Airbag System

Airbag Airbag steering wheel & related wiring Airbag system control unit Airbag system sensors Airbag warning lights
The airbag only deploys as a result of severe impact from a line of 30° from center of the grille (i.e., a front impact). Side- or rear-only impacts will not deploy the airbag.

What the warning lights indicate

The lights will illuminate because:

the pre-determined service time has passed (usually 10 years);
there is a fault in the airbag system;
work was done to the electrical system without disabling the airbag system first.

When the airbag lights are illuminated, the airbag system is "off"; i.e. the airbag will NOT deploy in an accident. If disconnecting the battery for one hour does not reset the system (thereby turning off the lights) the car must be taken to your local Volkswagen dealer for servicing if you want/need a working airbag system.

The left indicator light is the readiness indicator and will light for approximately 5 seconds at start-up. The right indicator light monitors the electronic control/monitoring unit, the igniter, the sensor circuits and system warning.

The system must be inspected if:

The left indicator light does not come on when the ignition is switched on;
The left indicator light does not go out approximately 5 seconds after the ignition is switched on, or;
The left or right indicator light comes on or flickers while driving.

Servicing the airbag system

The airbag system in these cars can only be serviced by a Volkswagen dealer, unless an independent shop happens to have the proper tools, including the VAG-1551 (with OBD I interface) scan tool. No other scan tool can be used with the Cabriolet airbag system.

A replacement airbag costs $1,400 (as of April, 2008); that cost does not include tax or installation and is only for the airbag itself, not any of the related components such as the control unit. Yes, you read that right: One thousand, four hundred American dollars; that's more or less what the cars are worth. Repairing/replacing the airbag system in these cars is now essentially cost-prohibitive. Furthermore, the airbag system is, by now, outdated and long past its federally-mandated guarantee-to-work period of 10 years; the components that deploy the airbag degrade over time, eventually rendering the airbag useless as a safety device. Even if the system fault codes are pulled, the system is "repaired" and reset, there is no guarantee that the airbag will deploy in a front-end accident; additionally, the system can be reset one day only to have the lights come back on a few days later (this is indicative of a faulty system that needs replacing, not repairing). On the flip side, there is a small possibility of the airbag deploying on its own, at any given time. What does all of this mean? You are better off removing the airbag system from the car than repairing it, but the choice (and wallet) is yours.

If the control unit is found to be faulty and you wish to replace it, whether it's new or used, be certain that the control unit comes with its factory-installed wire and test plug harness (#6 in the image above). If it doesn't, it is very much a useless part.

Disabling the airbag system

Disabling the warning lights:

If the airbag warning lights are on and you simply want the lights turned off, follow these instructions:

Disconnect the battery.
Cut the red t6a/2 wire and the black/red t14/8 wire on the back of the instrument cluster.

Disabling the airbag system:

If the warning lights are on and/or you have no desire to have a functioning airbag (or wish to remove the airbag/steering wheel), the airbag system can be disabled and the lights turned out using the following method (warning: disable the airbag system at your own risk!).

Disconnect the battery.
Disconnect the wire harness connectors (#14 and #16 in the image above) located below the fuse/relay panel. On the smaller connector (#14 in the image above), find the two black wires that connect to T6/3 and T6/4 and splice them together (splice them without cutting, or cut both wires and splice all four ends together and system restoration is as simple as reconnecting the controller harness). Click here for a picture example.

Caution: The above methods disable the airbag system, they do not deactivate the airbag system! In theory, once the lights come on they remain on in the control unit's memory until the system is reset. Technically, this means that the airbag system is off and will not deploy. However, despite this, there is still a possibility of the airbag deploying if the circumstances are just right. Follow the above procedures at your own risk! The only way to permanently rid your car of the airbag is to remove it.

ÆThe above methods are provided by "briano1234" and "tolusina", respectively, of VWvortex.com; they nor I will be held responsible should anything go wrong during and/or after you follow the above airbag system disabling procedures!

Airbag system recall

The 1990 model year Cabriolets had a recall issued on their airbag systems. It is recall #91V215000. Visit the recall page for more information.

Please do not email the site administrator with personal questions to mechanical-related problems (they will not be answered); instead, please use one or all of the car forums listed on the links page. Thank you.

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