me that airbags are still opperable.

You should think if u are hurting someone when you reply, in that case just keep it to yourself

Sent from my hTC EVO 
Using Tapatalk!


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## scott2187 (Sep 26, 2010)

The airbags WILL NOT deploy if the airbag light is on. My MKIV had the light on when I hit a barrier and they did not deploy. It's plain stupid to ignore the light or block it off.

To the OP, the wires in the seat belt buckle like to be a pain and crack/short out. When had that, replacing the buckle fixed it.


Sent from my alarm clock.


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## cuppie (May 4, 2005)

alexmolinavr6 said:


> @cuppie, did i mentioned it fixed the problem? no!
> That's just to stop seeing the annoing light.
> 
> Dealer told me that airbags are still opperable.
> ...


 I didn't mean to even imply that you implied (much less stated) that it fixed the problem. Rather, I think I said you covered up the 'problem' (AWL on); that last post rather cemented that. You didn't fix what was actually broken (whatever fault you may have had, which *might not be the same fault the OP has*); rather, you merely covered up (with tape) the symptom (the light that tells you something is broken.)

*{engage Dad mode}
{engage seasoned tech mode}*
You think I 'hurt' you, when I said your advice was stupid? I'd say that I'm sorry, but, well, I'm not. What you advised the OP to do was beyond retarded.
It's a _safety_ system, forcrissakes! You're OK with it maybe not working? More power to you, and good luck should it fail to function in the future. 
(Side note: with the light covered up (or, with it permanently on - doesn't matter either way), how do you know something else hasn't failed?)
But, advising someone to simply ignore it (that is what your "fix" is, after all) is beyond words in its stupidity.

The part of my reply that quoted you wasn't so much to "hurt" you, as it was to educate you, and to (hopefully) keep the OP from following your 'advice.'
*{disengage Dad mode}
{disengage seasoned tech mode]*


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## IAN CAMPBELL (Jan 24, 2006)

Check the wires that come out of the seat buckle on the seat, they are known to break. You can repair them or replace the buckle.


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## MasterHD (Dec 18, 2004)

*Bad connection*



jron20 said:


> Hey, know your problem I have 2000 jetta vr6 I moved the passenger seat back and the bag light came on. Did your friend use a regular reader or a vagcom? My reg reader shows no code.


I found a solution to this problem, especially if it was caused by merely moving the seat, then I'm 99% sure it is a bad connection in the connector (this is a very common problem on these vehicles).
See SOLUTION in this thread:
http://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/16411/vw-mk4-golf-gti-airbag-indicator-warning-light
It involves soldering the wires directly together and bypassing the "loose" connectors.


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