SB-10054866-5400

Technical Service Bulletin
69 Airbag lamp on; upper limit of side airbag exceeded
69 13 27 2010144/4 December 10, 2013. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 69 number 08-11 dated
December 10, 2008 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

A3

2006

000001 - 166831

A4

2002 - 2005

000001 - 999999

A4

2006

000001 - 227246

A4 Cabriolet

2003 - 2005

000001 - 999999

A4 Cabriolet

2006

000001 - 011350

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

2

-

Revised header data (Added DTCs; updated customer codes)
Revised Required Parts and Tools (Updated part numbers)

1

11/17/2008

Initial publication

• The airbag warning lamp is illuminated in the instrument cluster.
• The following sporadic DTCs are stored in the airbag control module, J234 (address word 15):
• DTC 01217: Igniter for side airbag driver’s side -N199- upper limit exceeded
• DTC 01218: Igniter for side airbag passenger side -N200- upper limit exceed

Technical Background
This condition may be caused by sporadic high resistance in the connector between the airbag and seat harness,
even though the side airbag system is functioning normally.

Production Solution
The connector under the seat bottom has been eliminated in production. The connector for the side airbag has
been optimized for additional clearance.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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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
Warning:
Always read and follow Repair Manual warnings, precautions, notes, and tips when working on any airbag
system.
Tip: Note, and if necessary, determine the radio code for vehicles equipped with coded anti-theft radio.
1. Disconnect battery ground (GND) strap.
2. Remove seat. See Repair Manual >> Body >> Body Interior >> 72 Seat Frames >> Removal and Installation.
3. Attach airbag adapter VAS 6036 (Figure 1) to
seat harness. See “Airbag AdapterVAS 6036,
Connecting” for the appropriate seat type in
Repair Manual >> Body >> Body Interior >>
72 Seat Frames >> Description and
Operation.
Tip: The adapter must remain
connected as long as the seat is removed
from the vehicle.
Tip: The seat must be mounted on the
seat mounting rack VAS 6095.

Figure 1. Airbag adapter indicated by yellow arrow.

Warning:
Before repairing the seat harness, technicians must ground themselves and the tools to be used by touching the
mounting rack. If the repair is interrupted, technicians must ground themselves again before returning to the
repair.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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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:
The airbag unit must not be left unattended.

4.

Cut igniter wire 1 (on airbag side) next to
airbag connector (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Igniter wire 1 on airbag side.
5.

Cut igniter wire 1 (on seat harness side)
next to airbag connector (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Igniter wire 1 on seat harness side.
6.

Using VAS 1978A wiring repair kit (including crimping tool VAS 1978/1 with VAS 1978/24 insert): Strip wires
and splice using a 4-inch section of repair wire (000979010) and 2 butt connectors (111971941A). This
allows the harness additional slack.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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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
7.

Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 for igniter wire 2
(Figure 4).

Figure 4. Igniter wire 2.
8.

Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6, for ground wire 3, crimping one pair of wires at a time until the connector is
removed.
Note: On some vehicles, the ground wire for the airbag is run outside and along the connector. If this is
the case, do not cut the ground wire.

9.

Discard connector.

10. Twist repaired wires (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Repaired wires that have been twisted.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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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
11. Wrap the repair using yellow electrical tape
to indicate that the wiring harness has been
modified (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Repaired wires wrapped in electrical tape.
12. Secure the repaired harness with tie wraps.
13. Install seat. See Repair Manual >> Body >> Body Interior >> 72 Seat Frames >> Removal and Installation.
14. Switch ignition on.
15. Reconnect battery ground strap (GND).

Warning:
Ensure that there are no people inside of the vehicle when reconnecting the battery ground strap.

16. Connect the diagnostic tester. Clear any stored DTCs and verify the repair.
17. Program radio presets if necessary.
18. Check vehicle equipment (radio code, clock, electrical windows) per Repair Manual and/or Owner’s Manual.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

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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
Warranty
Claim Type:

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

Service Number:

9766

Damage Code:

0023

Labor Operations:

Central wiring harness repair

9709 4165

130 TU

Diagnostic Time:

GFF

0150 0000

Time stated on
diagnostic
protocol (Max 30
TU)

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

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 #2010144/4

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

000979940

Butt connector

6

000979010E

0.5 mm wire

1

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2010144) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 6 of 6

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.