Airbag error code 00588

Hello fellow enthusiasts,

My car is getting older too...
Currently, I have an airbag error code 00588.
Normally, the torsion spring is the culprit, but not in my case .

Here's a brief list of the troubleshooting and fixes I performed.

First, I removed the steering wheel (while adhering to the applicable regulations) and repeatedly moved the torsion spring back and forth, measuring it with a through-hole buzzer. Everything was fine. O.
That made the airbag the prime suspect.
For testing purposes, I reinstalled the steering wheel, but simulated the airbag with a 2.2 Ohm resistor.
I soldered the resistor to a two-pin, gold-plated terminal block (available from electronics suppliers) and plugged it into the red airbag connector in the steering wheel housing - it fits perfectly.
I wrapped the whole thing with electrical tape and hid it under the small circuit board.
Even after a week of daily commutes, there are no error messages.
So, I reattached the airbag and kept staring at the instrument cluster over and over again...
But still, no mistake.

In my case, it was very likely the rectangular, red connector (in a gold-plated version with the shorting jumper) located in the steering column cover.
This connector is always disconnected (which shorts the airbag system) before disassembling the airbag. I lightly sprayed the contacts with a contact cleaner (Teslanol t6, NOT Contact 60) and plugged them in several times.
Normally, gold-plated contacts do not have problems with contact resistance. However, it is likely that the gold layer is so thin that this layer has worn away after a certain period of time (20 years ). And then, transition resistances occur, which are detected by the airbag control unit.
In the long run, only a new connector will work properly, but you could also rotate the contacts slightly (they are round contacts, right???) to make contact with a gold-plated surface again.

So far (2 weeks), no error entries .

Best regards, Kassen.

Thank you very much!

Hello Rainer,

As always, from the super-fast team!

Thank you!

LG Cash Registers.