Volkswagen does not number its airbag faults the way the domestic makes do. Most VW SRS faults read out as five-digit numbers on a VCDS or ODIS scan, and the one that decides whether a module can be reset is 00595, crash data stored. Here is how the numbering works.
Volkswagen calls the unit the airbag control module. In VW wiring diagrams it carries the component number J234, and on a scan tool it answers at diagnostic address 15, listed as Airbags. It watches the front and side crash sensors, fires the airbags and belt pretensioners, and writes a permanent record of any deployment into its own memory.
On Golf, Jetta, Passat, Tiguan, Beetle and most other VW models it is bolted to the transmission tunnel under the center console, just ahead of the shifter, held by three 10 mm nuts with a large yellow connector plugged into it. VW service info calls for the ignition off, both battery cables disconnected, and a wait of at least three minutes before anyone touches that connector. The models we handle are listed on our Volkswagen airbag service page.
Older Volkswagens on the KWP protocol report SRS faults as five-digit VAG codes like 00588 or 01217, each paired with a text description and an elaboration such as resistance too high or short to ground. MQB cars, Golf 7 forward, moved to UDS and report B-codes with a hexadecimal symptom byte appended. Both live behind address 15.
The split is clean on a VW. 00595 crash data stored, plus 01226 and 01227 for the driver and passenger side airbags, are the module's own record of an impact. Igniter and sensor codes are live resistance measurements the module takes every time you turn the key, and 65535 internal control module memory error is the module reporting a fault in itself. Clearing stored data does nothing for those.
Codes with a link have their own page. Crash data clears with a module reset; hardware and circuit faults need the part fixed or replaced first.
| Code | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 00532 | Supply voltage B+ out of range, usually low battery voltage reaching the airbag controller. | Hardware fault |
| 00588 | Driver airbag igniter N95, resistance out of range or short circuit. | Circuit fault |
| 00589 | Passenger airbag igniter 1, component N131. | Circuit fault |
| 00590 | Passenger airbag igniter 2, component N132, the second stage on a dual-stage bag. | Circuit fault |
| 00591 | Driver seat belt buckle switch E24. | Circuit fault |
| 00592 | Passenger seat belt buckle switch E25. | Circuit fault |
| 00594 | Front airbag firing circuit fault covering the driver and passenger bags. | Circuit fault |
| 00595 | Crash data stored. The module recorded an impact and locked itself. | Crash data |
| 00654 | Driver seat belt tensioner igniter N153. | Circuit fault |
| 00655 | Passenger seat belt tensioner igniter N154. | Circuit fault |
| 00656 | Passenger seat occupied sensor G128. | Hardware fault |
| 01217 | Front side airbag igniter, driver side, component N199. Resistance too high is the usual elaboration. | Circuit fault |
| 01218 | Front side airbag igniter, passenger side, component N200. | Circuit fault |
| 01219 | Rear side airbag igniter, driver side, component N201. | Circuit fault |
| 01220 | Rear side airbag igniter, passenger side, component N202. | Circuit fault |
| 01221 | Side airbag crash sensor, driver side, component G179. | Hardware fault |
| 01222 | Side airbag crash sensor, passenger side, component G180. | Hardware fault |
| 01226 | Crash data stored for the driver side airbag. | Crash data |
| 01227 | Crash data stored for the passenger side airbag. | Crash data |
| 01228 | Passenger airbag cut-off switch E224, open or shorted. | Circuit fault |
| 01236 | Safety battery terminal, the pyrofuse that cuts battery power in a crash. | Circuit fault |
| 01588 | Head curtain airbag igniter, driver side, component N251. | Circuit fault |
| 01589 | Head curtain airbag igniter, passenger side, component N252. | Circuit fault |
| 01638 | Rear side airbag crash sensor, driver side, component G256. | Hardware fault |
| 01639 | Rear side airbag crash sensor, passenger side, component G257. | Hardware fault |
| 65535 | Internal control module memory error. The controller failed its own memory check. | Hardware fault |
| B1304 | Left front seat belt tensioner control module not configured, seen on MQB cars after a replacement. | Hardware fault |
| B1305 | Right front seat belt tensioner control module not configured. | Hardware fault |
| B2013 | Missing dataset or end-of-line programming data in a replacement controller. | Hardware fault |
| U1100 | Component protection active on a replacement airbag controller. | Hardware fault |
| 01025 | Airbag warning lamp circuit. | Circuit fault |
| 00003 | Control module fault. | other |
A generic OBD2 code reader will not see any of this. The standard OBD2 modes reach the powertrain, and VW's airbag controller answers at address 15, which takes VCDS, ODIS, OBDeleven, or a scan tool with real VAG coverage. That is why a parts store scan comes back clean while the airbag light is still on.
Once 00595 is set, the normal clear codes command will not touch it. Ross-Tech's own documentation treats the crash record as permanent at the module level. The side crash codes 01226 and 01227 behave differently, and depending on module generation they can be cleared a limited number of times before the controller stops accepting the reset and stores a control module faulty code instead.
Programming is the other VW wrinkle. A brand new controller ships coded all zeros and has to be coded to the car. On MQB cars a replacement also throws component protection and missing dataset codes, and clearing those needs factory tool access with an online connection to the manufacturer. A module that stays with its original car never runs into that.
The most common VW SRS complaint that has nothing to do with a collision is a side airbag igniter code, 01217 on the driver side or 01218 on the passenger side, reading resistance too high. Volkswagen issued a service bulletin over it: the connector joining the seat harness to the side airbag sits under the seat cushion, and its terminals build resistance over the years. The repair called for replacing the connectors and hard wiring one leg, and VW eliminated that connector in later production.
Buckle switch codes 00591 and 00592 come in often on high-mileage cars. Low system voltage shows up as 00532 and drags other SRS codes in behind it, so a weak battery or a corroded ground is worth ruling out first. When a VW arrives with 00595 plus a set of igniter codes, those igniter codes are usually the fired pyrotechnics reading open.
It clears ordinary faults, but not 00595. Ross-Tech documents crash data as permanent at the module level, and the clear codes command is refused. That code has to be handled with the module out of the car.
The VW airbag controller sits at diagnostic address 15, outside the standard OBD2 path a basic reader talks to. See our guide on whether an OBD2 reader can clear an airbag light.
Airbag igniter, driver side, component N95. It is a live resistance reading on the driver airbag circuit, so it points at the airbag, the wiring, or the coil spring with slip ring behind the steering wheel.
Physical repairs first. Deployed airbags and pretensioners get replaced and any damaged crash sensor gets swapped. Clearing stored data only makes sense once the restraint system is whole again.
Keep reading:
Crash data clears with a reset of your own module. A hardware fault needs the part. Either way, call and we will confirm.
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