Seat Arona Airbag and Horn Conundrum
When SEAT announced the Arona in 2017, the SUV market was already on an upwards trajectory. Competing with the likes of the Nissan Juke and VW T Roc, the Arona came with sporty credentials and quirky styling that made it instantly popular.
We were all too happy to see its refreshing design land in our workshop but was surprised as Mr P came in with his Arona, as it was only 3 years old. Having the airbag warning light appear on the dash, complaints of the horn not working and the steering wheel controls not functioning, it caused an area of concern for us and Mr P.
Without these vital functions, the vehicle is not safe during a crash, or when the horn is needed in an emergency, Mr P would be unable to operate it. Plus, the driver controls are needed when Mr P wants to change radio stations or turn on his cruise control features.
Without a functioning airbag, the driver could get seriously injured in an accident. Certain warranty or insurance claims may be void if the car had a warning light present on the dash. Luckily, Mr P came into our workshop at Fitch Autos at just the right time. We are Seat specialists that have seen and done it all with VW Audi Group vehicles.
Even the smaller SUVs such as the Arona now have steering wheel controls to change track, raise or lower the volume, control trip computers, and scroll through vehicle data. Along with cruise control and adjustment features all at your fingertips, without the need to take your hands off the wheel. All these features are handy and often taken for granted until they stop working. A whole wiring harness assembly and several switch packs, airbag modules and clock springs are housed in the steering wheel nowadays and with very thin wiring, usually the unsealed unit can get water damaged, tears in the wiring, and more.
Luckily, our Seat specialist technician Colin Dyche was on hand to immediately address Mr P’s airbag issue on his Seat Arona.
Finding the Airbag Fault
As with every customer, at Fitch Autos, a specialist Seat garage, we aim to get Mr P back on his way as soon as possible with the minimal disruption to his busy schedule. Which is why our technicians are always on hand to deliver not only excellent customer service, but a high-quality job in fixing any vehicle that comes into our garage. Whether that be compact, sports, SUVs, or light commercial vehicles, we cater to them all!
Using our skills and the latest Seat garage dealership information and equipment, we can address all the major vehicle brands including Seat who are a subsidiary of Volkswagen – both brands use similar systems for their onboard diagnostics features. In Mr P’s Arona, Colin used his Seat specialist experience and knowledge to obtain the relevant fault codes, understand what they meant and begin to fix them.
Based on his issues, there was clearly something wrong with the driver’s airbag. Therefore, Colin went ahead and checked the live data, removed the driver’s airbag that’s housed in the steering wheel and went ahead with testing the wiring to find broken circuits or any physical damage. Colin did this by bypassing the airbag circuits to see if any data changed when testing out the horn.
Digging deeper, as Seat specialists, Colin knew how to remove the airbag module covers and his experience pointed towards the clock spring being faulty. Now the clock spring is essentially a coil of wiring that provides the necessary power to all the steering wheel controls. It allows continuous power to the airbag, horn and steering wheel switches whilst rotating the steering wheel, meaning if the clock spring is broken there will not be power to any of these circuits.
Colin had to investigate hard into this one, but it was a process of testing the clock spring and wiring surrounding it. Confirming his initial thoughts, the clock spring was indeed faulty.
Fixing the Clock Spring and Steering Wheel Assembly
Now Colin knew what he needed to do to fix Mr P’s Seat Arona, as a Seat specialist, he needed to go ahead and order a replacement part from Volkswagen. As the car is only three years old and being a specialist Seat garage, we tapped into our close network to pick up the part straight away and work on Mr P’s Seat the same day.
Replacing the clock spring took no time at all thanks to Colin’s Seat expertise. It was so evident from all the tests that Colin had performed that the clock spring was at fault, he had 100% certainty that this would fix the airbag, steering wheel controls and horn functions. After installing the new clock spring, Colin had cleared the previous fault codes.
The new clock spring also needed to be coded to the vehicle by Colin who used the Seat specialist dealership tool and made light work of the job, having done similar jobs in the past. The clock spring was then tested to confirm the horn was working, the steering wheel controls could change tracks, volume, scroll through the menus and more. As a result of this repair, Mr P’s car was brought in, diagnosed, and fixed all in one day by our expert technician, Colin.
Quick Turnaround Times with the Best Results
With our Seat specialist team at Fitch Auto’s, we were able to assign Colin to fix Mr P’s Arona as soon as possible. Pairing his expertise with our dealership tools meant that the problem was diagnosed much quicker than other garages. Along with our network of Seat and local connections meant that new parts were sourced the same day. Not only was the problem fixed the same day, but the new parts were also original manufacturer (Volkswagen) parts and guaranteed to be compatible.
Whilst it only took us one day to diagnose and repair the issue for Mr P, we recognise that being without a vehicle, even just for a day, can be inconvenient and stressful. That’s why we offer all our service and repair the customers the opportunity to benefit from one of our free courtesy cars. Mr P requested a free courtesy car when he booked in his Seat Arona – removing an additional stress to his otherwise busy schedule. Just another way that we help our customers at Fitch Autos.
At Fitch Autos, Seat specialists, we have the knowledge to fix any vehicle fault. As we see hundreds of customers each month our Seat specialist technicians are experienced in strict standards. This includes electrical, safety, servicing, mechanical, and air conditioning issues along with many more with your Seat vehicle.
Every customer is walked through the fault-finding mission, to see what has been performed on their car to get it back up and running. Including which parts have been replaced and checked. With a breakdown of costs used in the repair including parts and labour. At Fitch Autos, your Seat specialist, we only use genuine or high quality equivalent parts for our vehicle repairs too. That’s another reason why so many of our customers rely on us to fix issues with their cars.
If you need to fix your Seat because of an airbag light, or your Seat needs a service or repair, contact us today on 01543 401257 to book an appointment. We have the best customer service staff here to help here at Fitch Autos, your Seat specialist!
