the airbag light on my '01 TT has been problematic for years. On a cold start, the airbag light will stay on a couple of minutes, then erratically flicker until it goes completely off. The time from engine start to light completely off is longer the colder the weather (up to 10 mins in winter). The airbag module has never thrown a fault code, even when scanning it while the light is ON. The light's behavior seemed fixed once after the dealer replaced the brake light switch but eventually returned a year later. A subsequent replacement of the switch didn't help.

On a hunch, I rescanned the airbag module and cluster and although neither had any fault codes, I cleared each one anyway. Strangely, the wacky airbag light problem disappeared... it's been 2 days and it hasn't reappeared (although my fingers are still crossed).

What actually happens when you clear codes? Does Vag-com rewrite the memory locations that store codes? Might I have a faulty flash memory location in the airbag module or instrument cluster that resets itself when cleared?

I'm stumped... happy that the light's acting normal again, apprehensive that it will return someday, and generally curious about what's going on here. Any guesses?

~john