Good Morning, All! Hoping you can help! I am in the process of moving and have had to move front/back front seats for Stuff! All of the sudden the airbag light went on on dash. It seems it may be the front passenger seat issue as when I latch the seatbelt with nothing on seat, the No Airbag Light comes on near rear view mirror. Otherwise, the only light that illuminates is on dash control with no air bag icon. (consistently on) She was fixed/air bags replaced during original recall back in 2015. Help, Pls! I have tried to read any code by placing in ignition 1 and not getting anything. I Love My Abbey - she only has 45,000 miles on her!!! Thank You! Most Sincerely, Abbey's Mom

 

It's possible a connection under the seat became loose and triggered the light? Unfortunately, the light may only be turned off with a better reader since the cheap ones won't do it. Check connections under seat to confirm that's not the issue. If not, it could be the module went bad due to age.

I've been fighting that light myself, and I've about determined it's the air bag module as the error keeps bouncing back and forth from the drivers to passengers seat when reset. Good luck!

 

@abbey1 Curious whether your car had the Passenger Seat Occupancy Mat recall performed? Many (including mine) haven't. Possibly loading all that stuff might have triggered the fault code. Check your VIN on the MINIUSA site and see if anything comes up as pending...

MINIUSA -- SAFETY AND EMISSION RECALLS

SUBJECT Recall 15V-205: OC3 Seat Occupancy Mat

 

Yes, Had air bag recall completed in 2015 for those inquiring. Thank You for asking!!!

 

The short version:
1. Check under the passenger side seat and see if there are any plugs disconnected. Reconnect if there is. Unfortunately reconnecting the pug will not clear the airbag light.
2. However, If that is the case, You may have luck clearing the airbag fault/light with a good BMW OBDII scanner rather than going to the dealer and charged $350. Check with a trusted independent mechanic.
3. The Battery Safety Terminal (BST) squib may have blown. In the battery compartment - on the main positive cable connected to the battery, It is a small yellow tab in line with a black box just before the battery terminal. It is meant to "blow"/disconnect the battery power in the event of a collision. You can bypass the blown squib with a simple small resistor. You may still need an OBDII to clear/turn off the light but Your airbag will still function in the event of a collision.

The long version:
I had my airbag light on for 4our years, starring me in the face everytime I drove the car. I was never in an accident. It just came on and stayed on for no reason. Annoying and unnerving to say the least. In my case; The dealer wouldn't even consider clearing the fault/light. I was then told by an independent BMW mechanic that he couldn't clear the fault or the light; "The problem was due to the main positive battery cable and would have to replace the entire battery cable - front to rear" = $,1300 P&L.
A year later, after hours of searching online - I came across a thread on this site (NAM) discussing the airbag light dilemma with instructions and how to fix it for less than $5. Apparently, it is common for these squibs to detonate/blow for no apparent reason.
I ordered a set of resistors = $5 (only needed 1) and preformed the simple repair in 10-15min. Hooked up my OBDII, cleared the fault, airbag light went out . When I start the car the light turns on and turns off as normal. It's been four more years since then. Still works perfectly
I am truly grateful for this site and the wisdom of the NAM contributors!
Here's the link to the thread for more details:Battery cable squib resistance You can scroll down to alistairr24 's post #19 for pictures of the resistor an wiring to the battery cable.

I hope this helps.

 

This worked in my case:
Hope that helps