so I forgot to close my sunroof and all of sudden there I was closing it in a downpour...doh. the airbag failure light has come on.. any clue what I can do ? the car has dried out pretty well it was mainly the two front seats that were soaked.

thanks

 

Sensor might have been fried by the water...could try pulling the negative on the battery to clear the system...you'll lose everything as far as the radio info and presets...also if you have an auto it will lose the "learning" while on auto/stick.... If it comes back you'll need to have it looked at unfortunately. Might be worth using the insurance.

 

I agree with DIGI.
Disconnect the battery and let the car reset.
At least you'll know for sure.

 

...and if you need to get it fixed at the dealer I wouldn't mention the sunroof / downpour event.

 

after disconnecting the battery do i need to wait a certain length of time before reconnecting?

 

I've disconnected batteries to force a reset.
Wait over a minute and reconnect.

 

it seems the radio settings are still there when i reconnect... hum
i'll wait longer ..

 

Airbag sensors are prickly little items.
The airbag light came on in my BMW while I was driving. It was a bad wire.

In your case, you may have soaked a sensor under the seat.
The Mini seats sense weight and if they determine you have a child(or case of beer), the Passenger Airbag Off light may come on. I learned that the night I picked mine up. I'm crossing my fingers for you.

Don't worry about the radio presets. Watch for the airbag light.
If you still have issues, let the car dry out before visting the dealer.
Maybe you had a "faulty sunroof seal" that let water in!

 

No, disconnecting the battery does not clear radio presets.