Well, as the title says, I was driving yesterday and the lid on my water bottle wasn't tightened all the way. Out of nowhere my airbag and seat belt lights came on, and after a while I remembered that warning in my e90 BMW and a very similar situation... Checked my bottle and it was down about 16oz and the floor was soaked.

I got home and set up a box fan and ran it directly at the floor behind the seat for about 18 hours to dry things out but the lights are still on, which is unlike the BMW which reset itself after 8 hours in the parking lot at work with the windows cracked.

Any srs experts care to weigh in on what I might have damaged/what to check to get the system back online again? Car safety is a hot topic in my family right now after my 4yo nephew was very nearly killed in an accident last week.

 

Once an airbag error is triggered, in general the warning light won't automatically turn off by itself, even if the condition that caused it has been resolved. You need to have a dealer or shop reset the error with an airbag diagnostic tool (or buy one yourself, costs under $30). This was meant as a way to make the owner look into the issue rather than just ignore a warning that turned on and off.

 

Thanks for that info. Is there an airbag diagnostic tool you recommend in that price range? The ones I'm coming across are $150+.

 

I didn't notice that you posted in the 2nd gen section. The $30 tool that I've known is the B300 but it seems to be only compatible with 1st gen models.

I looked around Amazon and this one might work. You'll have to verify.

 

ended up going with that Autophix unit you posted...probably not as polished as the Foxwell/Schwaben ones but it did the job and no more airbag light.

Apparently the water got into the circuit for the passenger side seat belt tensioner and that's what tripped it. I expected it to be the weight sensor. Either way, I'm happy now.

Thanks!