What does it mean?
B1353 is a Body (airbags, seat belts, body electronics) fault code. It indicates: PAB Circuit Resistance Is Low .
Symptoms
- SRS / airbag warning lamp stays on after the bulb check
- Passenger airbag is switched off and will not deploy in a collision
- The code returns immediately after being cleared
- On vehicles with a passenger airbag on/off indicator, that indicator can read incorrectly
- Engine running and driveability are not affected
Likely causes
- Chafed or pinched wiring under the dash letting the two squib wires touch each other
- Corroded, bent or spread terminals inside the yellow SRS connector at the passenger airbag
- Connector position lock not pushed fully home, leaving the shorting bar partly across the squib pins
- Internal short inside the passenger airbag inflator module
- Non-matching airbag module fitted during an earlier repair, with a squib resistance the module does not expect
- Water reaching a footwell or A-pillar connector after a windscreen or heater leak
- Failed squib driver stage inside the airbag control module
How to fix it
- Record the stored data and note whether the fault is current or historic before clearing anything
- Switch the ignition off, disconnect the battery and wait out the reserve power discharge time the manufacturer specifies before unplugging any SRS connector
- Unplug the passenger airbag connector and inspect the pins, the shorting bar and the connector lock for corrosion, spread terminals or a half-seated latch
- Fit an approved squib load simulator in place of the airbag, clear the code and retest; if the fault clears, the inflator module is the faulty part
- If the code stays with the simulator connected, check the harness between the control module and the airbag for a wire-to-wire short and repair the damaged section
- Follow the loom under the dash and along the A-pillar looking for crush points, screws, staples and water damage
- Replace the airbag control module only after the harness and the inflator have both been proven good, and never probe a squib circuit directly with a multimeter; use only the equipment the manufacturer approves