It means the airbag and/or seatbelt pre-tensioner system has detected a fault and has disabled itself.
The most common cause is wiring under the front seats being disturbed by moving seats back and forward, or vacuum cleaner nozzles being pushed under.
Even if you fix the fault the light may stay on, on some cars it has to be turned off with the appropriate
diagnostic software.
The car is safe to drive and would not fail an MOT for the light being on. It does mean the airbag will not inflate in the event of a crash.
In short, check the wiring connectors under the seat, and the relevant fuse(s) to see if the light goes out.
If it doesn't, and you are concerned, lots of places have the test and reset equipment. Phone a few for the best price.
There are a number of other possible faults, but they are not suitable for diy testing.
dan99, April 2009
