Jeep Help!

[Adam]

****WARNING* - I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT CARS ****

Hey guys, -I have a 2006 Grand Jeep Cherokee Laredo, and a few weeks ago the airbag light showed up on dash. I reset the battery and checked fuses and it will come back on when I power the vechical up. I went to auto zone to try and check codes, but nothing came back. However just recently my wife and I realized that when she doesn't buckle up, the annoying *ding* *ding* doesn't happen any more. Its almost like the seat is not recognize she is there, or buckling it in. I tried to put more weight in the seat (ie.. me) and nothing. I contacted the dealer and told them say thing, and they said its going to be a $115 fee to just check the car out. Does anybody have experience with this, or have some ideas. We are a bit strapped for cash right now, but I would hate to skimp out on safety to save a few bucks.

Thanks,

[zteknik]

It sounds like the buckle is bad-the one that has the button to release the belt.
Theres a sensor and wiring in there that goes bad,pretty common on a lot of vehicles.
Also if the airbag light is on there could be a problem with the pre tensioner.Thats the belt part that is mounted to the b pillar-by the door

Try a scrapyard and see how much they want for the belts and buckles.

[Holger Danske]

Take it to auto zone and try reading the codes again. It you get a code you can search for it on the Internet. or, just try searching for the key words with your problem and model of Jeep. I've had good luck diagnosing and fixing problems on my old Cherokee by searching the web. Jeep owners are pretty good at documenting how they fix similar prelims.

[zteknik]

Some scanners can not acess the airbag control module only the pcm.
If you get a code it would be a b code-for body.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f98/airbag-light-598118/
See if this can give you a hand

[Adam]

Great link, i'll take it over to autozone again and try to get them to read the codes. I'll post an update.

[rondog]

It sounds like the buckle is bad-the one that has the button to release the belt.
Theres a sensor and wiring in there that goes bad,pretty common on a lot of vehicles.
Also if the airbag light is on there could be a problem with the pre tensioner.Thats the belt part that is mounted to the b pillar-by the door

Try a scrapyard and see how much they want for the belts and buckles.

Does the buckle work OK? Get a flashlight and look inside it real good for foreign objects. My wife had a buckle quit working, turned out she'd lost an earring and it fell inside the damn buckle. That thing was a BITCH to get out too.

[GilpinGuy]

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f98/airbag-light-598118/

jeepforum.com is an EXCELLENT resource for Jeep guys.

[Adam]

I never thought about FO being in the devices its self. Great tips. I've never heard of jeepforum until just today on this post. I'll start exploring...

[BigNick73]

Besides the buckle look under the seat itself. A lot of new cars have weight sensors actually in the seat, for controlling airbags and the no seat belt dinging.

[tmleadr03]

Simple fix and no autozone will probably not be able to read the code. You have a sensor in the buckle that tells the SRS computer that you have your belt on. The sensor has gone bad, and most likely you need a new buckle with the new sensor in it.

ETA: Just checked my aftermarket sources and you need to get the sensor from the dealer.