1. Will it go off on its own once I have resolved the problem or will it need re-setting with a code reader?

The trouble code will need to be erased once the fault has been repaired to make the warning light switch off.

2. If it will need re-setting, can I do this with my cheap OBD2 reader (I can't find this at the moment to test) or do I need a specialist (expensive) reader?

No, a generic ODB scan tool can't link to the SRS so you will either need to by a proper scan tool (about £130) or visit a garage that has one and have them erase the trouble code.

Should there be a change in resistance between them when somebody sits in the seat if I unplug the connectors and put a meter on the wires?

Be very careful what your doing here. Connecting an Ohmmeter to an airbag could cause the airbag to deploy. If you don't know what your doing take the car to a garage and have it professionally diagnosed. Paying the garage diagnostic fee will be a lot less expensive than having to replace one of your front seats if you make a mistake.

Regards.
Scottie.

 

Thanks for your reply Scottie.

Was told that the airbag system is scanned each time the ignition is turned on so that the code will clear itself when the problem is fixed.

This is where I am now:

Have a fault code B1346 from the (non-Hyundai) garage.

I am told that this means that there is a high resistance fault in the front driver side circuit. So this could be the drivers airbag, the clock spring / clock spring connectors or the control module (that's what they said, but I don't see anywhere else saying that it could be the control module? Hopefully not as this sounds like the most expensive)

They also told me that a Hyundai garage would be able to narrow down the fault to one of these items with their code reader. Apparently they don't give out the full codes to other garages. Really? Surely somebody could hack that?

Anyway, Hyundai are too busy making large amounts of money to talk to me at the moment, so I'll wait for them to call before I get an idea of costs. Which I'm not looking forward to. In the mean time, it occurred to me that it might be worth just replacing the clock spring on the off-chance that this may be the problem - because they are relatively cheap and seem to go wrong a lot. Other steering wheel controls all work, but this doesn't necessarily mean that one of the airbag cables hasn't failed I am told.

Opinions appreciated.

Have found U tube about replacing clock spring in Sonata, which looks similar to santa fe, but if anybody else knows of any more specific instructions that would be great. Also, don't have a stereo code. Any easy way to keep this powered up whilst the battery is disconnected? Battery connected to stereo fuse?

Thanks.

 

OEM Clock spring: £150
Ebay Clock spring: £10

I'll wait for the boat from China and give it a go.

If that fails, Hyundai garage are quoting £1600 + vat & labour for a new drivers air bag unit. My car is not worth much more the £4000. I see these air bag units second hand on ebay for around £30.

The motor industry is madness.

Would like to know any opinions on whether the air bag light will re-set itself once the fault is clear. If it needs re-setting I'd rather spend £120 for a code reader that I'm likely to use again than spend another £50 getting the garage to do it...

 

They also told me that a Hyundai garage would be able to narrow down the fault to one of these items with their code reader. Apparently they don't give out the full codes to other garages. Really? Surely somebody could hack that?

No, the Hyundai dealer scan tool isn't magic. It only knows what the SRS ECU is telling it...that there is a high resistance somewhere in the driver airbag circuit. The scan tool can't know where in the circuit the resistance is, regardless of whether it's the £1300 dealer scan tool or the £130 tool you can buy from Amazon. The tech uses the scan tool do diagnose the fault in order to find the resistance but the tool wont tell you which part is faulty....unfortunately. My job would be a whole lot easier if it did :smile:

it occurred to me that it might be worth just replacing the clock spring on the off-chance that this may be the problem - because they are relatively cheap and seem to go wrong a lot. Other steering wheel controls all work, but this doesn't necessarily mean that one of the airbag cables hasn't failed I am told.

Yeah, a break in the clock spring is a common cause of 1346 code so if you can get a cheap one it might be worth taking a punt on it.

Also, don't have a stereo code. Any easy way to keep this powered up whilst the battery is disconnected? Battery connected to stereo fuse?

Hyundai stereos don't usually have security codes. At least they didn't when I worked in the dealership.

To be honest though, you don't need to disconnect the battery to replace the clock spring. As long as the ignitions off you should be fine. Not that I'd ever advise anyone else to do it but I often deliberately short out airbag circuits with the circuit powered up when I'm diagnosing faults and I've never managed to deploy one....yet :surprise:

Would like to know any opinions on whether the air bag light will re-set itself once the fault is clear.

Well, I don't think it will but someone else has told you different. It's a while since I've done any airbag work on Hyundai so maybe I'm wrong. Why not replace the clock spring and see what happens. If the light stays on, invest in a scan tool that will read/clear the airbag codes. If the fault is still there after replacing the clock spring you'll need the tool to diagnose the problem anyway.

 

Well, I don't think it will but someone else has told you different. It's a while since I've done any airbag work on Hyundai so maybe I'm wrong. Why not replace the clock spring and see what happens. If the light stays on, invest in a scan tool that will read/clear the airbag codes. If the fault is still there after replacing the clock spring you'll need the tool to diagnose the problem anyway.

Thanks. My thought also.

From what I hear now also, the stereo is linked to the VIN. So as long as it's in the right vehicle it will go.

For my own peace of mind I think I will detach the battery...

I see you can get resistor tools that emulate parts of the SRS system to isolate the fault. But, by the time I've bought one of those and found it doesn't work etc, I think I'd be better of just replacing one part of the system at a time as I have it narrowed down a bit at least. Now I know how much the dealer option would cost me, a scanner tool is a bargain! Had this one in mind and they have promised a refund if it doesn't work:

oops, can't post links as I'm a newbie apparently. But this is what it's called on amazon:

Original Autel AutoLink AL619 OBDII

 

Autel are good for the price. I have a MD802 that I use for most quick scanning and a Vpecker. saying that if you have a laptop with at least windows 7 have a look at a Vpecker. They have really good software for Hyundai's.

 

Had a similar issue, maybe not be the same... Airbag light randomly came on at start one day, this also affected my cruise control and associated stereo buttons over time!

Fault was diagnosed by Hyundai service as a Clock Spring fault.. (in the Australian 2007 model this is a known fault, Hyundai Australia would not commit to a recall, despite many affected drivers and a U.S Recall program, I think from memory it's a low voltage fault). Some people have pushed for a replacement and succeeded but I was quoted $400 odd for replacement part and fitting at my dealer. Under no circumstances would they do this out of warranty even with mention of a U.S recall.

I purchased a clock spring for $18 from eBay. Part was listed as replacement for 2007-2010.

This was a 45 minute repair in my case. Followed this guide.

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/veracruz-forum/137595-clock-spring-replacement-campaign.html

*Note, the guide shows a double pigtail connection to the back of the airbag, the Australian delivered '07 SX CRDi model I have is a single pigtail connection, even if you get a 2007 model replacement clockspring on eBay with dual pigtails only the green pigtail needs to be connected and the other tucked in underneath loose, or you can trim it off with pliers and cap the wires.

Ordered this single pigtail clockspring:

OEM 93490-2B200 For 2007-2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Airbag Spiral Cable Clock Spring | eBay

Once installed the airbag light did not go out, I expected this as the fault code does need to be cleared. A friend of mine is a mechanic and has a high end ODBII scanner. Cleared the Airbag notification and all was good! The test initially was that the cruise control and all button functionality returned, which it did. Previously this function was sporadic and eventually almost non functional! Wouldn't even toggle the cruise lamp on the dash when the steering wheel button was pressed!

My issue is the same as this listed in another forum I follow:

Cruise Control Problem - Santa Fe Technical - Australia4WD Forum

 

Thanks for this and tips about the connectors. Now have a reader that can read and hopefully cancel my code. I have tried to cancel it and it seems to say that it has done the command but the code is still there, but I'm guessing that this is because the fault is still there and the SRS system is checked at each startup. I've ordered my clockspring already, but unfortunately forgot to look at the delivery timescale from China. I think it is coming by mule as delivery is estimated next month. However, all of my steering wheel controls work, so this may not be a problem. But worth a try given the cost of the clockspring relative to the cost of asking a dealer to get out of bed.

My next target, if this fails, will be replacing the drivers airbag. And failing that the (most expensive) control module which I understand can also cause this error.

 

@yebaws, I see your a Scot. I really should have got that from your forum user name :laugh:
So, whereaboutsyefae?

 

@yebaws, I see your a Scot. I really should have got that from your forum user name :laugh:
So, whereaboutsyefae?

West Highlands...

 

Stage one complete - clockspring replaced (was easier than I thought it would be), but fault is still there :frown:.

Will now wait for my airbag from Lativa (how these things can go in the post I'm not sure, but that's not my problem...). At least I now know that it's a 10min job to swap that over...

Lovely weather up here Autospark. Heard that it rains a bit down Glasgow way 'though....

 

Will now wait for my airbag from Lativa

You've ordered an airbag already? It might have been worth doing a quick test to see if the airbag is the problem first. Testing is pretty easy now that you have the proper scan tool. Oh well...fingers crossed it's a faulty airbag.

Lovely weather up here Autospark. Heard that it rains a bit down Glasgow way 'though....

Aye...tell me about it. It's actually not rained here for about 4 hours. Today must be when we're getting our summer :smile:

 

Actually, now that I look carefully I see the the fault code has changed since replacing the clock spring...

The original fault was B1 346 (Active) Driver airbag resistance too High (1st Stage)

I was told that this fault could be caused by anything in the driver airbag circuit, which includes the clock spring, the drivers airbag and the control module. The former being the most common which was why I went for the £10 clock spring as the first option. Airbag next in cost terms and then control module.

But now that I have changed the clock spring the fault has changed to B1 347 Driver airbag resistance too LOW.

What now?

Would have thought if the fault was with the air bag or the control module that replacing the clock spring would make no difference to the fault code...

It might have been worth doing a quick test to see if the airbag is the problem first.

How can I do this?

 

The original fault was B1 346 (Active) Driver airbag resistance too High (1st Stage)
But now that I have changed the clock spring the fault has changed to B1 347 Driver airbag resistance too LOW.

Your new code is the exact opposite of the original code. The first thing I'd suggest is disconnect the yellow SRS connector from the clock spring. With the clock spring disconnected use the scan tool to erase the code then recheck to see what code is recorded. With the connector unplugged you should have a HIGH RESISTANCE code.

If that checks out, reconnect the clock spring and disconnect the airbag. Erase and recheck the code again. With the airbag unplugged you should still get a HIGH RESISTANCE code. If you get a LOW RESISTANCE code that suggests there is a short circuit within the new clock spring.

If there is a short within the new clock spring what you could try is remove the shorting bars from the SRS connector cavity on the clock spring...see photo below. With the shorting bars removed, reconnect the clock spring and erase/recheck the codes again. See if you now get a HIGH resistance code (assuming the airbag is still unplugged). Of course, you might not want to remove the shorting bars if your gonna return the £10 clock spring to China.

 

A different model I know, but this sums up what I understand about the code:

AutoHex Online Help: Hyundai GENESIS(BH) 2012 Fault Code: b1347

 

...Sigh...I'm a little confused now. I doubt that there is anything wrong with the new clock spring as all of the steering wheel controls work fine. The new one, although it cost £10 is identical to the old one in every way, down to the writing on it, moulding marks etc. It is OEM.

I wonder if there was a fault with the old one and also another fault with the air bag or with the control module. Or perhaps the control module is just throwing out random errors.

The old clock spring opened up when I took it out and although it looks like it should be easy to put together again I can't work the stupid thing out as the 2 ribbons are different lengths.

Not sure what you're saying about removing the shorting bars (I only see one on my old clock spring). What do they do and what do I achieve by removing them?

 

Not sure what you're saying about removing the shorting bars (I only see one on my old clock spring). What do they do and what do I achieve by removing them?

Shorting bars short circuit the airbag (create a LOW resistance across the two wires). They are spring loaded contacts that are supposed to be lifted off the pins in the connector cavity when you insert the connector, thereby removing the short circuit when the connector is plugged in. If for some reason the contacts aren't being lifted off the pins when you insert the connector you will get a low resistance code logged.

But before we consider removing the shorting bars we need to find out if the short circuit (LOW resistance) is in the clock spring or the airbag, so like I said before, the first thing to do is just unplug the SRS connector from the clock spring and recheck the codes to see if you have a HIGH or LOW resistance. You want to see a high resistance code at this point. If that is correct, reconnect the clock spring and disconnect the airbag then recheck the codes again (remember to delete the codes before rechecking). If the clock spring is where the fault is you will get a LOW resistance code. If the airbag is where the problem is you will get a HIGH resistance code again. No resistors required for these simple checks.

 

You can unplug the airbag and plug in a resistor (value forgotten) to determine if it's the bag or wiring.

 

Thanks. Anybody know that value?

 

Autospark, have followed your instructions and I removed the shorting bar anyway (it had been crushed by the connector, so wasn't working as it should and could have caused a short.) On putting everything back together again and checking the fault codes at each stage I got high resistance right up until the point where I plugged in the airbag when the fault code changes to low resistance. Can only assume that I had more than one fault - one in the clock spring that is now hopefully resolved and one either in the airbag or the control module that has yet to be resolved.

 

Can only assume that I had more than one fault - one in the clock spring that is now hopefully resolved and one either in the airbag or the control module that has yet to be resolved.

Yeah, sounds like it. It's not very often we see two seemingly unrelated faults on the one circuit. I guess your just lucky that way

 

Maybe one fault caused the other one. Worth putting a resistor in instead of the air bag to see what happens as they only cost pennies? what ohm rating do you think I should try?

 

About 3 Ohms usually works.

I keep a pack of 10 Ohm resistors in my tool box for testing/bypassing airbags. You can make a resistor for any airbag by connecting 10 Ohm resistors in parallel. Most systems seem happy with 3X 10 Ohm resistors in parallel (resulting in approx 3.33 Ohms).

 

Thanks. That's the next one to try.

 

Well, my new airbag arrived before my resistors so I swapped them out. Still low resistance fault. :frownouble checked when I was changing it that the high resistance fault was still showing with no airbag attached - it was.

So I'm left with either a wiring fault or control module fault.

Any other suggestions to try before I replace the control module?

And how do dispose of my surplus unexploded airbag?

 

Any other suggestions to try before I replace the control module?

Try connecting your resistor in place of the airbag when it appears.

And how do dispose of my surplus unexploded airbag?

Well, if it turns out to be a control unit fault put the airbag up for sale on e'bay and get your money back.

 

Posting air bags is a big NO NO here. I have big doubts you bought another bad air bag. My guess is a short circuit because the air bag resistance is quiet low. I think you have already replaced the clockspring. MMM the module is starting to look likely. It starts getting hard here. You may have to disconnect the wiring for that bag at the module and plug in the resistor to make a final decision.

 

Now it's getting interesting. Just hope the plugs are the same.
We got given a few faulty air bags by the local dealer and when we went to do a demo to the students on the safe disposal of a bag only 1 in 3 went bang.

 

Got my resistors today and replacing the drivers side airbag with 3.3 ohms cancelled the fault. So I don't think I need to look any further.

So far: 1 faulty clock spring, 2 faulty airbags

Will try and get my £60 back for the one I got on ebay.

Called Hyundai in Inverness today for a price for a new airbag...are you sitting down...£1077 inc vat...These guys should be locked up.

So I will have to keep trying second hand ones until I get a good one

On the subject of testing airbags, I did a bit of research and consensus seems to be that a modern multimeter with a 1.5v battery has nowhere near enough current to set off an airbag. Even found a utube of somebody testing one. Still, I don't need to do it so I won't...

Also found some utubes of people setting them off which looks like fun. I think this is what I may have to do with my duds. But then maybe they won't go off?

Just had another thought.... There's no way is there that a faulty control module could be killing every airbag that I put in? With my luck so far anything would seem possible...

 

There's no way is there that a faulty control module could be killing every airbag that I put in? With my luck so far anything would seem possible...

I don't think so. If the ECU was putting any significant voltage across the airbag the bag would deploy.

 

Have just fitted another airbag and it's back to a low resistance fault. I am on the point of giving up now.

I don't believe that I have been sent two faulty airbags in a row. Only thing I can think of is that the ECU is faulty not looking for the correct airbag resistance. I did manage to cancel the fault with a 3.3 ohm resistor, so it would seem that the resistance the ECU is looking for in the airbag must be very precise?

It's tempting to just add in resistors between the connector and the airbag until the fault is cancelled. What do people think?

 

Have just fitted another airbag and it's back to a low resistance fault.

Man, the airbag gods really must be conspiring against you.

I am on the point of giving up now.

I know the feeling...welcome to my world.

so it would seem that the resistance the ECU is looking for in the airbag must be very precise?

Not really. There is a window the resistance needs to fall within but I wouldn't call it precise. Didn't you mention the specs before? 1.5~6.0 Ohms or there abouts.

It's tempting to just add in resistors between the connector and the airbag until the fault is cancelled. What do people think?

It's tempting but then you couldn't rely on it to deploy if you were ever unfortunate enough to need it.

Does your scan tool not give you any data list from the SRS ECU? Some tools will display whether the circuit resistance is too high or too low (or a correct/incorrect indication). You could use and your resistors to see if the ECU is reacting to the circuit resistance the way it should. I've made myself a little circuit board with a variable resistor on it that I use for testing things like that. I can adjust the trimmer until the display changes then plug my Ohmmeter into the board and read the resistance.

My Airbag Diagnostic Kit

 

:smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:

The light is off! Turns out that my new clockspring had a faulty connector plug to the airbag that was shorting out when the bit on top that locks it to the airbag is pushed home (which I didn't do when testing with a resistor). Cut it off and swapped it for the plug from my old one (which luckily I still had) and that did the trick.

So in the end, none of my airbags were faulty, but both my old and new clockspring were.

Thanks everyone here for all the help and support :crying2: I'm getting emotional now....

No doubt when the car goes in for its MOT it will fail on half a dozen other things 'though

 

AH HA, I did say in an earlier post that it would be really unusual to get two completely unrelated faults on the one circuit (faulty clockspring & airbag). So you only had one fault after all. I suppose that means your not as unlucky as we thought :laugh:

Great to hear it's finally fixed. If I come across anyone with a Santa Fe needing an airbag, I'll send them in your direction.

 

If I come across anyone with a Santa Fe needing an airbag, I'll send them in your direction.

Thanks....but make sure they check their clocksprings first....