More airbag control unit woes

[Cal54]

Another recommendation for Northern Autotech at Morecambe. Sorted me out no problem and at a reasonable price.

 

[Woodburner]

Back in June 2022 we had the Airbag ECU Failure on our 2016 Knaus. It seems that the 2016 / 2017 Ducato models are particularly prone to this issue. If the cab battery drops below 12.4V you can get the error when starting the van. I pulled the ECU out and sent it off to Crash Data and they re-flashed it and cleared the error. I re-fitted the unit and all was good. I have to say I thought their service was great at the time - it was back with me in 48 hours. However, two years and three months on, the dreaded airbag light has come on again. This is really annoying as I only had a new cab battery fitted in January so I know the battery is OK but the van had been sitting for a while and as it has a tracker fitted I guess the voltage had dropped. I'll try Crash Data again as I don't want to stump up £400 as we might be swaping the van next year but if it fails a second time I'll get a new one fitted. Piss poor work by FIAT. I'm amazed that they never had a recall on this issue as it's safety related.

 

[gus-lopez]

Unless you are in a accident in the mean time

None of the passengers have one & the driver has a steering wheel to keep from hitting anything so as it never worried me back in the 70's & 80's it doesn't now.My last mpv had all the sensors bypassed.

 

[Lampwick]

Been around this myself, 2 repairs by crashdata due to my own fault. Had to have a new one from them £368 (which shouldn't have the fault). However, I have fitted a cheap battery monitor now so I can check the cab battery thru' the winter. The problem is not with Crashdata but a combination of the old ECUs and low voltage.

 

[Bruteforce]

I had one cleared by crashdata and it worked for a while then went faulty. Crashdata then sent me a new one re programmed for my van. Straight forward to remove and replace and has all been working fine for nearly two years now. I found crashdata very good to deal with, but my advice would be to go for a new one straight off from crash data. Cost in region of £350.

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[steve69]

This problem affects Peugeot Boxers too because they are actually the same vehicle.
I covered my warning light with insulating tape and it passed the MOT three times before the fourth MOT snagged it and cost me 900 pounds to sort out.

 

[VXman]

Thanks, that’s what I was hoping to hear.

I went for a new one from fiat - a bit more expensive but I'm hoping the later versions have been upgraded to stop this issue happening again and you do get a 2 year warranty form fiat.

 

[VXman]

This problem affects Peugeot Boxers too because they are actually the same vehicle.
I covered my warning light with insulating tape and it passed the MOT three times before the fourth MOT snagged it and cost me 900 pounds to sort out.

And for 3-4 years your airbags weren't working! Fortunately you didn't have a serious accident.

 

[RayD]

As explained on another message, our motorhome suffered this airbag ECU fault in September on our journey to the ferry on our 6wk trip to Spain.
We continued our journey as the seat belt restraints still operated.
However, as our moho is a 22plate and Stellantis had previously replaced the vehicle battery under warranty we decided to write direct to the CEO & MD of Stellantis requesting assistance and also suggesting that they consider issuing a General Safety Recall to all Peugeot and Fiat motorhomes to replace the airbag ECU.

RESULT. WITHIN 24 hours we had a reply advising us to get a diagnostic check by a Peugeot dealer and advise them the location and date. The diagnostic we were told was £162, however we went ahead and booked in to a local Peugeot dealer. The dealer undertook the diagnostics found the same fault code that we had diagnosed and replaced the airbag ECU.
There was no charge (although the ECU cost was £320) and replaced under warranty.

As promised, Stellantis sent an email confirming that they had been in contact with the Peugeot dealer asking if we were satisfied with the outcome?

My advice, email the MD of Stellantis if you have this airbag ECU fault (to notify and confirm to them the number of vehicles involved with this fault) hopefully they will help solve your problem and eventually issue a General Safety Recall.

 

[Larby]

There are 3 options, Crashdata, new unit or the one I used. Not reset, repaired and guaranteed !

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[steve69]

And for 3-4 years your airbags weren't working! Fortunately you didn't have a serious accident.

On the other hand, you will never know for sure that they will work until you have said accident.

 

[Richard n Ann]

And for 3-4 years your airbags weren't working! Fortunately you didn't have a serious accident.

Wouldn't worry me, I haven't even got a seat belt on my motorcycle

 

[The Rum Runners]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but when you go to start the engine you should turn the ignition on and wait for the dash lights to go out and then start the engine. The modules like the airbag one don’t like low voltage when initialising. So if you crank the engine whilst the modules are initialising you could end up with a fault/failure especially if you’ve left the vehicle for some time. Also depress the clutch whilst cracking as there’s less load on the engine. All this is in my humble opinion which may be incorrect.
I had a bad financial experience with Northern Tech, I recommend getting one from Coastal Motorhomes and doing the alignment yourself with Multiecuscan (£50). You then have the diagnostic software for future use.

 

[gilbaro]

Our warning light came the day we set off for a month in Europe a few weeks back.
We survived that trip and the dealership that we purchased from a year ago have just replaced it under warranty.

 

[marjohn]

Picked up my 2019 Chausson / Ducatto from storage the other day, where it had been for about six weeks. Started first time, albeit a bit sluggish on turnover, however after a few seconds up came the dreaded ‘Check airbag - see manual’ message, the general consensus in this forum being that this is a well known error with the airbag control unit. There seems to be two options, quick fix, send to Crashdata or similar and have it reset for about £80, which will usually work until the same low voltage or whatever issue triggers it again, or a new unit for £400 - £800 depending on who fits it and what warranty you get. Before making a decision I am trying to find out if anyone out there can confirm that fitting a new unit fixes the problem for good. According to the Fiat forum this problem is with Ducattos up to 2020, but it’s not clear if its a new ACU type that fixes the problem or something else in the van design.

Any feedback from previous victims appreciated! Thanks.

I had a bloke who came out with is black box and reset it for me no one else could fix it

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[SpeedyDux]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but when you go to start the engine you should turn the ignition on and wait for the dash lights to go out and then start the engine. The modules like the airbag one don’t like low voltage when initialising. So if you crank the engine whilst the modules are initialising you could end up with a fault/failure especially if you’ve left the vehicle for some time. Also depress the clutch whilst cracking as there’s less load on the engine. All this is in my humble opinion which may be incorrect.
I had a bad financial experience with Northern Tech, I recommend getting one from Coastal Motorhomes and doing the alignment yourself with Multiecuscan (£50). You then have the diagnostic software for future use.

I do wait for all the dash lights to go out before cranking. As a precaution.

The second time my airbag ECU module failed without warning, it was about 5 minutes down the road when I had taken the van for a run. Something I do every 10 -14 days between big trips. It had also been on EHU for 4 hours to charge all the batteries fully. That makes it harder to understand what the heck is happening.

 

[tkk]

Picked up my 2019 Chausson / Ducatto from storage the other day, where it had been for about six weeks. Started first time, albeit a bit sluggish on turnover, however after a few seconds up came the dreaded ‘Check airbag - see manual’ message, the general consensus in this forum being that this is a well known error with the airbag control unit. There seems to be two options, quick fix, send to Crashdata or similar and have it reset for about £80, which will usually work until the same low voltage or whatever issue triggers it again, or a new unit for £400 - £800 depending on who fits it and what warranty you get. Before making a decision I am trying to find out if anyone out there can confirm that fitting a new unit fixes the problem for good. According to the Fiat forum this problem is with Ducattos up to 2020, but it’s not clear if its a new ACU type that fixes the problem or something else in the van design.

Any feedback from previous victims appreciated! Thanks.

Not a clear able fault in most cases. You need diagnostic software to check. Your sluggish start due to low battery probably did it. If replacing the airbag ecu contact Fiat. They paid for the part , not the labour, on my 2019 fiat last Jan.No problem since. Suggest you mention you know it is a common fault and the unit should be considered unfit for purpose.

 

[jezport]

I didn’t worry about my airbag light coming on as i thought well it’s coming up for its service and MOT so it will be fixed then. Not a good idea it turns out as the garage i sent it to couldn’t fix it and said i needed to go to Fiat professionals it all ended up costing me a lot more as the Mot then expired before the airbag was fixed, i ended up with a new ecu , mot and service all fitted by Fiat professionals which cost a lot more than my usual garage.
I wasn’t aware that the battery had anything to do with the airbag light coming on, but now it all makes sense that that’s what happened to my van, as whilst i was away camping off grid the leisure battery died and had to be replaced just a short time before the airbag light came on.

Nothing to do with leisure battery.

 

[Evrons1]

Not a clear able fault in most cases. You need diagnostic software to check. Your sluggish start due to low battery probably did it. If replacing the airbag ecu contact Fiat. They paid for the part , not the labour, on my 2019 fiat last Jan.No problem since. Suggest you mention you know it is a common fault and the unit should be considered unfit for purpose.

It is unfit for purpose,the newer version has superseded the old one and doesn`t suffer the same problem.These ones at coastal motorhomes are genuine fiat ones at bargain prices . . . .. https://coastalmotorhomes.co.uk/fia...air-bag-control-unit-2-3-4-loop-14-on-oe.html

 

[jezport]

Has anyone had a new replaced one fail?

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[Nyvern]

I was told by Fiat that the airbag unit has its own internal battery. The service battery has nothing to do with the unit. Mine had to be changed this year. Apparently the new unit is more reliable...

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I was told by Fiat that the airbag unit has its own internal battery. The service battery has nothing to do with the unit. Mine had to be changed this year. Apparently the new unit is more reliable...

Never heard of that before. I don't think that is correct. Not for the ecu unit that fails anyway.

 

[Nyvern]

These is what the Fiat website says " the airbags in a Fiat Ducato have a backup battery that is charged by the car's primary battery. If the main battery is dead, the airbag battery may also be depleted."

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

These is what the Fiat website says " the airbags in a Fiat Ducato have a backup battery that is charged by the car's primary battery. If the main battery is dead, the airbag battery may also be depleted."

My smoke alarm just beeps annoyingly till you give in and treat it to new battery. Is that just to simple for Fartit? Or not technical enough!!
Mike.

 

[lanman42]

Picked up my 2019 Chausson / Ducatto from storage the other day, where it had been for about six weeks. Started first time, albeit a bit sluggish on turnover, however after a few seconds up came the dreaded ‘Check airbag - see manual’ message, the general consensus in this forum being that this is a well known error with the airbag control unit. There seems to be two options, quick fix, send to Crashdata or similar and have it reset for about £80, which will usually work until the same low voltage or whatever issue triggers it again, or a new unit for £400 - £800 depending on who fits it and what warranty you get. Before making a decision I am trying to find out if anyone out there can confirm that fitting a new unit fixes the problem for good. According to the Fiat forum this problem is with Ducattos up to 2020, but it’s not clear if its a new ACU type that fixes the problem or something else in the van design.

Any feedback from previous victims appreciated! Thanks.

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[lanman42]

This happened to me. It was caused by a flat starter battery. I went down the expensive dealer route to get a decent warranty as i was keeping the van. However, if you intend to swap or get rid in near future, then the cheaper “crash data” option is probably the more sensible option!

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

These is what the Fiat website says " the airbags in a Fiat Ducato have a backup battery that is charged by the car's primary battery. If the main battery is dead, the airbag battery may also be depleted."

The airbags maybe .but not the ecu. Thecairbags are deployed by an explosive charge so maybe the battery is needed for that.

 

[Drexl]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but when you go to start the engine you should turn the ignition on and wait for the dash lights to go out and then start the engine. The modules like the airbag one don’t like low voltage when initialising. So if you crank the engine whilst the modules are initialising you could end up with a fault/failure especially if you’ve left the vehicle for some time. Also depress the clutch whilst cracking as there’s less load on the engine. All this is in my humble opinion which may be incorrect.
I had a bad financial experience with Northern Tech, I recommend getting one from Coastal Motorhomes and doing the alignment yourself with Multiecuscan (£50). You then have the diagnostic software for future use.

Agree 100% with letting the start initialisation finish - haven't had airbag module problems but I have had engine management light on a couple of times from a cold start before I learned to let the systems start up before cranking (both times the EML reset with no additional fixes). Also remember the crappy troublesome earth connector between the gearbox and chassis. This can corrode and cause a high resistance reducing the battery voltage when starting up. My original and replacement shown in the pic.

 

[RayD]

As explained on another message, our Bailey Autograph 79-4t - 22 plate - motorhome suffered an airbag ECU fault in September on our journey to the ferry on our 6wk trip to Spain.
We continued our journey as the seat belt restraints still operated.
However, as our moho is a 22plate and Stellantis had previously replaced the vehicle battery under warranty we decided to write direct to the CEO & MD of Stellantis requesting assistance and also suggesting that they consider issuing a General Safety Recall to all Peugeot and Fiat motorhomes to replace the airbag ECU, based on the number of other moho owners on various sites logging this fault!

RESULT. WITHIN 24 hours we had a reply advising us to get a diagnostic check by a Peugeot dealer and advise them the location and date. The diagnostic we were told was £162, however we went ahead and booked in to a local Peugeot dealer. The dealer undertook the diagnostics found the same fault code that we had diagnosed and replaced the airbag ECU.
There was no charge (although the ECU cost was £320) and replaced under warranty.

As promised, Stellantis sent an email confirming that they had been in contact with the Peugeot dealer asking if we were satisfied with the outcome?

My advice, email the MD of Stellantis if you have this airbag ECU fault (to notify and confirm to them the number of vehicles involved with this fault) hopefully they will help solve your problem and eventually issue a General Safety Recall.

 

[jezport]

As explained on another message, our Bailey Autograph 79-4t - 22 plate - motorhome suffered an airbag ECU fault in September on our journey to the ferry on our 6wk trip to Spain.
We continued our journey as the seat belt restraints still operated.
However, as our moho is a 22plate and Stellantis had previously replaced the vehicle battery under warranty we decided to write direct to the CEO & MD of Stellantis requesting assistance and also suggesting that they consider issuing a General Safety Recall to all Peugeot and Fiat motorhomes to replace the airbag ECU, based on the number of other moho owners on various sites logging this fault!

RESULT. WITHIN 24 hours we had a reply advising us to get a diagnostic check by a Peugeot dealer and advise them the location and date. The diagnostic we were told was £162, however we went ahead and booked in to a local Peugeot dealer. The dealer undertook the diagnostics found the same fault code that we had diagnosed and replaced the airbag ECU.
There was no charge (although the ECU cost was £320) and replaced under warranty.

As promised, Stellantis sent an email confirming that they had been in contact with the Peugeot dealer asking if we were satisfied with the outcome?

My advice, email the MD of Stellantis if you have this airbag ECU fault (to notify and confirm to them the number of vehicles involved with this fault) hopefully they will help solve your problem and eventually issue a General Safety Recall.

Yours was under warranty and POSSIBLY a one off on a newer van.
Has anyone else had an airbag module fail on a newer than 2019 van?

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