Airbag warning light is on when the parking brake is engaged

Hello everyone,
"In our old Golf III (year '97), with engine code AHU, the airbag warning light has been illuminated for several years when the handbrake is engaged. The error codes N199 and N200 (high resistance in the side airbag connection) are stored in the fault memory. These errors can be cleared, but they reappear as soon as the handbrake is pulled. The handbrake indicator light on the instrument panel works correctly."
Since I have to go for the vehicle inspection again, and I'm not sure if my persuasive skills will be enough to convince the inspector like they were during the last inspection, it would be great if I could get some crucial advice here.
Actually, shouldn't the warning light illuminate permanently if there's a problem with the airbag system? Or am I mistaken?

Best regards,
Jens-Thomas

Hi Jens,

Hmm, that sounds strange.
Does your handbrake warning light also illuminate, and does the airbag warning light come on every time you engage the handbrake?

"I'm experiencing a similar problem with my Audi, but the warning light almost always comes on when I adjust the seat. The connector for the driver's seat electronics has a loose connection (due to slight corrosion), which causes a brief interruption in the circuit to the airbag when the seat is adjusted. The control unit detects this and triggers the error message. While it can be cleared, the problem reappears as soon as the seat is moved again or if you lean back into the seat too forcefully."I was able to temporarily fix the problem by cleaning the plug.

I know this might not be very helpful right now, but it's probably due to a similar problem.

Does the car have any other unusual electrical anomalies?

Best regards, Hannes.

P.S.: Shouldn't this topic actually belong to the section "On-board electronics, vehicle electrical systems, multimedia"?

Nobody wrote:

P.S.: Doesn't this topic actually belong in the section "On-board computers, vehicle electronics, multimedia"?

Yes.

The cables for the side airbags and the handbrake switch run close to the center tunnel, presumably (at least partially) as a single bundle, so I would look for any signs of abrasion there.

Hi,
Thank you for your suggestions. I will expand the console and check the cable harness. I will let you know about my progress.

Best regards,
Jens-Thomas