After two days testing no airbag light... so it appears the connector block was the culprit. What a pity this thread didn't exist three weeks ago.. could have saved a lot of wasted time ;-)
I am (truly) sorry to have to report that after three further weeks I picked up the car and immediately on switch-on the self-check failed with airbag warning... the dealer who sold me the car is reversing the deal and it looks like I will get my Maserati Gransport back also. It is sad how such an episode has tainted my perception of the marque - but more so the dealer network who appear to have lost contact with basic preparation of used vehicles. I have lost my appetite for Ferrari (for now).
Wondered what your various views are on this scenario. Bought the 599 from a main dealer as a Ferrari Approved used vehicle. Asked for an independent inspection but was advised this was undesirable and unnecessary as the Ferrari checks were the ultimate assurance of vehicle provenance and condition. Turns out I get this mysterious airbag warning which I then discover goes back a couple of years. Car spends a month with another dealer and comes back with same airbag warning. I have also now noticed on close inspection that the paint on the right sill panel is not nero-daytona. Yes - the airbag warning is from the right side. What do you feel would be your response to this (if it were your first Ferrari purchase)? Do the dealerships deserve to be called-out for treating the marque and customer this way?
In case anyone is looking to buy note thisvehicle is back on the market... 1K added to clock...£20K added to price... and still "approved" Used Cars - 2010 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 HGTE 2010 - 10 Nero Daytona
I've only just seen this - otherwise would have posted sooner. Had this exact issue on my 612 - months of intermittent airbag lights and beeps, £'s spent on circuit testing - etc etc It was one of the very poor quality connector blocks that Ferrari fit as original equipment. When we first found it and replaced it (with original Ferrari connector) the fault returned after a few weeks. More money spent on testing and looking for other faults! It was only cured when we went back to the replaced connector and replaced this Ferrari connector with a non-Ferrari part. Now my only problem is I'm in southern Italy touring in the 612 in 35c plus and the aircon blower has packed up (hence me looking on the forum for pointers)!!
In the case of this specific vehicle it turned out it has had the sill panel repainted on the side giving the airbag errors... and not by Ferrari (although it is, as I say, still sold "approved" even after I pointed all this out to them in a three page complaint). I have no idea whether any actual fix was ever found (airbag sensor and ecu were replaced and connector checked/tightened... to no avail after 5 weeks of trying). If anyone is looking to buy this one I just wanted them to be aware of the real history. ... and I replaced it with an Aston Martin which I am very pleased with.
Bummer. My 612 salvage car is giving me some airbag faults which point at the front left and rear right seatbelt switches (pretensioners). Since it saw some water, I am expecting a couple of dirty connections. I need to get in and pull the seats to check. There are only so many possibilities on these issues. The workshop manual will show the schematic, wires, and connectors. When those have been validated, it should resolve. Too bad they were unable to resolve successfully. I hope I have more luck than that! Cheers. - Jason
For those considering a purchase... my old car has turned up again (at a considerably inflated price) Used 2010 FERRARI 599 GTB HGTE F1 for sale in Swindon | Pistonheads
I had the same issue on my 2010 599 and it initially began when I tried to start the car without a fully charged battery. I ended up taking it to the dealer to clear the code and they needed to clean the air bag connector and now the warning light is off. It's been 3 months, so fingers crossed.