SB-10043925-8831

Technical Service Bulletin
69 Airbag warning light on, upper limit for front or rear side airbag exceeded
69 12 24 2011667/7 March 12, 2012. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 69 number 10 – 08 dated
August 10, 2010 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A8

2003 – 2007

All

All

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

7

-

Revised Condition (Updated DTCs)
Revised Service (Updated module address word)
Revised Warranty (Updated GFF TUs and added affected model years)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (Updated suffixes)

6

8/10/2010

Revised header data (Controlling TSB display in ElsaWeb)

5

12/3/2008

Revised Title to include Repair Group

Airbag warning lamp is on in the instrument cluster, and the following sporadic DTC(s) are stored in DTC memory:
• DTC 01217 001 (Igniter for front side airbag driver’s side -N199- Upper limit exceeded)
• DTC 01218 001 (Igniter for front side airbag passenger side -N200- Upper limit exceeded)
• DTC 01219 001 (Igniter for rear side airbag driver's side -N201- Upper limit exceeded)
• DTC 01220 001 (Igniter for rear side airbag passenger side -N201- Upper limit exceeded)
Tip: Over time resistance variance within a side impact airbag connector can cause the airbag warning
light on the instrument panel to come on and stay on, even though the side impact airbag system is functioning
normally.

Technical Background
May be caused by resistance in the connector between the airbag and seat harness sporadically becoming too
high.

Production Solution
Added tin plating to the side airbag cables and to the passenger compartment wiring loom. Also, added a Nyogel
coat to the sleeves of the plug contacts.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 1 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Service
For left or right rear seat side-airbag:
1. Read the fault memory in the airbag control module (address-word 15). If a DTC entry
“igniter for side-airbag upper limit exceeded“ is present, proceed as follows:
2. Remove the rear seats bench (lower portion) per repair instructions outlined in ELSA.
3. Remove the yellow airbag
connector below the rear seat.

Figure 1. The yellow airbag connector located below the
rear seats.
4. Remove approximately 50 mm of protective tape on both ends of the wiring harness. Cut
off the wires leading to the yellow connector on both the vehicle wiring harness and the
airbag wiring harness in the seat.
5. Install repair cable (000 979 015 D) in the new yellow connector housing (4E0 972 576). Cut
the wire to a length of approximately 50 mm.
6. Install repair cable (000 979 010 D) in the new yellow connector housing (4E0 972 586). Cut
the wire to a length of approximately 50 mm.
7. Connect the new wires to the existing wiring harness using a yellow butt connector (000 979
940). Crimp the yellow connector - (Part number 000 979 940) with VAS pliers 1978/1A
from the repair kit VAS 1978/A, and heat-shrink the butt connectors using the hot air
blower. Begin heating from the center of the butt connector outward.
Tip: Cut and connect one wire at the time. This will prevent connecting the incorrect wire.
The old VAS pliers 1978/1 with the insert VAS 1978/24 can also be used instead of VAS pliers 1978/1A.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 2 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
For left front seat side-airbag:
1. Read the fault memory in the airbag control module (address-word 15). If a DTC entry “igniter for side
airbag upper limit exceeded“ is present, proceed as follows:
2. Partially remove seat. (Loosen seat mounting bolts and tilt seat backwards.)
3. Replace both airbag connectors (male
and female sides) for the front seat
side airbags with the part numbers
listed above and according to the
repair instructions described above.
(Figure 2)

Figure 2. The yellow airbag connector located beneath the
front seats.

For right front seat side-airbag:
1. Read the fault memory in the airbag control module (address-word 15). If a DTC entry
“igniter for side airbag upper limit exceeded“ is present, proceed as follows:
2. Remove the seat right front seatback cover, and inspect the wiring to N200 for damage due
to burrs, a tie wrap cinched too tight, or tension on the harness.
3. If any damage is found in step 2, repair the wire harness, and proceed to step 4.
4. Partially remove seat. (Loosen seat mounting bolts and tilt seat backwards.)
5. Replace both airbag connectors (male and female sides) for the front seat side airbags with
the part numbers listed above and according to the repair instructions described above
(Figure 2).

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 3 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Warning:
Observe the information on the side airbag in ELSA group 69 as well as the safety instructions.

Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical
Service Bulletin is informational only.

Service Number:

6961 left rear side airbag
6962 right rear side airbag
6963 left front side airbag
6964 right front side airbag

Damage Code:

0040

Labor Operations:

Remove and install rear seats

7249 1900

20 TU

Repair wiring harness for airbag
on one side
9766 4199

50 TU

Remove and install rear seats

7249 1900

20 TU

Repair wiring harness for airbag
on both sides
9766 4299

90 TU

Remove and install one front
seat

Diagnostic Time:

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

7201 0999

50 TU

Repair wiring harness for airbag 9766 4199
on one side

50 TU

Remove and install two front
seats

7201 1099

90 TU

Repair wiring harness for airbag 9766 4299
on both sides

90 TU

Remove right front seat back

7423 1900

20 TU

GFF

0150 0000

30 TU

Road test prior to service
procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service
procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Page 4 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2011667/7

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

000 979 940

Yellow butt connector

6

4E0 972 586

Yellow airbag connector (female)

1

4E0 972 576

Yellow airbag connector (male)

1

000 979 010 FA

(1 set 5 pieces) yellow repair cables (sleeve) 0.5 mm²
with gold contacts

3

000 979 015 FA

(1 set 5 pieces) yellow repair cables (pin) 0.5mm² with 3
gold contacts

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB are subject to change and/or removal. Always check with
your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 5 of 5

All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.