Error code · Body and airbags

B1473 — SRS: driver-side curtain airbag — resistance too high

Don’t put off the repair

For makes: Hyundai, Kia

A fault code doesn’t yet mean the unit or sensor itself is faulty: often it’s the plug and connector leading to it.

Possible causes

What you can do yourself

  1. You can drive, but don’t put off the repair: the airbags may not deploy in a crash.
  2. Don’t test squibs or airbags with a multimeter and don’t take them apart: the airbag can deploy and injure you. Touch the connectors only with the battery terminal disconnected and after waiting several minutes. Don’t fit airbag “emulators”: there will be no protection in a crash.
  3. If the pillar or headliner trim was removed, check that the curtain airbag connector is plugged in (only with the terminal disconnected).
  4. After the repair the code won’t go away by itself: it is cleared with a scan tool.
OOleg’s tip: check the connector

Often the cause is simple — there is no contact in the connector (plug). Look at the connector from the back: remove the rubber seal and you will see whether a wire is corroded or has come off completely. Corrosion shows up as green deposits. Ideally, gently pull each wire towards you one at a time: a sound wire stays in place, while a corroded one simply comes off — it needs to be repaired.

Unplug and inspect connectors with the ignition off.

This is the Hyundai and Kia meaning. On other makes this number means something else: if your car isn’t a Hyundai or Kia, change the make at the top.

Source: Kia DTC charts Forte TD, Sedona VQ, Optima JF (NHTSA EA19-001); Hyundai TSB 24-BE-014H

The explanation comes from the error code reference in the AvtoElektrik PRO app.

Need a mechanic’s help?

Couldn’t fix it yourself? Oleg, an auto electrician, does computer diagnostics and repairs: he comes out anywhere in Almaty or sees you at his workshop.

Want to figure it out yourself?

Oleg’s course “Car computer diagnostics with a scan tool”: how to hook up a scanner, read codes and live data, and use them to find the cause. The first lessons are free.

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Nearby codes

All codes in Body and airbags →

Who keeps this reference

The reference is kept by Oleg Dmitriev, an auto electrician from Almaty with 26 years of experience: computer diagnostics of cars and trucks, repair of control units (ECUs). Can’t find the cause? Message him.