AU
B16C6

DTC B16C6 (Left Front Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control Circuit Low) indicates a low voltage or open circuit in the left front (driver side) seat belt pretensioner deployment control circuit — Atto 8

Safety System

DTC B16C6 (Left Front Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control Circuit Low) indicates a low voltage or open circuit in the left front (driver side) seat belt pretensioner deployment control circuit.

This SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) subsystem fault involves the pyrotechnic pretensioner inside the seat belt retractor and its control circuit.

The airbag control unit (ACU) sets this DTC when it detects pretensioner circuit resistance outside the standard range (normally 2.0±0.1Ω), an open circuit, a short to ground, or abnormal voltage.

This fault forces the airbag system into a degraded mode.

During a collision, the left front seat belt pretensioner may fail to deploy and retract, severely compromising driver protection.

The instrument panel SRS warning lamp remains illuminated to indicate system failure.

The B16C6 fault code on the Atto 8 indicates a low voltage, open circuit, or abnormal resistance in the left front seat belt pretensioner deployment circuit. Severity is medium because the SRS may be degraded and the driver’s pretensioner may not work in a crash. Common causes include a faulty pretensioner or poor connector contact. Visit an authorised dealer for diagnosis and repair. Typical repair cost data is available.
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Cases Logged
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Causes
Likely Causes — Atto 8
  • 1Seat belt pretensioner internal open circuit or abnormal resistance: Aging, moisture, or manufacturing defects in the pretensioner igniter or resistance wire cause the resistance value to deviate from the standard range.
  • 2Poor connector contact: The yellow dedicated connector between the pretensioner and wiring harness exhibits backed-out terminals, bent pins, oxidation, corrosion, or an incompletely engaged locking tab, causing intermittent or permanent poor contact.
  • 3Wiring harness mechanical damage: Frequent fore/aft seat adjustment, modifications, or assembly issues cause broken internal copper wires or damaged insulation in the wiring harness under the seat, in the A-pillar, or in the door sill area.
  • 4Ground circuit fault: Loose bolts, corrosion, or residual paint at an SRS system ground point (usually near the left front door sill, dashboard crossmember, or seat rail) causing excessive ground resistance.
  • 5ACU internal fault: Damage to the airbag control unit internal driver circuit or sampling circuit, or abnormal software calibration, triggers a false pretensioner circuit fault.
What To Do
  • 1
    Safety preparation and diagnostic confirmation: Use VDS or a dedicated diagnostic tool to read the fault code, confirm B16C6 is a Current fault rather than a History fault, and record the freeze frame data. Turn off the ignition, disconnect the battery negative terminal, and wait at least 3 minutes to fully discharge the SRS capacitor.
  • 2
    Visually inspect the connector: Remove the left front B-pillar lower trim panel and check the connection of the yellow dedicated seat belt pretensioner connector. Confirm the locking tab is fully engaged, with no looseness, water ingress, or foreign matter. Inspect the terminals for bending, oxidation, burning, or push-out. Repair using the dedicated tool if necessary.
  • 3
    Pretensioner resistance measurement: Disconnect the pretensioner connector. Use a digital multimeter to measure the pretensioner body resistance. The standard value is 2.0 ± 0.1 Ω. If the resistance is infinite (open circuit) or near 0 Ω (short circuit), replace the left front seat belt assembly (the pretensioner cannot be serviced separately).
  • 4
    Harness continuity and insulation test: Inspect the wiring harnesses under the seat, inside the A-pillar trim panel, and at the door sill. Focus on the areas near the seat slide rail and harness pass-through holes. Measure harness continuity between the pretensioner connector and the ACU. Check for open circuits, shorts to ground, or shorts to power. Repair or replace damaged harness sections.
  • 5
    Ground point inspection: Inspect the ground points at the left front door sill, the left side of the instrument panel, and near the seat rail. Verify the ground bolt tightening torque meets the standard (typically 8-10 N·m) and the grounding surfaces are clean and free of paint or rust. Sand the surfaces and apply conductive grease if necessary.
  • 6
    ACU and system reset: If the pretensioner and wiring harness are normal, check the signal at the ACU output terminal. Perform coding configuration before replacing the ACU. After completing all repairs, reconnect the battery, clear the fault codes, and perform an SRS system self-check cycle (turn the ignition switch to the ON position and wait for more than 6 seconds). Confirm the fault light turns off and does not reappear.
Real-World Cases
BYD DTC AI Analysis

BYD Tang DM left front seat belt pretensioner wiring broken

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Symptom: SRS warning light came on suddenly while driving. No collision history. Diagnosis: VDS scan retrieved active fault code B16C6 (Left Front Seat Belt Pretensioner Circuit Low). Removed the left front seat and found the internal copper wire of the under-seat harness had broken from fatigue due to frequent forward/backward seat adjustment. Also noted slight oxidation on the pretensioner connector. Measured normal pretensioner resistance, but harness continuity test showed an open circuit. Repair: Replaced the left front seat belt assembly (including pretensioner) as a preventive measure. Repaired the broken harness wire under the seat and added protective sleeving. Rerouted and secured the harness routing to avoid interference with the seat rails. Cleared the fault code and the system returned to normal.
Original source ↗
BYD DTC AI Analysis

BYD Song Pro: Seat modification caused poor pretensioner connector contact.

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Symptoms: After starting the vehicle, the dashboard showed 'Check Airbag System' and the warning light stayed on. The owner reported having the seats reupholstered in leather a week before. Diagnosis: Retrieved DTC B16C6 (Driver Side Seatbelt Pretensioner Circuit Fault). Removed the driver's seat and found the yellow pretensioner connector had been disconnected during the modification and not fully reseated, preventing the locking tab from engaging. The pins were slightly bent. Resistance across the pretensioner measured open circuit. Repair: Straightened the bent pins using specialized tools, cleaned the connector contacts, and firmly reconnected the plug to ensure the locking tab engaged properly. Cleared the fault codes with a diagnostic tool and ran an airbag system self-test. Fault resolved.
Original source ↗
BYD DTC AI Analysis

BYD Qin Plus: Poor ground connection causing intermittent fault

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Symptoms: After about 20,000 km, the airbag warning light illuminated intermittently, sometimes going out on its own after driving for a while, with no regular pattern. Diagnosis: With the warning light on, retrieved current fault code B16C6 (Left Front Seatbelt Pretensioner Circuit Voltage Low). Inspection found the pretensioner connector locking tab not fully seated; wiggling the wire harness reproduced the fault. Further inspection revealed a loose ground bolt at the left front sill, causing unstable resistance in the SRS circuit. Resolution: Tightened the ground bolt to the specified torque, sanded the mating surface to remove oxidation, and applied conductive paste to prevent further oxidation. Replaced the pretensioner connector lock (the retaining clip had fatigued). Re-routed and secured the wiring harness properly. Cleared the fault code and monitored the vehicle for one week; the fault did not recur.
Original source ↗
BYD DTC AI Analysis

BYD Han EV: New vehicle assembly defect caused pinched wiring harness

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Symptoms: One week after taking delivery, the SRS warning light stayed on. No accident history; the vehicle drove normally. Diagnosis: The dealership scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC B16C6 (Driver seatbelt pretensioner deployment control circuit low). They checked the pretensioner connector and found a normal connection. They measured the pretensioner resistance at 2.0Ω, within specification. They inspected the wiring harness between the SRS control unit (ACU) and the pretensioner and found an assembly fixture inside the A-pillar trim had crushed it. Stripping back the harness insulation revealed internal copper wires partially fractured but not completely severed, causing intermittent poor contact. Repair: They replaced the damaged harness section between the A-pillar and the pretensioner, rerouted the wiring to avoid the crush point, and fitted protective corrugated tubing. This completely resolved the fault. Root cause: Factory assembly quality control issue.
Original source ↗
Other Atto 8 Fault Codes
B110811This DTC indicates a short circuit in the air conditioning system PM2.5 air quality sensor (rapid detector). Specifically, abnormal continuity exists between the sensor power supply circuit or signal output circuit and body ground or battery positive. This causes the control module (ACU/air conditioning controller) to detect abnormal current or a voltage signal outside the valid range (typically 0V or supply voltage). The PM2.5 sensor monitors internal and external particulate concentrations, providing the data the automatic air conditioning system uses to switch between fresh air and recirculation modes. A short circuit disables the air quality monitoring function. This fault may force the air conditioning system into recirculation protection mode and trigger related thermal management system faults, as the air conditioning system acts as a key actuator in vehicle thermal management. In severe cases, the short circuit current can damage the internal sampling circuit of the air conditioning controller or overheat the wiring harness.B1109DTC B1109 indicates an open circuit in the communication line between the air conditioning system PM2.5 air quality sensor (dust concentration sensor) and the air conditioning control unit (AC ECU), or an open circuit within the sensor internal circuitry. Typically located in the air conditioning intake duct, this sensor monitors real-time PM2.5 particle concentration inside and outside the vehicle. It provides data to the automatic air conditioning system for intelligent switching between fresh air and recirculation modes and for controlling the air purification device. During an open circuit fault, the AC ECU cannot receive the air quality signal, triggering the system fail-safe mode. Symptoms typically include failure of the automatic recirculation function, abnormal air purification indicator light operation, or abnormal air quality data displayed on the air conditioning panel. Severe cases may compromise the cabin environment control strategy, but do not directly affect vehicle driving safety.B110A02DTC B110A02 indicates the thermal management master control unit (HVAC ECU) or body control module (BCM) failed to receive valid CAN data frames from the PM2.5 air quality sensor over consecutive communication cycles (typically 500ms per cycle). The sensor typically mounts at the HVAC unit air inlet or behind the glove box and transmits real-time particulate concentration data (unit: μg/m³) to the HVAC controller via the CAN bus. The fault is essentially a communication link layer timeout. Potential causes include physical layer wiring faults, sensor power supply failures, sensor internal MCU lockup, or CAN network topology damage. Although this non-critical fault does not directly affect driving safety, it disables the intelligent air purification strategy and the automatic fresh air/recirculation switching function. In extreme cases, it triggers a thermal management system degraded mode, limiting compressor power or fixing the air flap position.B110B07This fault code indicates abnormal operation of the internal air pump (sampling pump) in the PM2.5 air quality detection module. The PM2.5 detector uses the laser scattering principle to measure particulate concentration and requires a built-in air pump to draw ambient air into the detection chamber at a constant flow rate. The ECU sets this code when it detects an open or short in the air pump drive circuit, abnormal current (stall or free-running), or abnormal speed feedback. This fault causes the automatic air conditioning system to lose air quality sensing capability, preventing automatic switching between fresh air and recirculation modes. The instrument cluster air quality display may show '--' or a fixed value, but the fault does not affect the vehicle powertrain or basic air conditioning cooling and heating functions.B173CDTC B173C indicates the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) detects the Right Second Row Side Airbag squib circuit resistance exceeds the calibrated threshold (typically >4.5Ω). This fault is an active diagnostic result of the SRS system, indicating a high-resistance condition in the circuit between the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) and the airbag module. Causes for excessive resistance include increased contact resistance, a partially broken wiring harness, terminal oxidation, or an aging squib wire inside the airbag module. This fault causes the system to mark the airbag circuit as 'unreliable', meaning the airbag may fail to deploy during a collision. The fault typically illuminates the instrument cluster airbag warning light (SRS light) continuously, and some models also sound a warning buzzer.
Common problems reported for Atto 8 →Atto 8 overview →
Data confidence: Official This information is for reference only. Always consult a qualified technician for diagnosis and repair. Do not attempt high-voltage system repairs yourself.