Opel airbag and belt tensioners light in car: stop and check

Who: you, as soon as you see the red airbag and belt tensioners indicator stay on, come on while driving or fail its start-up test. How: park in a safe place, switch off the ignition and note whether the red indicator failed to illuminate at ignition on, stayed on after several seconds or came on while driving. Opel warns to have the cause of the fault remedied immediately by a workshop. Result that matters: avoiding driving when the airbags and belt pretensioners may fail to trigger in a collision. If the indicator stays on, comes on while driving or does not light at ignition: do not continue driving and contact a workshop immediately. If the car has been in a collision: do not drive it, as continuous illumination also signals triggered pretensioners or airbags. Evidence to keep: a note of whether the indicator failed at start-up or illuminated while driving.

Who: you, with the vehicle stationary. How: look at the two front passenger airbag control indicators after switching on the ignition (one lights for about 60 seconds when active, the other stays on when deactivated via the key switch in the glovebox). Only change the glovebox key switch when the vehicle is stopped with the ignition off. Result that matters: checking whether the system failure involves the front passenger airbag status. If both passenger airbag indicators light at the same time or neither illuminates: no person is allowed to occupy the front passenger seat and you must contact a workshop immediately. If the red cluster indicator is on: keep the front passenger seat clear as a precaution until the workshop inspects the car. Evidence to keep: a photo of the instrument cluster indicator and the passenger airbag control indicators.

Who: you, with the car stationary and the ignition switched off, without touching wiring or trim. How: check visually that no magnetic objects have been placed in the centre console area, where Opel houses the airbag and belt pretensioner control electronics, and that no unapproved seat covers or objects cover the AIRBAG labels. Result that matters: ruling out external interference without touching the steering wheel, seats, belt pretensioners or wiring. If magnetic items were sitting on the centre console: remove them carefully without dismantling anything and tell the workshop. If you see damaged airbag covers or jammed belts: do not handle them yourself and let skilled workshop personnel inspect the vehicle. Evidence to keep: details of any magnetic holder, seat cover or accessory fitted near the seats or console.