Hi, folks. 2004 MC40 here. I removed the steering wheel airbag today (after disconnecting the battery) to check the steering wheel alignment and now I have an airbag light on. I've removed the airbag and steering wheel before and never run into this issue. There are no codes being thrown. I've read that NCSExpect may be required to extinguish the light. Anyone with recommendations that don't require NCSExpert? Thanks.

 

You should only need INPA.

 

Cause and effect identified: I removed the airbag in order to remove the steering wheel so that I could slightly reposition the wheel to match my front-end alignment (shop didn't perfectly align the steering wheel when front-end adjustment was made). When I reinstalled the steering wheel I took the Mini for a drive to determine if the adjustment I made was adequate. To make it easier to re-do if necessary I did not re-install the airbag. Sooooo, I started the car without the airbag in place which obviously initiated the airbag light. Suggestion: Don't do that. No big deal really that the light is on but my OCD got in the way. It appears my only path to turn off the airbag light is NCSExpert which I've researched (it ain't easy) or possibly INPA which I already have downloaded because Adrian Nastase remotely tuned my Mini with it. Scares me to death to read and re-write the ECU software but there doesn't appear to be an alternative because there's no way I'm going to the stealership and pay to have it done. Onward and upward!!!

 

IIRC, all you should have to do is clear the code with INPA. There should be no write involved and therefore nothing with NCSExpert, nor should you be doing anything that touches the DME since the airbag module is separate.

To clarify, NCSExpert is for coding modules, not clearing trouble codes, so unless you are looking to change options (like turning an airbag sensor off or turning off the annoying warning bongs) you shouldn’t be using it or doing any writing to modules.

When I turned off my passenger occupancy sensor, I coded it out using NCSExpert and then cleared the airbag light with INPA.