ACC and Airbag errors - why are DSG and manual seatbelt buckles different?

[SkyTri]

Hi all,

I have found the solution to this but it was really puzzling me and couldn't find the answer on here so I post partly in the hope it helps someone else, and partly because I'd love to know why on earth this happens in the first place...

So, I swapped my passenger double to a single captain seat (no issue there) and subsequently changed the drivers seat as well so I had a matching pair. When I did that, I got two errors (both code U1123 00 009) which were Airbag and ACC short to ground faults. If I cleared them they just came back.

Long story short, it turns out this is because the seatbelt buckle is different in manual and DSG vans. Autos buckle part codes start with 7LA and manuals are 7HO.

The buckles, and their electrical connectors, physically fit and appear to work but bring on the fault code. Unbolting the buckle and swapping it with the one from the DSG seat solved the issue.

So, hopefully that helps if anyone else is in the same position - but why on earth do manual and DSG vans have different seat buckles?!

Thanks

 

[roadtripper]

Intriguing - are you sure the difference is Manual Vs DSG?

I ask as I could see there being a difference between bench seat and single seat buckles as the airbag system may need to know which seat is occupied.

 

[SkyTri]

Yep, I swapped my double for a single a month ago and all has been fine since. This is a specific driver's seat issue and I found one mention on another forum - that's how I solved it. Very odd!

 

[roadtripper]

Very odd indeed, a useful nugget of knowledge

 

[Pauly]

7LA is chassis code for T6.1
7E0 is chassis code for T5.1 or T6
So I’m guessing they were a different generation of seat and may explain the difference (don’t know that just hypothesising)

 

[SkyTri]

7LA is chassis code for T6.1
7E0 is chassis code for T5.1 or T6
So I’m guessing they were a different generation of seat and may explain the difference (don’t know that just hypothesising)

Good knowledge - that would make (slightly) more sense! Why the seatbelt buckle affects ACC though still makes no sense. FWIW the 'wrong' buckle was still showing correctly as plugged in on the dash, so it worked as a seatbelt, just affected the ACC and gave an Airbag warning.