There are a variety of different warning lights on the dashboard of a vehicle. Most people will only see them illuminate when there is a particular problem with their vehicle that is indicated by that light.
Whether you know it or not, you have probably already seen the airbag light illuminate without even realizing it. For example, when you get into your vehicle and start up your engine, you may see a warning light that is reminding you to put your seat belt on.
In some model cars, the seat belt light is the same as the airbag light. This means people are familiar with seeing this light as a warning about their seat belt. They are not used to seeing it as a warning about airbags. As a result, they may want to just ignore this light if it comes on without realizing that it is referring to a problem with the airbags and not the seat belt.
If you have your seat belt on and the airbag light is still lit up, then you shouldn’t ignore this light because it likely means you have at least one non-functional airbag in your vehicle.
It’s critical that you fix whatever problem there is with your airbag system because airbags are what may save your life if you get into a car accident. You don’t want to find out the hard way whether your airbags work or not.
What Can Cause the Airbag Light to Come On?
Below are five common causes of an airbag light coming on:
1) Airbag Deactivated
The most common cause for the airbag light coming on is that the airbag system is deactivated or turned off. There may be a few reasons for this which you had no control over.
There may be an issue with a crash sensor, SRS module, or other airbag component. Alternatively, the sensor in the passenger seat that determines whether that airbag should be active or not may be faulty.
2) Seat Belt Issue
Like previously mentioned, not putting on your seat belt could cause the airbag light to come on. But there could be other seat belt issues that may cause this light to come on as well.
Perhaps your seat belt does not snap securely into the buckle and stay in place. Maybe there is a problem with the sensors in the buckle and they don’t accurately tell the computer that you have fastened your seat belt.
Alternatively, there could be a problem with a seat belt pre-tensioner that may need to be repaired or replaced.
3) Small Accident
It is possible to get into a small car accident (aka fender bender) that doesn’t deploy your airbags, but it still causes the crash sensors to activate. This means your airbag light will stay on until you go to an auto repair shop or airbag specialist and have it repaired and necessary parts replaced.
A small accident may be a situation where you hit something with the front of your vehicle while you’re driving at under 8 mph. The crash sensors tend to be sensitive to any type of accident no matter how big or small.
4) Water Damage
If the internal components of your vehicle have water damage for whatever reason, then corrosion may form on the crash sensors of your airbag system.
This corrosion will distort their ability to function properly and it could result in the airbag light coming on.
5) Airbag System Not Reset
Once you’re in an accident which causes the airbags to deploy, simply replacing the airbag is not enough. Crash sensors, clock spring, seat belt pretensioners, and other SRS components must also be replaced. In addition, the airbag monitoring unit (the brains of the airbag system) will need to be reset or reprogrammed.
You will need to have a qualified mechanic or dealership reset/reprogram the SRS module so the airbag system can be used again. Alternatively, some companies allow you to ship them the airbag monitoring unit, they reset it for a fee, and then ship it back to you ready to install.
See Also: Average Airbag Replacement Costs
Minimum Speed for Airbag Deployment
Airbags are designed for deployment when the front (or near front) of your vehicle collides with another vehicle or solid barrier. However, in order for the airbags to deploy, the minimum speed that you need to be driving during your collision is between 8 mph and 14 mph.
Most people are driving way above these speeds when they crash, usually between 35 mph and 60 mph. The faster you’re going during a collision, the more that you’ll need an airbag to save your life.
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Hi, I had not driven my 2009 Chevy Impala LTZ for 3 days (58,432 miles) when the service airbag light & message came on. The car was still parked. I noticed the warning sometime after I had lifted the rear seats to check out the storage compartment I just read about that are beneath them. I also folded down the rear seat backs for the first time. After using a small low powered handheld personal car vac, that was plugged into the 12V outlet located inside the center armrest compartment, to clean the area, I did place a few items in the storage area. I’ve only owned the car for less than 3 months and am still learning my way around it. I later removed the items thinking that maybe the seats were not flush, but the airbag light has remained on. I also checked the seat backs multiple times to make sure they are securely back in place. The car has not been in any accidents. I had it fully inspected before purchasing it from an elderly relative. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I have a 2013 tundra that has never been in an accident when the the air bag light came on. Took it to a Toyota dealer who found that some little critter chomped un the ECM wiring. After replacing the wiring they tell me the ECM is not passing a signal and say the the module needs to be replaced at cost of about $1K including labor. What related event could require this?
It could be more bad wiring somewhere. If there was a little critter in the truck, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was still a bad connection somewhere.
My new wagon r I have purchase before 1year. Suddenly ignition switch on of my vehicle airbeg light open. Why?
So my airbag light has been on for about a month and it turns off and on every now and then. So far it’s been on for a whole week but turns off when I drive more than 60mph. What does that mean? Any guess what it could be and what needs to be replaced?
Thanks!
There should be a stored code that will tell you which component is faulty. I recommend you scan this code and then take it from there.
I didn’t notice but my shirt got caught caught in the seat belt where it clicks into place. Released the belt and now the airbag light is on. What the heck. Is it possible I damaged something or hopefully just a reset. Ever hear of this happening?
Nope, I’ve never heard of that happening. You can get that airbag light scanned though. There should be a code stored just like a standard check engine light. That should give you a better idea about what’s going on.
I have a 2008 Toyota yaris. The airbag light comes on everytime I push the gas pedal then off when I quit pushing the gas and take the car out of gear
How strange. What happens when you push the gas pedal in neutral? Does the airbag light come on?
I wonder if the acceleration could be tipping the vehicle a bit and messing with a bad airbag connection under the seat, for instance.
My mechanic is telling me the airbag light is on because the passenger seat belt retractor assembly is failing. From researching, it seems like this could be the cause. Will the driver’s airbag still work even if the airbag light is on or does this cause the whole airbag system to be disabled?
I’m not qualified to answer that. You may be able to find this information in your vehicle’s factory service manual, but I wouldn’t take a chance. It’s best to get the SRS system fixed as soon as possible.
I have a 2016 Chrysler 200 and the airbag light was on for two days and now it is off. I recently took it back to the dealership to have them service the airbag because the light stayed on. Now two weeks later it came on and then went off. What could be the cause of this?
It could be an issue with one of the electrical connectors for the airbag, such as under the seat. Scan the airbag code and that’ll give you a clue what the root cause is.
Had airbag replaced due to recall, and within a few months the airbag light was on (it never was prior to the replacement). Months later, In order to pass state inspection the light could not be on, but the fix was $2,600 to replace sensors under the driver seat. What a rip off – there will always be someone in the driver seat if the car is moving, so those airbags should always go off. Why do there even need to be sensors!
My car was recalled by Nissan last year because of a faulty airbag. No issues prior to than and none since but now the airbag light is on again. Can I presume this is another airbag issue as I have not done anything to affect this.
Get the code scanned, it may be related.
2001 Honda Accord airbag light stayed on. Took it to a mechanic they looked at it and said that it was the sensors. Noting that one could not be replaced without the other meaning the passenger and driver side. The cost was about $800. The mechanic felt like this was just a coincidence and reset it and said if it comes on again then they may have to replace it. It has been about three weeks and the light has not come back on. Do you think we’re OK now? And do you think it might be just a fluke as well?
Hard to say. If the light doesn’t come back you’re probably good, but it depends on what the original fault was for and what the root cause was.
Believe it or not, I recently learned that the airbag light problem could also be related to a wheel bearing problem. Try googling it.
Should there be concern if the airbag warning light turns on and then turns off while driving. the warning states airbags need servicing. the car is a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander GT. This happened after the suv was not started for 2 weeks, it has only 24k miles on it and never had an accident.
The airbag code is probably stored in the computer’s memory. I would go to an auto parts store and see if they can read the code. They should be able to do this for free, and will give you a better idea of where the fault is occurring.
One thing you could do is to try to replicate the issue and trigger the code again. With the car running, try turning the steering wheel lock to lock. Does the light turn on at any point when you turn the steering wheel? If so, you may have a problem with your clock spring. These are relatively cheap and easy to replace.
Sometimes there are airbag connectors under the seat that can become dirty or corroded over time. You may be able to solve this by simply unplugging the connector and cleaning it. Before attempting this, follow your manufacturer’s recommendations for servicing the airbag system. These instructions can be found in the factory manual. At the very least, unplug the battery and wait 10 mins so there is no risk of the airbag going off. If you are not comfortable doing this, take your car to a mechanic for the repair.
HI
The key is stack in the ignition of a Chevrolet Trailblazer. The battery is fully charged, what will be the cause
Check to make sure the vehicle is in park. Many automatics won’t release the key from the ignition while the vehicle is in gear.
May granddaughter put a heavy suitcase in the passenger side of the Jeep. After I dropped her off at the train station and started the Jeep that’s when the airbag light come on. Could that be the cause?
A suitcase shouldn’t have affected anything unless it somehow caused an issue with the weight sensor or seat belt harness (ie: the suitcase was dropped HARD on the seat). They sensor may have been damaged or a wire loosened somewhere. To confirm the issue, use an OBD2 scanner that has SRS capabilities to see where the problem lies.