Roofrack

My Felicia recently suffered the ignominy of an illuminated airbag warning light. I have read the airbag light and voltage regulator sagas on the Forum. This morning I checked the voltage going into the battery, on tickover it was 17v. Bingo! I thought, and gaily trooped off to my local* Skoda dealer (*only a 70 mile round trip) in my wife's Fabia. I bought the voltage regulator (£23.00) , came home and fitted it. The voltage at the battery is now 13.88v, which is nice .

But, despite this leap forward in voltage management, the damned warning light refuses to extinguish itself .

The symptoms of the problem are also a tad confusing; when I turn the ignition key, all the idiot lights illuminate, then the airbag warning light goes off, for a second, then back on. When the engine is started, all the idiot lights go off except the airbag light.

Does the ECU need to be interrogated? Or, is there something more sinister at work here?

Your comments are welcomed.

SeaKayaker

I had the same happen to my '97 1.3 MPi
I didn't fit a regulator, but complete alternator (because that's all I could get on the day i needed it): it solved my voltage problem. The airbag warning light was now on all the time.
The Skoda MainDealer wanted something like £60 to investivate the airbag blight "fault" for me.
A local non-franchised VW garage plugged in his fault code reader, and found it had gone under voltage then over voltage, and of course airbag light. He "reset" my car, solving the problem, all for the sum of £10.
Hope this helps,
SeaKayaker

Roofrack

Hi SeaKayaker,

Thanks for the tip on fault code reading. There is a friendly VW specialist in Kendal who will probably be able to do the necessary resetting. I will give him a ring tomorrow morning.

Roofrack

Final update on the Airbag light and voltage regulator problem: My wife took the Felicia to the non-franchised VW Centre in Kendal. It was plugged into their computer and the fault was re-set in next to no time. The light is extinguished and 'normality' has returned. So, it's a big 'Thank you' to Briskoda, it's contributors, David Ian Skoda of Morecambe and the VW Centre, Kendal. All of whom provided part of the solution to the problem.

FWIW, I was alarmed by the £600 invoice stories from some contributors. These prompted me to take immediate action, rather than ignore the problem or remove the light. A lesson well learned by me and, I hope, others who have the misfortune to suffer this problem.

So, to recap; If the airbag warning light comes on, measure the voltage across the battery terminals at tickover. If it is around 17v or more, buy a new voltage regulator. If you have a 1300 cc engine, it should be about £23. Fitting is simplicity itself. Just undo two 'Phillips' style screw and unplug the wire. Extract the regulator from the back of the alternator and fit the new one. Connect the wire, start the engine and check the voltage across the battery terminals. It should be between 13 & 14 v. Then go to a VW/Skoda franchise or specialist and ask them to re-set the ECU fault code. That way you don't have to suffer a complete electrical disaster and have to buy hundreds of pounds worth of new kit. It really is a case of 'A stitch in time saves nine'

Lummox

I very helpfull post there and very well typed, nice to see.

Have yourself a gold star.

__________________
Unit 18 now open Servicing, repairs, modifications you name it we do it. Cupra console bushes at special price, PM for a very competitive quote.

rachris

I have this exact same problem on my 1997 Felicia I am about to sell, Just wondering whether I should just get the airbag light reset as I had an exchange alternater last year, I don't have a meter! What does anyone think on this one!!

Roofrack

Hi rachris, just go for it! Nip to your local Maplins (Domestic Tester with Protective Holster ) and buy a digital multimeter, they start at £5.99 - you may need a battery to power it. Then test the car battery as outlined above. If the reading is 13-14v, you just need the ECU fault code resetting. Any half decent VW/Audi/SEAT/Skoda garage should do it for not many pennies. It may cost a bit more if the regulator is goosed, but for an outlay of £6 to £30 you should get a car that is working properly and you will be confident with a prospective buyer. You will also be able to sleep peacefully at night, not worrying about an irate owner waiting to do despicable things to you!

linandal

Hi Guys,
My 1.3 1998 Felicia must have been one of if not the first to suffer from this problem. I had the airbag warning light come in heading south from St Lo in France in 2003. As I had holiday insurance the AA was contacted as advised me to 'Carry on as it cannot be anything serious'. The consequences were disastrous as the overvoltage blew the ECU and also the radio. The French garage changed the ECU but not the alternator or voltage reg. The AA informed me that the car was OK to drive but I was not happy as the alternator was pushing out 17V on tickover and 24 at 2000rpm. I got home from La Rochelle on 3 batteries after disconnecting the alternator.
The replacement alternator from Skodas wouldn't fit!!!!! Cost me £240 for repairs and another £600 from a Skoda dealer in Southampton (no names please) to try and sort out the problem which they did by taking out the indicator bulb.
I've been running around like this for the last 4 years, as even Skoda at headquarters would not give me any advice.
This is the only time that I've ever felt like torching a car.

bhofmann

I just wanted to add my thanks to the people here for describing this symptom and it's troubleshooting/remedy in such detail. My airbag symbol came on yesterday and has been exactly as described since. I'm going to get the battery tested and take it from there (following the advice on this page).