Seat Belt Tensioner

[audi321]

Hi all, I have an Audi A3 2016 which was in a small crash and I have the airbag light on due to a "Driver side seat belt tension igniter fault ( resistance too high) - B10061B" DTC.

I'm 99% certain, but just for confirmation, is the 'igniter' in the seat belt itself and not the buckle?

Cheers all.

Edited by audi321 on Monday 26th January 16:20

[Krikkit]

This varies by brand/implementation - some have the tensioner in the belt reel fixing hidden away, some of them are integrated into the buckle link onto the shell/seat.

[TrevorHill]

If your seatbelt is ok as in it’s retracting fully then the fault will be in the buckle holder. They usually retract once they have gone off.

[audi321]

TrevorHill said:

If your seatbelt is ok as in it s retracting fully then the fault will be in the buckle holder. They usually retract once they have gone off.

Yeah thanks for that, the seat belt is fine (not locked or anything), so I'll replace the buckle.

[E-bmw]

audi321 said:

TrevorHill said:

If your seatbelt is ok as in it s retracting fully then the fault will be in the buckle holder. They usually retract once they have gone off.

Yeah thanks for that, the seat belt is fine (not locked or anything), so I'll replace the buckle.

Don't forget to do the swap with the battery disconnected & you WILL need to get the use of the relevant code reader to clear it once the job is done.

[Master Of Puppets]

You are likely to have the airbag module either needing replaced or the crash data needing wiped, some modern ones can't be reset
and require a clean module. I would doubt you can reset the whole system with a code reader.

Keep us posted on the outcome.

[TrevorHill]

Master Of Puppets said:

You are likely to have the airbag module either needing replaced or the crash data needing wiped, some modern ones can't be reset
and require a clean module. I would doubt you can reset the whole system with a code reader.

Keep us posted on the outcome.

Modern VAG cars just need the code cleared. I’m not sure if that applies in this instance but I’d be using the code reader and hoping it clears.

[audi321]

Yeah tried to clear the DTC but they’re straight back

[Richard-D]

audi321 said:

Yeah tried to clear the DTC but they re straight back

If you haven't fixed the fault it will. I also wouldn't go straight to changing components without confirming that the tensioner has actually fired.

[audi321]

Richard-D said:

I wouldn't go straight to changing components without confirming that the tensioner has actually fired.

How do I do that? The car was fine, it had a minor front end crash (no airbags deployed) the seat belts still work. Genuine question but how do I tell if the tensioner fired?

[phazed]

When mine fired, the belt wouldn’t retract after and stayed in the belt out position. Absolutely no doubt that it had fired!

[Richard-D]

audi321 said:

Richard-D said:

I wouldn't go straight to changing components without confirming that the tensioner has actually fired.

How do I do that? The car was fine, it had a minor front end crash (no airbags deployed) the seat belts still work. Genuine question but how do I tell if the tensioner fired?

First you need to determine where the tensioner is located in your car. Usually they're attached to the socket and are under or down the side of the seat. They look like a little gas strut. Sometimes they also have a scissor mechanism to change the pull force/length.

The above poster seems to suggest it may be built in to the reel on your car (presuming he is talking about an A3). If that is the case, make sure you aren't confusing a pretensioner that snugs your seat belt every trip Vs a crash pretensioner.

Once you've determined which yours is, I would visually check to see if the mechanism has shortened. If not applicable to yours, you can disconnect and check the resistance of the tensioner with a multimeter. this is worth doing anyway to confirm you don't have an electrical fault. You can also substitute a resistor of the correct value to simulate a tensioner replacement. That will confirm you don't have a wiring fault. You will need a diagnostic scanner capable of talking to the SRS system to be able to do that. You'll probably need that to reset it anyway.

[audi321]

Thanks. I have VCDS so I have the tools (just not the knowledge lol)

[TrevorHill]

Richard-D said:

audi321 said:

Yeah tried to clear the DTC but they re straight back

If you haven't fixed the fault it will. I also wouldn't go straight to changing components without confirming that the tensioner has actually fired.

It would be very obvious if the tensioner has fired.

[E-bmw]

TrevorHill said:

Richard-D said:

audi321 said:

Yeah tried to clear the DTC but they re straight back

If you haven't fixed the fault it will. I also wouldn't go straight to changing components without confirming that the tensioner has actually fired.

It would be very obvious if the tensioner has fired.

A quick look will tell you it looks much shorter than the passenger side which wouldn't fire without a passenger in it.

[audi321]

Just to update. I unplugged the seat belt airbag connector and shoved in a 2.2 ohm resistor, cleared the fault and it’s stayed off.

So I’ve ordered a replacement seatbelt from a breakers and hopefully all will be good.

[Richard-D]

audi321 said:

Just to update. I unplugged the seat belt airbag connector and shoved in a 2.2 ohm resistor, cleared the fault and it s stayed off.

So I ve ordered a replacement seatbelt from a breakers and hopefully all will be good.

Well done. Always best to properly confirm the fault before swapping parts. It's rare to be able to convince people to go about it the right way. Usually everyone gets in there first and has them cleaning earths, disconnecting everything and swapping parts based on fault codes.

[E-bmw]

Exactly, well done, but don't forget what I said about disconnecting the battery before refitting the new parts.