Airbag code popped up: 01222

franklinstower

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
'15 gsw 6mt wagon
Airbag code: 01222

2004 Jetta wagon.
it says:

1 Fault Found:
01222 - Crash Sensor Side Airbag; Passenger Side (G180) 30-00 - Open or Short to Plus


any ideas of where I should start looking for the issue? Is the sensor under the seat or in the door. I know I need to disconnect the battery before I start doing anything. Do the sensors go bad or is it more likely a wire connector issue.

Paul
 
Last edited:

franklinstower

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
'15 gsw 6mt wagon
I pulled the seat, checked the connections under the seat and under the carpet at the sensor. All looked good, no signs whatsoever of any moisture. I am inclined to think it is the sensor that is causing my code.

Can I put any Mk4 sensor in there or do I have to match it up to the year/vin etc. And does replacing the sensor take any VCDS coding? Or should I just be able to put in a new sensor, clear the code and be golden?

Thanks,
Paul
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
It is most likely the connection under the seat. First try gently squeezing the female terminal bits together with a tiny pic, reinstalling the connector, and clearing the DTC. That often works. If it comes back right away, you may have to add in a wire around the connector. Volkswagen 9and others) have various TSBs for this, ranging from an updated connector spliced in, to simply bypassing the connector altogether.
 
Last edited:

vwdieseling

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2012
Location
Lima Ohio
TDI
Beetle, more bugs
On the Beetles the wires under the seat are known to break after numerous retractions of the driver seat. I have had to repair both mine in my gasser and diesel do to broken wires. Those little 18 gauge wires are a hassel to work with given the space under the seat. This is a common problem on the MK 4. I actually added a couple of inches on each when I spliced.
 

TomJD

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Location
St. Louis
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI GLS, 2015 Golf TDI
I wish I knew how to do the connector bypass. I uninstalled my seats and got the airbag light when I put the key in the ignition.
 

franklinstower

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
'15 gsw 6mt wagon
It is most likely the connection under the seat. First try gently squeezing the female terminal bits together with a tiny pic, reinstalling the connector, and clearing the DTC. That often works. If it comes back right away, you may have to add in a wire around the connector. Volkswagen 9and others) have various TSBs for this, ranging from an updated connector spliced in, to simply bypassing the connector altogether.
The easy step of squeezing the prongs together didn't work. I will move on the next step of a potential bypass of the connector.
 

StevenL

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Location
Ireland
TDI
Audi A4 Tdi
I had this fault and it was the sensor. Swap sensors from drivers side to passenger and see if you get a new fault code 1221. Then the sensor is bad- if not then its the wiring
 

franklinstower

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
'15 gsw 6mt wagon
I had this fault and it was the sensor. Swap sensors from drivers side to passenger and see if you get a new fault code 1221. Then the sensor is bad- if not then its the wiring
I think I will grab a sensor from the pick and pull - There is a 04 sedan with the front airbags deployed at my local yard - would the deployment of the airbags kill the crash sensor? Or is it still good? its simple enough to get, but if those are a one time use only i won't bother.

paul
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
under the front seat carpet. remove seat, pop off door sill trim, pull back carpet and pad and they are mounted to the cross member. 05+ have em in the doors.
Thanks. I had the AB lite come on a couple years ago on the way home from the only trip to the dealer the car has had (at least since in my ownership). Went in for sunroof drain recall. They had the A-pillar covers off (greasy handprints n/c) to fix/reconnect the drain tubes. I thought maybe it had to do with the AB in the pillar, but the code was for the sensor IIRC. I scanned/cleared it a couple time, w/o success, of course.
I will have to check out the connections sometime.
 

franklinstower

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2005
Location
Kirkland, WA
TDI
'15 gsw 6mt wagon
FYI,
I went to the pick n pull, grabbed two crash sensors, one out of a 2004 jetta, the other out of a 02 passat. Both had the same part number, but different coding on the paper sticker. The passat was not in bad shape and the jetta had all airbags deployed and was rolled. I assumed the passat sendor would be in better condition so i tried it. My open to short code was gone, but a new code showed stating wrong crash sensor. Switched in the jetta sensor from the totalled Jetta, cleared codes, and viola, no more Airbag code! :)

Makes me very happy!

Paul
 

4GenTex

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Location
Austin, TX
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI & 2005 Jetta Wagon TDI
01222 - Crash Sensor Side Airbag; Passenger Side (G180)

1) Front seat removal (note take off head rest, I was able to go through front door no problem) https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...ature=emb_logo
2) Door sill trim: Watch the first 2:30 minutes of this video (5mm hex) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3nsJWiNoXk
3) When removing carpet it is set tight against the runner so be careful there.

IMPORTANT on my 2004 VW TDI they made two types of sensors for the front. Mine is last 3 digits 002 in part number 6Q0-909-606-K-002, so be careful if you are getting a used part because if you get the wrong one it will not work!
 
Top