00003 on Audi and Volkswagen reads simply as a control module fault. The definition is broad on purpose, and the module is reporting a problem with itself rather than with any one circuit it monitors.
A restraint module checks its own memory, processors, power supplies, and firing outputs at every start. When one of those internal checks fails, the module has no specific circuit to blame, so it files a general fault against itself. That is what 00003 is. The airbag lamp comes on and the system stops arming, because a controller that cannot verify its own health is not allowed to make deployment decisions.
Since the definition does not name a component, the useful information is in the rest of the scan. Look at the freeze frame data, the status bits, and any other codes stored alongside it. Low or unstable supply voltage during cranking can trigger internal faults on a healthy module, and so can a module that has been opened, water damaged, or previously locked by a crash event.
The published definition does not say whether 00003 is a live fault or a locked record, so treat it as unknown until the module is scanned in the car. Live faults describe a condition the module can measure right now and clear when it goes away. Crash data is the permanent entry written after a deployment, and a scan tool cannot erase it no matter how many times you clear codes.
Whether a reset helps depends on what is actually inside the module. If the module is locked by crash data from a deployment, our mail-in service clears that record and the module goes back to work. If the internal hardware has genuinely failed, no reset repairs it and the module has to be replaced. Send the module to us or call 501-988-0611 and we will tell you which one you have before you spend money on parts.
00003 appears on Audi and Volkswagen, both of which use the same five-digit fault code table for restraint systems. The definition is short on both brands, so the diagnosis depends on the rest of the scan data rather than on the code text.
Load test the battery and check the charging system before you touch the module, since supply problems produce internal faults that look like a dead controller. Read the full scan, not just this code, and note anything else stored. Inspect the module connector and the carpet underneath for moisture. If the module still reports an internal fault on good power and clean connections, mail it in and we will read what is stored in it. Related codes: U1101, 00532, B1213.
Mail us your original module. We restore it to factory-ready condition for a fraction of dealer cost, the same way we have since 1997.
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Do not see it listed? Request a part or call 501-988-0611.