Hi everyone,
About two weeks ago the airbag warning light started flashing, two flashes follwed by a single flash. I took it to an indepdent Mazda garage. Their scan tool showed a high resistance in a component related to the front passenger seat occupancy-classification-system, but it was not clear which component. A visual check was made under the seat for any loose connections or obvious damage, but nothing was found. Garage said they would research the problem and get back to me, and I took the car home. However the garage can't seem to find an easy answer and suggested bringing the car back for more inspection.
I did a bit of research myself and found a technical bulletin about the seat pad sensor triggering the airbag warning light on start up, under high current draw conditions such as starting in cold weather, due to the 'low voltage detection time being too short' - could this appear as a high resistance? However, the airbag warning light issue didn't occur in cold weather. Neverthless, this information prompted me to check the battery voltage. After leaving the car overnight it measured 12.2v.
For context, the car works fine in all other respects, and starts with no issues. It is 6 years old, and I believe the battery is original. Due to our usage of the car, it makes loads and loads of short trips every week (averaging 6 miles per trip). Also, in the last few months I found my partner adjusts the seats (electrically adjustable seats), while sitting in them, with the engine off, which can't be helping the battery. My measurement of battery voltage was done with a multimeter, not a car specific tool, measured at the battery terminals with all accessories off, but immediately prior to making the measurement I had to unlock the car to open the bonnet.
Apologies if this is a slightly muddled post, but the questions I ask myself are:
- could the low battery voltage be causing the airbag light?
- even if the airbag light is not related the battery, should I change the battery anyway?
- what component needs replacing in the airbag system (front passsnger seat occupancy detector).
The car is a 2nd generation CX-5, petrol, SportNav+, ~60k miles on it. It is no longer covered by any warranties.
Grateful for any suggestions.
