MX5Ireland

Hey everyone!
I recently upgraded my factory fitted stereo system to an alpine double din audio system. I noticed about a week later that the airbag warning light was blinking on and off in a pattern of 4 delayed blinks followed by 8 quick blinks. I was wondering if the installation of the new system caused some sort of electrical issue? Also is there anyway i could fix it or is this a job for the dealership?
Thank you in advance.

Saladfingers wrote:Hey everyone!
I recently upgraded my factory fitted stereo system to an alpine double din audio system. I noticed about a week later that the airbag warning light was blinking on and off in a pattern of 4 delayed blinks followed by 8 quick blinks. I was wondering if the installation of the new system caused some sort of electrical issue? Also is there anyway i could fix it or is this a job for the dealership?
Thank you in advance.

are you sure its 4 long followed by 8 quick blinks ?

i would bet its 4 long followed by 9 quick blinks , in which case its a code 49 (4 long pulse then 9 quick pulse) - passenger deactivation switch

while your airbag light is showing an error , your airbags will be disabled so its not good. Get to a dealer and be prepared to pay ALOT to have this fixed

Definitely 4 long or sustained blinks followed by 8 quick blinks. I understand that code 49 (4 long blinks 9 short ) is to do with the passenger airbag but i wonder what this means. Also i forgot to mention my car is a mk2.5 2001. Its the pictured car as my avatar. Thanks again in advance!

If all you did was install a stereo I'd guess at a ground/wiring issue or a disturbed sensor, do you know where sensors are for airbags? Any behind the dash?

When i installed the stereo i fed the connector for the ipod behind the dash into the glove box as to keep the ipod hidden. I just took off the glove box as to have a look at the electrical components and there is a connector running toward the passenger airbag. I tested the connection to make sure it wasnt loose and all is fine... Another thing is that as the airbag warning light shall flash in a sequenced pattern, it will stop at random times and wont return until your next engine start! And again it doesnt blink in the 4-9 sequence.
This is a real head scratcher...
Thanks again for help!

Codes here: http://www.miata.net/garage/airbag_blink.html

Check the connector to the sensor under the passenger seat, and the state of the wiring. It's common for that to go bad on many cars, not just MX5s. No idea why the passenger seat sensor goes bad first - maybe that seat gets moved back and forth more often ?