last year i was messing around underneath the driver seat cuz i was trying to find a good spot to put some neon tubes underneath the seats....i thikn i might have nudge a wire that set the AIR BAG light to go on....it has been blinkin for about a year now and i was wondering how i can turn that off so it doesnt blink anymore

 

There is a sticky - pretty much to this effect.

Open car door, key in ignition on - but engine not running.
hit the door switch 7-8 times with 10 sec's of turning key - lights should blink, then start car.

If the airbag light continues then there is a problem with the system.

Check the stickies - that one worked for me though.

 

it does work but it may reset itself at random, this is only a temporary solution it could be faulty wiring but it is smart to check it out with a shop to make sure it isnt your airbag b/c if you crash man you'll need it

 

JLiusifer,

My airbay light started flashing a couple weeks ago driving in a snowstorm. I checked out the forum here and tried the "door switch reset" but it didn't work

I had the local Nissan dealer diagnose it Sat. morning. They told me the passengers -side- airbag would need to be replaced. Cost approximatly $480.00.

I was also told that once there is a fault with the system and the warning light flashes, the airbags will no longer deploy in an accident.

Does anyone else here know if this information and repair cost are accurate?

 

yea ive brought my car in the past on the air bag light....they also told me it was the side airbag that is causing the light to go on......they told me it would cost from 400-600 to fix it....they did tell me also that it might deploy on its own or all the airbags wont work at all.....i decided not to fix it and just let it be....its been a year now and i think im just gonna try to turn the da mn light off

 

try to check all cabels / conectors under your passenger/drivers seat.
then retry the reset-procedure

 

I'm not an expert, but here's what I think. And my lamp has been off around 5 months now.

The system is not "plug and play." For example, when you plug in a USB headset, your pc detects it right away. My analogy is that the Maxima would be as if your pc looks for new hardware everytime it reboots.

So the airbag computer checks the system everytime you restart the car. Sometimes you reset the lamp, yet the flashing comes right back the next time the car is started. In such a case, yes, I think there is a problem.

But I think the problem is intermittent, which is why the lamp can go away for months at a time. So if you reset it, and restart the car many times and the lamp does not come back, I do NOT believe there is a problem at that instant.

Just imagine going to the dealer and saying "my airbag lamp was once blinking but now it's not." Would it make any sense for them to say "oh but once it blinks that means the system doesn't work anymore so we better replace your side air bag for $480." Of course that doesn't make sense, the system rechecks every time the key goes to the on position. Nissan = never fixing the root problem, just replace everything, like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. My .05.

 

Mine has been flashing also for about four months... I am not too worried about it because I am going to replace the steering wheel with a Momo wheel and the passenger airbag is coming out too so I can replace it with a PS2....

 

I would like a fix. Mine has been flashing for two years now.

I first tried the ignition/door switch fix which seemed to work for a few months at a time. BUT, it got worse. The fix no longer FIXED the problem. I brought it to the Nissan dealer who told me to replace the ECU ($1500 canadian),,, Honk My BOBO,,, I lived with the flashes but now that the wife drives it a lot, I need a fix. I bought a used ECU on ebay for $50. I will put it in once the snow melts (to cold in the garage now). However, mine is an SE (side air bags also),,, I dont know what type of 98 max the new/used ECU is from (wonder if the side bags will work)....

Just my two cents...

 

Two things--my understanding is the ECU and airbag computer are two different things. So why replace the ECU?

Secondly, if there is a problem, why would you replace the device that tells you there is a problem, why wouldn't you simply figure out which airbag of the 4 is throwing the code, and replace it?

The door switch is not a fix--the idea behind it is there is no problem or it's intermitten. The door switch is only to turn off the flashing, instead of paying Nissan 1 hour labor to do so.

 

Thanks everyone for some excellent advice. I'll check all underseat connections and reset when we finally get out of this below 0 weather. If that doesn't work, unfortunately, I think a piece of strategically placed black tape or sticker over the offending flashing light will have to do for awhile. I also need a new set of tires and I think the same money spent there is a better safety investment.

 

sorry for being noob but whats the door switch?

 

I would HIGHLY frown apon this, just for the fact that air bag systems can be potentially deadly, and if you don't know wtf your doing and u just go in there and start messing around with wires you could possibly deploy the airbag system. Let the experts handle it.

 

Holy cow,,, thanks Dad.
Driveing a Max is potentially deadly,,, why dont we leave that
to the professionals also.....?

 

i had my air bag light diagnosed....There's a problem w/ the passenger side sensor. It'll cost 1,380$ for it to be replaced.