On Board Diagnostic - General Information

AIRBAG II SYSTEM ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC (OBD), GENERAL INFORMATION

Includes vehicles equipped with only a driver's airbag and vehicles equipped with a driver's and front passenger's airbag.

Note:
Use only VAG 1551 Scan Tool (ST) and adaptor harness VAG 1551/1 to test the Airbag II system. Do not use airbag tester VAG 1619.

The driver's and front passenger's airbag system (Airbag II) is equipped with On Board Diagnostic (OBD). If a malfunction occurs in a monitored sensor and/or component, a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) is stored in the DTC memory.

When a malfunction is detected, the Airbag Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) in the instrument cluster will come on. The Airbag MIL will stay on until the DTC is erased using the VAG 1551 Scan Tool, even if the malfunction is no longer present.

If the airbags have been deployed, the DTC memory records whether the deployment took place correctly (crash data.) The DTC memory also records if any malfunctions were present at the time of airbag deployment.

The Airbag control module can differentiate between 12 different types of malfunctions. Malfunctions are stored as Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) in the DTC memory and remain stored until the memory is erased using the VAG 1551 Scan Tool. See DTC troubleshooting table, page 01-8.

On Board Diagnostic (OBD) is limited to storing, reading and erasing of DTC's.

Crash data cannot be erased using the VAG 1551 Scan Tool.

All of the On Board Diagnostic (OBD) options can only be fully utilized by using the VAG 1551 Scan Tool.

The VAG 1551 Scan Tool operates in the following modes:

1 - Rapid data transfer
2 - Blink code output
3 - Self-test
4 - Operating code (dealership identifier)

Mode 1 allows the contents of the DTC memory to be read and erased, as described in the VAG 1551 operating instructions.

Mode 2 cannot be used for Airbag On Board Diagnostic (OBD).

Modes 3 and 4 only concern the VAG 1551 Scan Tool and are described in the VAG 1551 operating instructions.