What does it mean?
B1938 is a Body (airbags, seat belts, body electronics) fault code. It indicates: Passenger-Side Air Bag Module (Inflator No.1) Circuit Short To Body Ground .
Symptoms
- Airbag warning lamp stays on and the passenger airbag is deactivated
- Passenger airbag status indicator behaving abnormally or not following the seat occupancy state
- Fault reappears as soon as the memory is cleared
- Vehicle fails a safety inspection because the restraint lamp will not go out
- Additional stored restraint codes when the same harness section is damaged
Likely causes
- SRS harness pinched behind the glove box or under the passenger side trim after service work
- Squib connector not fully latched, or its shorting bar left engaged and damaged
- Water intrusion from a leaking windscreen seal, cowl drain or A pillar soaking the passenger airbag connector
- Wiring crushed by a badly refitted kick panel, sill trim or an aftermarket accessory screw
- Internal short inside the passenger airbag module
- Corroded or bent pins in the restraint control module connector
- Residual damage from a previous deployment or front end repair
How to fix it
- Read all restraint codes and note which are current, a single hard short usually sets only this one
- Switch off the ignition, disconnect the battery and observe the manufacturer waiting period before unplugging any squib connector
- Do not measure an inflator with a multimeter, fit an approved squib load substitute in place of the passenger airbag
- Inspect the connector behind the glove box for water, corrosion, bent pins and a damaged shorting clip
- With both ends disconnected, measure each squib wire to body ground, a low resistance path confirms the short and wiggling the loom localises it
- Trace the harness along the kick panel and sill for crush points, screws driven through the loom or old repair splices
- Repair or replace the damaged harness section, or fit a new airbag module if the short is internal, then clear the code and confirm the lamp finishes its bulb check and stays off