sts57c5

I am having same problem with my 2011 c6 and mine is still under warranty. I just took it back to dealership to see if they fix the problem .

VET4LES

Keep us posted. If they say it was the wires or connector under the seat ask them how they fixed it. Unless GM has a new and improved connector your light will come back on sometime in the future. Fixed or not make sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA. It's the only way we will get GM to fix this problem.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Recalls+&+Defects

sts57c5

I will be sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA. Let's hope GM will do a recall on this problem.

sts57c5

Well my light is back on again the dealer was not able to produce the problem so now they want be to bring car back to dealership , so my car is still under warranty until August of 2014. Also I did file complaint with the NHTSA.

VET4LES

I wont say I told you so but please file another complaint with the NHTSA and let know that GM tried to fix it but failed. I've filed four with them.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Recalls+&+Defects

sts57c5

Will do my vette headed back to dealership Saturday and I will keep logging to the web site.

sts57c5

I am thinking I might have to pursue the lemon law.

GhostC6

I really appreciate the posters in this thread, especially the one who posted the photo, I would like to know exactly which wire under the rear passenger seat that is the culprit. My C6 is at the shop getting all the fluids flushed and getting diagnostics for three problems.

One is the oil pressure gauge is pegged at 80psi, possible oil sending unit.

Two is the ABS and Traction Control warning on the DIC that comes and goes, often a restart will clear it and a bump in the road brings it back.

Third is the red air bag light. I will report what they find and what solutions if any to solve these in my particular case.

I love the forum, seems every time I have a question it has been addressed on here which is great. I do wish more people would post photographs of their problem and solutions. Such as this wire (photo) was loose so I did this (photo) that way we will know exactly what to look for. That being said, I love this forum, great advice and help.

VET4LES

The photo's are mine. I've been fighting this problem for close to nine years. GM is no help. Check out the lasts photo of the yellow connector. It's a two wire connector. Two in and two out. That's the one that usually causes the problem. If you work on it make sure to zip tie it as tight as you can and zip tie it on the top side of the bar. GM pointed out in their letter that it drags on the carpet with the seat movement. Tying it to the top of the bar keeps it off the carpet.
Make sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA.

tracybarnes

ABS/Service active handling fixed by a bump in the road is likely the usual cold solder joints on the relay inside the ebcm. Check your codes and google for all the abs fixer places. It's $79 or so.

Air bag light most times is the wiring under the driver seat. The worst wiring layout in the world I think. The wiring and associated connectors stuffed under the seat also cause the memory problems. Airbags will *not* work when the light is on. Trace the wiring under the seat from all the yellow connectors through where it goes under the carpet. Pinched wiring happens over time from the seat moving back and forth.

A tech 2 will give the dtc codes and in particular, the sub codes. A snapon scanner can also read the general abs and airbag codes but as you can imagine the tech 2 will give the most detail.

And remember to pull the fuse or disconnect the battery when working on airbags. If you disconnect the battery remember to reindex the windows when you are done.

tracybarnes

It's a lever lock. Just push the lever back over itself and it will unsnap and release the two connector halves.

tracybarnes

That connector has nothing to do with the airbags. The airbag connectors in every car on the road are yellow so they are easily identified. Each C6 will have the belt tensioner yellow connector under the back of the seat, and if you have the side seat airbags there is another yellow connector for that as well.

GhostC6

I do have the side seat airbags on mine, when I get it back I will look at it in more detail, I may remove or loosen the seat so I can trace the wires better if that is the code I get. It seems like there are a lot of little quirks with these cars that I would not have expected for the money. Someone said the airbag light may give a code of an open circuit on the seat sensor, there has to be some electricians in here that can devise a way to close the circuit if the problem keeps occurring of if we just want it to go away. Is that possible?

GhostC6

Also, I want to thank all of you that replied to my post. I appreciate your time and effort to help others that have questions. Sharing knowledge is the greatest thing one person can give another.


It seems there is not one specific cause for the airbag light or the ABS and Traction Control lights. My concern as well as others of you is the fact these systems will not work when the lights are on and in some situations this could be a matter of life or death. I will post the codes and the determined problem and if the resulting repair fixes the said problem.

My question is this, what can I expect the dealer to say is the cause that once it is replaced does not fix the problem. I do not have warranty so repairs are out of pocket and the last thing I want to do is spend $800 on a new hub due to a wheel sensor (Dealer Price)just to find out that it is not the problem. I do not want to pay for a dealer fishing expedition. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Rick

GhostC6

Can you provide me with instructions on how to file a complaint with them?

tracybarnes

GhostC6,

Before losing all your cash to a dealer, I'll clue you in on how to fix this. Believe me, Ferrari's, Lotus', Mercedes, and Porsche's all have these "personality" glitches. Their's are alot more expensive to fix though.

The wiring under the driver seat isn't well thought out and get's pulled and pushed and snagged from moving the seat back and forth (like exit settings or different drivers) or even from just sitting in the seat.

Here's what to do: Go to an auto parts place or even Walmart and get a can of electrical contact cleaner. The real stuff, not radio shack tuner cleaner or brake cleaner or anything like that.

Take out the airbag fuse under the passenger side footwell. Remove the 4 driver seat bolts and place a towel folded several times for cushioning on the door jamb plate. Look under the front of the seat and see if you can disconnect the 3 front connectors. If not, lift up the seat from the driver door side and pull it a bit toward you so you can tilt the seat back onto the center console. You can put a towel there too if you like.

That will give you room to get under the seat and disconnect all the connectors. Take a cell phone picture if you like so you can clip the yellow connectors back on the seat frame rail.

The yellow airbag connectors have an orange safety loop on them that you slide off. You will be able to figure out how to take the connectors apart, they're not hard to unclip from each other. The one in the front with the purple handle is just a lever latch, swing it up and over and it will unclip.

Take the seat out so you can inspect the wiring from the connectors and the wiring that runs under the carpet. Removing the seat is easy with the top off.

Check out all the wiring. Look for crush marks where anything might have been pinched under the seat. If so, you'll have to repair those or find someone who knows how to solder, no crimp connections please. You may have to unwrap some electrical tape to get a closer look if anything seems suspect.

If all the wiring checks out, we'll now clean the connections. Put the seat back in the tilted toward the console position. Take another old towel and put it under the connector pair that you are going to work on one at a time so we don't spray the carpet.

Spray a small amount of electrical contact cleaner on the terminals on each part of the connector. "Make and break" the connection several times by pushing the connector together, then pulling it back apart. The contact cleaner removes any oxidation, and the make and breaks etches fresh new contact paths on the metal terminals.

Put the connectors back together and with the yellow airbag connectors, put the orange safety clips back in. If you want, you can also add tie-wraps around the connectors for piece of mind.

Reclip the rear airbag connector to the frame and reposition the seat back flat on the floor. Look under and around and make sure the wiring can move freely and isn't snagged.

Bolt it back down and put the airbag fuse back in. You should be good to go for a few more years.

tracybarnes

An added note on the abs/active handling messages.... usually it's the electronic brake control module that needs to be rebuilt, a common problem. You will need to get the codes though, there are a few codes they can't repair that require an ebcm replacement. (Ask me how I know)

Most transmission places have the snapon scanners that can read the abs and airbag codes. Alot of tuner/tuneup/performance shops have them as well and maybe even a tech 2. Most of the smaller shops will charge you $20 to read the codes. The dealer is the last resort.

VET4LES

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Recalls+&+Defects

It only takes a few minutes.

VET4LES

Or a few months. Another thing to do is make sure the yellow connector is attached on top of the seat rail. I drive with the seat down and if the connector is not on top of the rail it drags on the carpet pulling the connector apart.

sts57c5

Yes please post results thanks