Air bag Light, Service light Steering not locking

[DAZBOY66]

Hi Everyone.

I have the usual problem- Air bag light ,Steering not locking, Service light, Doors not locking after pulling away, Which is caused by a dodgy connection under the passenger seat, I used to be able to wiggle the connector about and eventually this would rectify the problem , but no more.............. Could anybody tell me can I just cut out the connector and join both ends of the cables together because I went to Renault Orpington and they say the loom would be £137+ vat + diagnostics. It seems they don't sell just the connection (Surprise Surprise).

Many thanks and regards Guys

[triumph2.5man]

Hello Daz, a week gone by and no replies...yet. Most folk are understandably reluctant to mess around with the air bag system. I note your problem and the proposed cure. I am curious to know exactly where this connection is that you want to by-pass and hard wire.
The wires under the seat connect to the seat belt tensioners. Each seat has two tensioners, one on each side thus the front seats have 4 tensioners in total. Each tensioner is fed by one pair of wires, one blue, one brown. The wires provide the power to ignite the gas in the tensioners. (The days of spring-loaded tensioners have long gone!) They also tell the air bag control module if the tensionsers are ready to operate or have been discharged. Just one faulty signal from any of the tensioners will result in the air bag warning and service lights coming on.
These wires are connected directly to the loom which disappears under the carpet. The other ends of the wires are connected directly to the body of the tensioner via simple plugs. There is no in-line connector between the loom and the tensioner. (Some makes do have these.) This is the situation with my 03 model. Newer models might of course be different but I think it unlikely.
At a guess I would say that you have a bad contact in one of the two plugs on the passenger side. They are not easy to get to and seat removal might be the best option. Stick your head under the front of the seat and with the aid of a torch you should be able to see the plugs. The tensioners have the appearance of a gun barrel!
Clearly the problem is not going to solve itself but I suggest you remove the plugs and check the contacts inside and the pins to which they connect. Before you start, try to establish which of the two plugs is at fault.
Remove the plug and push it back on a few times. An intermittent contact results in the connection building up resistance which makes the situation worse the longer it continues.
If you are nervous about tinkering with the system, disconnect the battery and wait an hour or two before you start.
If you already knew all this, sorry for boring you!
Please let us know how you get on. The best of luck...mate.
Mike