B10E904 - Impact sensor, pedestrian protection centre, component faulty airbag control unit fault

What does error code B10E904 mean in the airbag control unit?

Error code B10E904 reports that the impact sensor of the pedestrian protection in the centre is faulty. The airbag control unit has detected the defect, stores the fault and switches on the airbag warning light.

The impact sensor is part of the pedestrian protection and detects when the vehicle collides with a pedestrian. The control unit evaluates its signal. Behind the base code is the fault type, here a faulty component.

This meaning applies to Audi. The sensor is only fitted in vehicles with pedestrian protection, and in other equipment variants the code does not appear.

How do you recognise error code B10E904?

The airbag warning light in the instrument cluster stays on permanently. After reading out with a diagnostic tool, the code is in the fault memory of the airbag control unit and cannot be cleared permanently.

In addition, the fault memory may state that the control unit itself is faulty. In that case, checking the sensor alone is not enough. Driving behaviour and the engine stay unchanged, only the airbag protection is limited.

What causes error code B10E904?

If a component is reported as faulty, the cause lies in the impact sensor itself, in its wiring and connector, or in the airbag control unit. Which of these is affected is only shown by the check.

• A faulty impact sensor in the pedestrian protection.
• A damaged or corroded connector.
• A broken or chafed wire.
• A fault in the electronics of the control unit, for example due to moisture or aged solder joints.

After an accident, crash data may also be stored in the control unit.

In which vehicles does error code B10E904 occur?

Error code B10E904 is known in the Audi A3 8V. The information is not complete, and in other vehicles or equipment variants the code may mean something different. What matters, therefore, is the fault memory of your own vehicle.

It only occurs in vehicles that have pedestrian protection. If the same entry appears in the fault memory, the description on this page applies, even if the model is not named here.

How is error code B10E904 resolved?

First have the fault memory read out with a diagnostic tool. A specialist workshop then checks the sensor, connector and wiring. If the cause lies in the airbag control unit, send it in to Airbag24 for repair.

If the sensor, connector and wiring show nothing unusual, the control unit remains as the cause. To send it in, disconnect the battery, remove the control unit, create a repair order online and send the unit to Airbag24. Checking, repairing and testing usually take 3–4 working days.

The repaired control unit comes back with all vehicle data and is ready for use as soon as it is refitted — no coding or programming is required.

Work on the airbag system belongs in expert hands. This applies to removing the control unit just as much as to any check of connectors, wiring and sensors.