Cars With Horizontal Tail Lights

How to Reset the Airbag Light in Your Car

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The Takata airbag recall back in 2013 occurred after Safety Restraint Systems (SRS) warning lights started turning on and flashing on the dash in a number of vehicles. Tests revealed that the airbag systems in particular vehicles could rupture and cause injury — possibly even death. This incident serves as a sober reminder to take airbag light warnings seriously and have pros inspect your SRS system as part of your vehicle's routine maintenance.

Assuming your car wasn't one of the affected vehicles, there are other reasons an airbag light in your car could suddenly turn on. In some cases, your car may have loose or disconnected wiring on the sensors underneath the passenger or driver seats. If that's the case, reconnecting the sensors is often enough to reset the airbag light. The SRS light could also turn on if you make any changes to the wiring on your dashboard or when your battery is running low. With these simple issues, you can turn off your airbag warning light by following the simple steps below.

Check Electrical Components

Did you just make changes to the electronics in your dashboard — like a new radio — or to the sensors under the driver or passenger seats? If so, make sure you securely plug everything back into the designated slots.

Turn the Ignition Key to "On"

With a timer in hand — stopwatch app on a smartphone will do — turn the ignition on. Your airbag light should also turn on. Once it does, time it for seven seconds. If the light no longer turns on, the problem is already resolved.

Turn the Ignition Key to "Off"

After seven seconds, the airbag warning light should turn off. As soon as it goes off, turn the ignition off immediately. You only have a second to turn off the ignition with the flashing warning light turned off, so you have to time this correctly.

Turn the Ignition Key Back to "On"

Have Pros Inspect Your Airbag System

Even after you successfully reset your airbag warning light, it's best to have professionals inspect your SRS system. It's important to make sure your airbags will deploy properly to provide adequate protection to you and your passengers on the road.

Cars With Horizontal Tail Lights