Fiat ducato air bag warning light is on…..AGAIN.

Camper634

Camper634

Joined
Dec 18, 2011
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Hull
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Autotrail 634
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For the 3rd time in less than 12 months the air bag warning light is back on the dash.The last time was 6 weeks ago when it cost me £88 with crashdata to have the module reprogrammed.I did ask the question then why has it gone again.One of the replies it could be high voltage when starting the engine.So every time since the last replacement i have turned the ignition to on and waited until the various lights went off before cranking the engine.This morning i only tuned the ignition on to check mu LPG levels and almost immediately the air bag light came on.
I am at a loss what to do next.I cant keep paying £88 God knows how many times.Has anyone please got/had this problem and found out a reliable fix?Any help greatly appreciated.
 
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Mike123 said:
My went and the battery was only 2 years old from memory.
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My Airbag ECU Module went inop when the van had been standing for 10 days. I did write a long post explaining my theory that the alternator overcompensated for the lower battery voltage drop when it cranked the engine, resulting in a voltage spike that scrambled the ECU.

Touch wood, there hasn't been another airbag-warning-light-stayed-on problem since the starter battery was replaced. If the van has been standing unused and the starter battery reads only 12.6v, as a precaution I put it on EHU for 3 or 4 hours to make sure it is fully charged before cranking the engine, to avoid a big voltage drop. It is ridiculous to have to keep doing this but it seems to work.
 
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We are all trying to find a good reason why this should happen.

When really there is no good reason -- except its a shit component that they have been fitting since before 2011.
Its a good earner for Fiat so nothing going to change.

I think we have to accept it a disposable item. Just like the timing belt and part of the cost of running a Fiat motorhome
 
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How long are these Crash Data repairs lasting before they fail again?
I know Lenny HB is not happy with them
 
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Stealaway said:
I think we have to accept it a disposable item. Just like the timing belt and part of the cost of running a Fiat motorhome
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Bear in mind that the new Airbag ECUs being fitted have a different part number, so hopefully future problems have been sorted with them. Unless you're unluckily fitted with one from old stock. Worth checking.

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Stealaway said:
We are all trying to find a good reason why this should happen.

When really there is no good reason -- except its a shit component that they have been fitting since before 2011.
Its a good earner for Fiat so nothing going to change.

I think we have to accept it a disposable item. Just like the timing belt and part of the cost of running a Fiat motorhome
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It's not just Fiat motorhome bases ,the Peugeot bases are also fitted with "Fiat" airbag ecu's.. o_O
 
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Well after 7 years our has gone wonky! Auto electrician looking at it but Fiat, as a last resort want £530.00. Thst is Ian Grieve of Falkirk. AM Philips want £220 plus Vat just for diagnostics!!

The auto electrician says he can defo fix it so we will wait and see. Will keep people posted. New battery also being installed.
 
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BobJayne said:
Bear in mind that the new Airbag ECUs being fitted have a different part number, so hopefully future problems have been sorted with them. Unless you're unluckily fitted with one from old stock. Worth checking.
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I'm sorry but the same ecu that that has been failing for the past 12 years ---- no matter what part number the put on it :Eeek:
 
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Graham's had a multi meter on the battery - resting without having been on ehu for the last 3 days 12.95, crank cycle 11.5 and idling 14.8.
Would a new battery be in order?

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bellabee said:
Graham's had a multi meter on the battery - resting without having been on ehu for the last 3 days 12.95, crank cycle 11.5 and idling 14.8.
Would a new battery be in order?
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I doubt it. They seem perfectly acceptable voltages.
These modules fail for no apparent reason and another £120 for a new battery would only add to the cost of the repair .
 
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bellabee said:
Graham's had a multi meter on the battery - resting without having been on ehu for the last 3 days 12.95, crank cycle 11.5 and idling 14.8.
Would a new battery be in order?
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Sounds pretty good, you can give a capacity test by measuring the static drain on it with a clamp meter, then measuring the voltage daily and with a bit of info you can work out how it is holding up.
My battery when it was 4 years old looked like it was at about 60 % capacity so with the airbag problems I changed it. ECU Airbag still went pop.
It only appears to be Crash Data that keep telling people it's failed due to low or high voltage, no one else mentions it, I think they just fail.
 
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Lenny HB said:
Sounds pretty good, you can give a capacity test by measuring the static drain on it with a clamp meter, then measuring the voltage daily and with a bit of info you can work out how it is holding up.
My battery when it was 4 years old looked like it was at about 60 % capacity so with the airbag problems I changed it. ECU Airbag still went pop.
It only appears to be Crash Data that keep telling people it's failed due to low or high voltage, no one else mentions it, I think they just fail.
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Northern Auto Tech also state for the B0100 fault:

"This fault is usually associated with a battery voltage problem."

I wonder how he (or anyone) qualifies this? Mines with them for fixing and I'm waiting for a response.
 
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stevec said:
Northern Auto Tech also state for the B0100 fault:

"This fault is usually associated with a battery voltage problem."

I wonder how he (or anyone) qualifies this? Mines with them for fixing and I'm waiting for a response.
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After my experience with Crash Data I would recommend to anyone it not worth pi**ing about, get a genuine Fiat one fitted with a warranty. Costs a bit more but saves a lot of hassle and can work out cheaper than keep getting it repaired.
 
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Lenny HB said:
After my experience with Crash Data I would recommend to anyone it not worth pi**ing about, get a genuine Fiat one fitted with a warranty. Costs a bit more but saves a lot of hassle and can work out cheaper than keep getting it repaired.
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If I was keeping the van then I would do that. But I'm gambling on any repair lasting the 3 months until trade in. Yes it's a gamble!
 
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stevec said:
If I was keeping the van then I would do that. But I'm gambling on any repair lasting the 3 months until trade in. Yes it's a gamble!
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Leave for a couple more months?
It only becomes an issue at the MOT. I will fail when there is any red lights on the dash.
 
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Stealaway said:
Leave for a couple more months?
It only becomes an issue at the MOT. I will fail when there is any red lights on the dash.
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Thinking of going to Spain in Feb. So thought airbags may be helpful. Mind you, did the airbags on another thread (accident) go off? Driven over half my life without airbags!

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stevec said:
Northern Auto Tech also state for the B0100 fault:

"This fault is usually associated with a battery voltage problem."

I wonder how he (or anyone) qualifies this? Mines with them for fixing and I'm waiting for a response.
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Mine was stated as 14.6 v to high voltage !
Interesting to see bellabee idling voltage 14.8
 
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Riverbankannie said:
Mine was stated as 14.6 v to high voltage !
Interesting to see bellabee idling voltage 14.8
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If anyone takes up my offer, earlier in the thread, I’m happy to give them the choice….high or low voltage in my report.🤷‍♂️😁
 
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stevec said:
Northern Auto Tech also state for the B0100 fault:

"This fault is usually associated with a battery voltage problem."

I wonder how he (or anyone) qualifies this? Mines with them for fixing and I'm waiting for a response.
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Fair play to Northern auto tec,they have had my air bag ecu for a few days,returned it today as unrepairable. No charge, and a free pack of haribos for comfort.
 
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Stealaway said:
We are all trying to find a good reason why this should happen.

When really there is no good reason -- except its a shit component that they have been fitting since before 2011.
Its a good earner for Fiat so nothing going to change.

I think we have to accept it a disposable item. Just like the timing belt and part of the cost of running a Fiat motorhome
Click to expand...

No, it should not be a "consumable" component. It is a critical safety item that DVSA should have forced Fiat (now Stellantis) to replace FOC under a mandatory safety recall. The lack of such a recall is a scandal.

Stealaway said:
How long are these Crash Data repairs lasting before they fail again?
I know Lenny HB is not happy with them
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Touch wood, my CrashData-repaired ECU is apparently still working after nearly 2 years' use, or at least the warning light stays off, three small cheers. £79 spent. I am not going to pay for a new expensive ECU module unless I have no alternative to get a MOT pass.

CrashData's advice that the ECU software fault in my case was caused by high voltage is shown by that item listed on the error codes printout that they sent me. If that printout is wrong, then it is the fault of whatever piece of electronic kit is reading the error codes and listing the results. Or, in the alternative, FIAT's error codes are wrong to begin with. I can't understand why CrashData are to be blamed in either case. How else are they supposed to diagnose the problem?

Why airbag ECU modules go wrong again after the ECU software is reinstalled needs further explanation. Maybe the EPROM is too unstable or too sensitive. Something else is going wrong. In any case, I would hold FIAT responsible for this expensive-to-replace, unreliable, not-fit-for-purpose (specifically motorhoming purpose), airbag ECU module. I bet FIAT (and the dealers) make a tidy profit on each new replacement. We are not told the wholesale price to FIAT nor their mark-up. I bet it is closer to £10 per unit at point of delivery to FIAT than £500. Your wallets are being rinsed.
 
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SpeedyDux said:
No, it should not be a "consumable" component. It is a critical safety item that DVSA should have forced Fiat (now Stellantis) to replace FOC under a mandatory safety recall. The lack of such a recall is a scandal.
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Probably get away with it as an airbag is not required in vans.
 
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Lenny HB said:
Probably get away with it as an airbag is not required in vans.
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The ECU failure seems rare anyway in commercial vans that are in daily use. You don't find threads about it on the van forum I looked at. There are lots of Ducato ambulances in the UK. I have no knowledge whether they might also be affected by this problem. I think it might also affect some FIAT cars fitted with the same airbag ECU module.

Whereas French Camping-Car forums have similar threads on this topic.

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SpeedyDux said:
The ECU failure seems rare anyway in commercial vans that are in daily use. You don't find threads about it on the van forum I looked at. There are lots of Ducato ambulances in the UK. I have no knowledge whether they might also be affected by this problem. I think it might also affect some FIAT cars fitted with the same airbag ECU module.

Whereas French Camping-Car forums have similar threads on this topic.
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A few failures on the Fiat forum but not that many also on Fiat cars.
 
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