What does it mean?
B1488 is a Body (airbags, seat belts, body electronics) fault code. It indicates: PAB Circuit Short To Power .
Symptoms
- Airbag/SRS warning lamp on and refusing to clear
- Passenger airbag disabled, so it would not deploy in a crash
- Other SRS codes for the same circuit branch are often stored alongside it
- Fuses on the circuit that is feeding the airbag line may blow
- The fault usually appears after dash, glovebox, windscreen or accessory work
Likely causes
- Airbag harness chafed against a powered wire behind the glovebox or along the dash carrier
- Aftermarket wiring for a camera, radio, heated seat or alarm routed through or tapped into the SRS loom
- Water from a windscreen leak or a blocked air conditioning drain entering the airbag connector
- Terminal pushed out of the connector during glovebox, dash or airbag removal and touching a live terminal
- Trim screw or fastener driven through the loom during a repair
- Internal fault in the passenger airbag inflator
- Failed deployment driver inside the airbag control unit
How to fix it
- Switch the ignition off, disconnect the battery and wait the specified discharge time before opening any yellow connector
- Read the SRS codes and note whether the fault is current, historic or intermittent
- Disconnect the passenger airbag connector and inspect it for moisture, corrosion, pushed-out terminals and heat damage
- With the battery reconnected, check the harness side of the deployment circuit for voltage; there should be none, and any reading confirms a short to power
- Note whether that voltage is permanent or ignition-switched to identify the feeding circuit
- Remove the glovebox and dash trim, follow the loom and look for chafe against a live wire, a screw through the loom and non-factory splices
- Take any added wiring out of the SRS loom, repair the damaged section and re-route it away from powered circuits
- Fit the approved SRS load tool in place of the airbag to decide between module and harness, and replace the airbag only if the module itself is faulty
- Clear the codes, cycle the ignition and confirm the warning lamp completes its check and stays off