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Diagnosing & resolving airbag warning, using OBD for troubleshooting

8.2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  andyeb  
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

My 2015 22kwh Zoe had started displaying a yellow "check airbag" warning on the dashboard. It has 50k miles on the clock.

After a spot of googling, I checked/unplugged/replugged connectors under the front seats, but the warning remains.

I'm able to use CanZE and a Konwei OBD dongle to check the batteries and electrical system, but all other iOS apps for OBD diagnosis ("Car Scanner", "Four Stroke") seem incapable of connecting to the OBD port for diagnosis - I don't seem to be able to establish a connection, let alone read any codes. I've successfully used this dongle to read fault codes from a Kia Cee'd diesel before now.

My questions therefore are:
  1. Should I be able to connect via OBD and read the status codes, to get a more specific diagnosis (perhaps which airbag is the cause of the error)? Or is this something only a dealer can do with the clip tool?
  2. Which iOS apps are best for this sort of thing? Unfortunately many won't let you do anything without paying up-front and the free ones don't seem to be capable of connecting, with the exception of the excellent CanZE (but alas this doesn't do OBD fault codes).
  3. As it's a wifi dongle, are there any desktop computer apps which can read OBD codes from a Zoe?
  4. Will the error persist, even if the fault has been fixed, until the codes are explicitly cleared via OBD?
  5. Any other tips, or things to keep in mind?
Many thanks,

Andrew
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Update on this - after much faffing, I was unable to get the OBD tools going so asked the garage to check when the car was in for other work.

Turns out it was the drivers air bag having gone open circuit. I've now got an independent airbag specialist to look at it, who has determined the steering column module needs replacing. Really hoping this ÂŁ400 job is going to fix it. Currently awaiting parts to be ordered.

That orange spanner is known as the "money light" for a good reason.