Airbag Light Won’t Turn Off after the Vehicle Started. Why?

Does your airbag light not shut off? Usually, these icons in your dash light illuminate when you turn the engine on. But like other system icons in the dash, your airbag lights should turn off in under ten seconds. However, it did not. We understand.

Warning light gremlins highlights

• Level of urgency:low
• DIY inspection:possible but complicated
• DIY repair:impossible
• Can you drive?yes
• Price for repairs:$150 - $400
• Symptoms:abnormal behavior of warning lights on the dash
• Ways to solve:check the battery voltage,onlyprofessional inspection will help

However, you cannot simply drive with the airbag lights still on. Some airbag lights reset on their own. But more often, it will not until dealt with at once. To give you peace of mind, we compiled the possible reasons why your airbag light won't turn off.

What Do the Airbag Lights Mean?

The only thing that is clear when your airbag light does not shut off is the safety equipment will not deploy. It is equivalent to driving without airbags as it would become practically useless when the airbag light is on. Moreover, this light stays on because some internal components in the system fail.

Since the light is still on, there is a 99% probability that the airbag will not deploy in the event of collision or impact. If that doesn't alarm you, you should know you are risking your safety.

You can deal with this by scanning the system for codes. It will help you point out what went wrong with the system.

Why Do the Airbag Lights Not Turn Off?

Let us look at why airbag lights do not turn off one by one.

1) Faulty or Damaged Clock Spring

The clock spring is a coil connector in the steering wheel that helps it turn while keeping a connection to the steering-mounted switches, airbag, and horn. A damaged clock spring is one of the most common causes of why the airbag light stays on.

Because of the frequent turning of the steering wheel, it wears out or disconnects from the airbag, refusing electrical supply. The spring-loaded coil has one end connected to the steering wheel and the other to the car's electrical circuit. If the clock spring has been damaged or broken, it will not maintain a connection to the airbag. The car's computer will detect this irregularity and keep the light on until it has been fixed.

Another reason it will not maintain a connection to the airbag is corrosion. If the clock spring has accumulated too much rust, it will not be able to deliver an electric supply to the airbag.

In these cases, your best fix is to replace the damaged clock spring with a new one. But because of the sensitivity of this component, we advise seeking a technician's help than going to the DIY route. 

2) Defective Passenger Seat Sensor

The passenger seat sensors or Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensors measure the weight of the passenger seated. At the same time, these sensors detect the occupant's seating position and if the passenger has worn the seatbelt. It can also detect if the seat's occupant is a child, a passenger, or just an object.

The central computer of the vehicle reads all this information. If something is wrong with this information, it will tell the airbag light to keep on illuminating.

You can confirm the problem in the airbag sensors by the trouble codes shown after using an OBD scanner.

To fix this, you need to replace the passenger seat sensor. Remove the old sensor and install a new one. Also, during installation, ensure that there are no loose wirings because it can also affect the sensor performance. Finally, reset the airbag system to activate the new passenger sensor installed.

3) Malfunctioning Seatbelts

Most cars inactivate the airbag system if the seatbelt is malfunctioning. As the vehicle's primary restraint system, seatbelts should be working accordingly. When the computer finds a problem with the buckling system, pretensioner, wiring harness, or sensors, the airbag light will stay on.

The prerequisite for the airbag icon to shut off is for the occupant to fasten the seatbelt before driving. Imagine the accident that could happen if the system bypassed the seatbelt sensors. This alert is just one way for the computer to ensure that the primary system is also working.

How can you confirm that the problem is in the seatbelt components?

First, check if the seatbelt buckles up properly. Next, test the pre-tensioner. It should pull tight when being depressed slowly and releasing it quickly. After this, make a visual inspection of the wiring harness connection. Make sure it is intact and free from elements. Finally, check if the seatbelt sensor detects a human seated and if the seatbelt is fastened.

When any of these components have issues, replace the parts affected.

4) Defective Airbag Sensors

Airbag sensors are extra sensitive components. They react to outside elements like temperatures, moisture, or vibration.  The sensors could corrode, break, or cause a short circuit when constantly exposed to these elements.

So when the sensors become damaged, it affects their ability to sense collision or impact. And as the main component of the airbag system, this would ring alarms for the ECU. Once the computer detects it malfunctioning or defective, it will prompt the airbag lights to stay on until the sensors have been replaced.

While an airbag needs two closed functioning sensors to deploy, it is a positive thing that they do not if only one is malfunctioning. But since only one is in good condition, the system will not work. This situation is when the airbag light keeps reminding us to check what's wrong.

You need an OBD scanner for most diagnostics to know why the AB light is on.

5) Faulty Airbag Assembly 

Airbags can seldom be defective when already installed. They go through a series of quality testing before being released as passed. But when they do, it could cause irreparable damage, and lives could be at risk.

Airbags can be defective from the airbag module to the sensors and the control unit. If any of these crucial components become undetected by the computer during starting of the engine, it will tell the airbag light to remain on until fixed.

Replacing an airbag assembly requires expertise and professional work. Never attempt to do your replacements. You can go to your service shop for scanning to see the trouble codes and pinpoint the affected component.

6) Wet Airbag Module

A wet airbag module will affect the performance of the airbag. Once exposed to moisture, replace it immediately because your airbag may not deploy. The module will develop rust and cause the module to short circuit. The computer will detect the inactivated module upon starting the engine. This event will cause the airbag light to turn on.

It is easier to conclude that an airbag module is wet and gone defective after being exposed to flood or rain. If you have no idea that the airbag has been exposed to moisture, you can try testing electric continuity with a multimeter.

Aside from testing the electric continuity, check for physical damages.

Because replacing an airbag is so costly, you might think that you should repair or replace the airbag module. But doing so will require professional work. Some service shops specialize in repairing airbags. Our best recommendation is to replace the airbags because investing in your safety is always worth it.

7) Depleted Airbag Back Up Battery

The airbag backup battery maintains the electrical supply to the airbag even if the engine is off.

However, this battery could deplete over time because of many reasons: battery age, poor connection, overcharging, extreme temperatures, and electrical shortages.

If the backup battery has depleted, the airbag will not deploy in the event of collisions, impacts, and accidents. A drained battery will not send signals to the computer. Once the computer has identified that the airbag has been inactive, it will keep the airbag light on every time you try to start the engine until fixed.

The best way to find the cause of airbag lights illuminating after starting the engine is to use an OBD scanner.

How to Diagnose Airbag Lights Not Turning Off?

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts or DIY methods you can do to diagnose an airbag light that stays on. Although you have an OBD scanner, it still requires professional work: to analyze the problem and find the root cause.

If the issue is not on the airbag components, it is probably a computer problem. Still, any of these problems need fixing by experts.

How to Reset your Airbag Lights?

Sometimes, airbag lights fix themselves easily after getting repaired. But most of the time, you will have to reset it. Just expect doing this may be difficult because airbags remain active after turning the engine off.

Check if you have an airbag switch and turn it off and on. After you have repaired the problems, you only need to clear the trouble codes.

Restart your vehicle, then test drive. If it still does not turn off, go to your trusted mechanic.

To Wrap it Up

Never drive with the airbag light on. It is a safety feature that will help you fix the faulty safety features of the primary and supplemental restraint systems. We know that you want to fix everything sooner, but make sure that a trusted expert will handle this problem. We know that you may want to save more and may consider repairing the airbag. Remember that safety is important. All the money you would spend on safety is worth it.