For most systems and warning lights in a car, disconnecting the battery from the car and reconnecting it will cause the lights to go off if it’s a result of a malfunction from the system.
However, these systems bring up these lights because there’s an abnormality that has been detected, and if this abnormality is not rectified, the lights will come back on. What about the airbag warning lights? Is it among them? Will disconnecting the battery reset the airbag light?
Disconnecting the battery will not reset the airbag warning light if the problem that caused the warning light to come on is yet to be fixed.
What is an Airbag Light?
The Airbag light is a warning light that comes on when there’s a malfunction in the system. Airbags are restraint systems that are built into cars to reduce the impact and injuries that might affect the driver or the person in the passenger’s seat in the event of a collision.
The airbag is designed to get inflated quickly so that it provides a not-so-hard surface for the driver’s head to land on so that no other part of the vehicle is damaged.
The airbag light comes on when the supplemental restraint system that houses the crash sensors and the airbag is not functioning properly.
The airbag light could just be on by mistake and maybe all it needs to start working normally again is a simple reset but you shouldn’t still ignore it because it may be something serious, you never know until you check.
Will Disconnecting Battery Reset Airbag Light?
Disconnecting the battery will not reset the airbag light if what caused the airbag light to come on has not been fixed.
In this case, disconnecting the battery to reset the light means that you are ignoring the reason why the airbag light came on in the first place.
If disconnecting the battery makes the airbag light go off, it will go back on after a while if the fault hasn’t been rectified. However, if it’s just a system malfunction that brought the light on, disconnecting the battery will reset it.
In some older car models, having the car battery disconnected will clear the airbag light error code but it is not advisable to clear the error code without fixing the problem.
What Causes Airbag Light to Come On?
Different things can be wrong when the airbag light comes on in a car. They are:
1. Malfunction in the Supplemental Restraint System
The supplemental restraint system also known as the SRS airbag system is designed to enhance the safety of a passenger along with the seat belt system.
The supplemental restraint system assists the seatbelt system and provides support for the passenger by deploying the airbags when the car crashes or when certain types of collisions occur.
So when the SRS isn’t functioning well, it won’t be able to deploy the airbags to ensure that the passengers and driver are kept safe as much as possible.
2. Malfunction in the Seatbelt Pretensioners
The supplemental restraint system includes seat belt pre-tensioners. When the vehicle is in a collision and the passengers are tilted forward, the seatbelt pre-tensioners would engage and hold the passengers tightly to the seat.
This prevents them from sustaining any injury to the head as a result of hitting their head against the dashboard, steering wheel, or airbag.
If there’s a problem with the seatbelt pre-tensioners it would trigger the airbag light to come on.
3. The Airbag Backup Battery may be Dead
The airbag has a backup battery that powers the airbags and this battery may have been completely used up if the battery of your car was drained completely in recent times.
Once the battery charges fully again, the SRS airbag light goes off.
4. Faulty Crash Sensors
If your car was involved in a crash recently and the airbags were not deployed, this could cause the SRS system to develop a problem because a crash sensor was set off and the airbags were not deployed.
The crash sensor detects a very fast decrease in the speed of the vehicle along with the seatbelt movement, so it sends a message to the SRS computer so it knows which airbag to deploy.
When the crash sensor is faulty, it can trigger the SRS airbag light to come on.
5. Wet Airbag Module
The airbag module is exposed to moisture or any amount of water body, this could result in the airbag module getting corroded.
When the airbag module gets shorted out or corroded, it immediately generates a trouble code and sends it to the supplemental restraint system which turns the airbag light in the vehicle on.
It is usually located under the driver’s seat or the front passenger’s seat.
6. Faulty Wiring
If all the above listed isn’t the cause of the airbag light coming on, it could be a result of a fault in the wiring of the main computer system.
7. Faulty Airbag Clock Spring
The airbag clock spring functions to maintain stability between the airbag and the driver’s seat. When the circuit bands of the airbag clock spring get worn out, the driver’s seat sends a message to the airbag control module which turns on the airbag light.
The airbag clock spring gets worn out if it has been in use for a long period
How Do I Reset Airbag Light?
Resetting the airbag light can be done in a few easy steps but you’ll need an OBD2 scanner and a toolbox that contains screwdrivers and other types of equipment.
It is advisable to just take your car to a repair shop and get it checked by a professional because the process of clearing a code might be a bit technical.
- STEP 1: This is for cars that have a passenger switch for airbags on the dashboard in front of the passenger. If your car has this switch, check if the switch was turned off because this can cause the airbag light to come on.
- STEP 2: This is where the OBD2 scanner comes into play. The error codes that have been sent by the computer’s system can only be read by a scanner and being able to read the code helps you to have an idea about where the problem is coming from. You should not clear the error codes if you have not rectified the fault that made the lights come on.
- STEP 3: When the error codes have been read and you have identified the problem, if you know that you cannot fix the problem, you should get a professional to help you fix it. After you have fixed the problem, the airbag light should go off by itself, and sometimes it might not.
- STEP 4: After you have fixed the problem and the light doesn’t go away, you need your OBD2 scanner to clear the codes by resetting the airbag lights. This should make the airbag lights go off.
When Should I Reset an Airbag Light?
You should reset the airbag light only after you have rectified the fault that caused the warning light to come on.
Resetting the airbag light can be dangerous because you don’t know what exactly is wrong and if your car gets involved in a car crash, you’ll wish you had fixed the problem if the airbag system is not deployed.
However, if you feel that nothing caused the warning light to come on, you can go ahead to reset it.
Conclusion
Whenever any warning light comes on in your car, don’t be quick to make it go away. You should try to do a quick check and be sure that nothing is wrong before trying to reset the system.
