00655: Passenger Tensioner Igniter N154

Circuit fault

What 00655 means

N154 fires the passenger belt tensioner, which tightens the belt at the beginning of a crash. The controller sends a small test current through the loop and compares the resistance against a set window. A value outside that window produces 00655, and the tensioner will not fire while the code stands.

This circuit crosses the passenger floor and climbs to the retractor at the B-pillar, passing through connectors under the seat and behind the sill trim on the way. Those connection points take water from door seals, spills from the cabin, and pressure from seat travel and cargo, which is why they fail long before the retractor does.

Common causes

• Corrosion in the connector under the passenger seat or at the sill
• Water under the carpet from a door seal, sunroof drain, or heater core leak
• A connector not fully latched after seat removal or carpet work
• A harness conductor crushed by the seat rail or a cargo load
• Igniter failure inside the passenger retractor assembly

Crash data or hardware fault?

The reading behind 00655 is taken live at each self test, so this is a circuit condition rather than stored crash information. Repair the circuit and the code stops appearing. A deployment record cannot be handled that way, since the controller writes it at the moment of the crash and keeps it until the unit is reset.

Does our reset clear it?

Erase the code without repairing the loop and you get the same code back on the next key cycle. Fix the connector or the retractor first. Our mail-in module reset is the service for a controller locked after an actual deployment, including one where the tensioners fired, and it comes after the hardware is replaced.

Which makes throw it

Both Audi and Volkswagen use 00655 with the N154 designation. The circuit layout and the common failure points are the same across the two brands.

What to do next

Start under the passenger seat with the connectors, since corrosion there is the most common single cause and it is visible as soon as you unplug them. Check the carpet for dampness at the same time, because a wet floor explains both the corrosion and any codes that come with it. Measure the loop at the retractor to decide between the harness and the belt assembly, and replace the retractor with a genuine OEM unit if the igniter reads wrong. Related codes: 00654, 00656, 0X93092B.