2002 Volvo V70XC Drivers Seat Air Bag gone bad

I have a 2002 Vovlo V70XC. My local dealer says the seat airbag needs to be replaced. Does the seat have an airbag? If so where is it? I’ve never heard of an airbag going bad.

If the seat has an airbag it’s inside the seat, high up on the door side of the backrest.

Is your car’s airbag warning light on?

I had a '98 Volvo V70XC and there was a safety sticker on the door that said all the airbags should be replaced at either 8 or 10 years of age (not sure which). There may not be any problem other than the age of the airbags.

Yes the little message sensor says there is an airbag that needs attention. I went ahead and ordered one at the dealer but I just never knew there was an airbag in the seats. I thought they were only in the steering column and somewhere around the glove box on the passenger side. I guess I learned something about this car. I am considering a new car to replace this one but don’t know what to look at. Thank you for your help.

Yes, there’s one in the seat. (Some cars have airbags in the headliner as well. Mine has a total of six airbags.)
Yes, airbags do sometimes fail. However, with the seat airbags it is more often the connector/wires under the seat that fail (due to movement of the seat). An independent would likely just repair the wires/connector, but a dealer will always just order a new air bag (much more expensive).