How to Fix an Airbag Warning Light on a Toyota
Is your airbag warning light on?
This is a light on the control panel near the speedometer that looks like a person who is reclined holding an exercise ball in their lap (for some reason). It is called the SRS (supplemental restraint system) warning light.
If you find that this light is on, try these steps to fix common problems with the airbag (SRS) warning light.
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SRS Warning Indicator Light Definition
The SRS warning indicator could mean that you have a serious problem with the airbag system in your vehicle. If in doubt, check with the dealership or a qualified mechanic to diagnose and fix the problem.
If you do any work at all on the SRS, disconnect your negative battery terminal and wait 90 seconds before working on the system.
Typical diagnosis costs for this warning are around $150 at a dealership. If they determine that the airbag system on either the driver’s or passenger’s side needs to be replaced, it will cost about $2000 each.
If you are replacing your steering wheel with one that does not contain an airbag, or removing an airbag altogether, you might want to look into getting an SRS warning light bypass resistor. To install one of these, disconnect your car battery, then plug this device into the airbag lead sockets. Your SRS warning light will no longer illuminate, and your message center will no longer display an error.
Have a Check Engine Light on? Clear it yourself the easy way, find out how...
Airbag Warning Light on Dashboard – Scenario
I had the airbag warning light (SRS) illuminate on the dash today in my 2006 Toyota Sienna. I had just dropped my son off at a friend’s house and as I pulled away, I noticed that it was on. I don’t recall doing anything specifically that could have led to it turning on (no rough driving or hauling lumber or etc…).
In fact, we had cleaned and vacuumed the entire vehicle earlier in the week… (clue #1…)
What is the Airbag (SRS) Warning Light?
The airbag warning light relates to a problem with the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) in the vehicle. Specifically, the SRS warning light indicates a malfunction in one of the following areas:
- The airbag system
- Front passenger occupant classification system
- The seat belt pretensioner system
The Airbag System
Common problems with the airbag system can occur when you are performing work on the vehicle. For example, removing the steering wheel (which houses the airbag) and then powering on the vehicle will cause this fault since the airbag is no longer attached.
Other work that could cause the SRS light would include changing the stereo or adding electronics such as an external microphone for phone calls.
Anything that could disrupt the SRS circuit could potentially be a culprit.
Front Passenger Occupant Classification System
This system tries to determine whether there is someone sitting in the passenger’s seat or not. The idea being that the airbag should only deploy if there is someone there. It uses sensors in the seat to tell if there is sufficient weight to be classified as a person or not.
Sometimes the system may get confused if you have something sitting in the passenger’s seat that is somewhat heavy, but not as heavy as a person, such as a backpack or large purse. Try removing anything from the seat.
Seat Belt Pretensioner System
This system attempts to determine if the seatbelt is fastened around a person. Problems with the seat belt latch or buckle can cause the SRS light to illuminate.
How to Reset the Airbag Light (SRS) on a Toyota
We’ve covered the common problems that can set off the airbag light, now what do you do about it? The following tips are listed in order of most common to less common, so start at the top of the list and work your way down.
1. Loose Connection Under the Seat
This is by far the most common reason that the airbag (SRS) light comes on. There are sensors under both the driver’s side and passenger’s side seats that can become loose or disconnected. This often happens when vacuuming or cleaning a vehicle, when adjusting the seats to the extremes for hauling loads, or from wiggly kids inadvertently stepping on them and causing them to become loose.
The main culprit is a yellow wire under the seat.
To fix this, with the vehicle off and key out of the ignition, ‘wiggle’ the wires and connectors. Disconnect and reconnect the connectors. You may need to use a small screwdriver to pry up the tab in order to get them apart.
So just unplugging and re-plugging the connectors under the front seats can cause the service light to go off. This is the simplest fix for this problem. Even if nothing looks loose, it is a good idea to re-seat the connectors and jiggle the wires in case there is a bad connection somewhere.
This is what fixed the problem for me.
2. Resetting the SRS Light
Another method that some people have used is to reset the SRS light by turning the electrical on and off in a sequence.
To do this, turn the key in the ignition, but do not start the car. Just turn it far enough to turn on the electrical. As soon as the SRS indicator light turns off, then turn the key to the off position and then turn it on again. Repeat this procedure about 5-7 times. The key here is to get the timing right. Afterwards, go ahead and start the car’s engine. Check if the SRS light has gone out.
If the indicator light isn’t responding, try the following number of seconds:
Turn the key on, wait 7 seconds, then turn it off and wait 3 seconds. Repeat this 5-7 times.
Joke Break…
A zoo’s gorilla died. The manager was known for being cheap, and so instead of paying to acquire a new one, he hired a guy to put on a costume to act like a gorilla. He was pretty convincing, and when people came to see him, he roared and pounded his chest. Directly beneath him was the lion cage. One day he was stomping around and rattling the bars when the bottom of his cage broke, and he fell into the lion’s cage. Panicking, he started screaming, “Help, help!” Suddenly the lion pounced on him and said, “Shh, you’re going to get us both fired!”
One Last Thing!
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Airbag Warning Light Final Thoughts
Moving on…
If none of these methods clear up your SRS indicator, and you have not done any work on the vehicle that could have triggered the light, then you should get it checked out by a qualified mechanic so that your airbags are operational again.
I hope this post was able to help you in some way. I really like getting comments and hearing your story, so please leave me a note!
Thanks, and all the best!
Richard
Hi Richard, The airbag light suddenly came on on for no reason, my 2005 Toyota Prado Grande. Your first method using the ignition switch didn’t work, however, after disconnecting and reconnecting the yellow terminal underneath the front passenger seat I had success. Thanks so much for the advice.
Trevor Rowe
Thank you for writing this article. It worked on my 2007 Camry! I jiggled the passenger side seat wires and the SRS warning light went off. My metal water bottle had rolled under the seat and had tugged in the wires which enabled seat movement.
Glad to be of service, and happy to hear the SRS light is now off!
All the best to you!
Would the steps outlined above work for a 2005 Prius with a smart fob instead of a key?
I just noticed this morning that the airbag icon did not go off after I started the car.
I haven’t tried it myself on a Prius, but worth a shot since they are both Toyota vehicles. Good luck!
I tried it but it was still on
Erased the light my scanner it was still on
What else do I do??
I’ve removed the rear seats from the Landcruiser which I imagine is the reason for the light staying on. Anyway to deactivate the light in this instance? Cheers, Jason
My car fell off the jack jack stand when I was doing a repair (long story). Both front tires were off and it landed pretty hard. When I finished the repair and started the car, the airbag light was on. Could the jolt have cause that?
When I asked the dealership about this, they said even if I get the light to go off (I know that it was the connection under the seat) I need to go in to get the system reset. Is this correct?
Thanks Dude did the key on off thing and started car no airbag light .Hope it stays that way.
Me too, glad to help!
If it is not the connectors, it could be in the airbag safety checks. Everything must be in order, or the warning light comes on. Seatbelt checks, there are chemicals inside the system that activate when an airbag is deployed, weight sensors in the seats. It is a complex system. If needs repair or replacement by a dealer, can cost $800 or more…
Gday Richard
I just got my complete drivers side seatbelt assembly changed including the electrical switches and now I have srs warning light coming on , does this mean the airbag is completely disabled, or is it an error code that can be reset, and how can I fix the problem .
Regards Shannon
Hi Shannon, good-day to you as well! When this light is on, that means your airbags are deactivated. If you got the light after changing the seatbelt assembly, it could be a faulty or loose wire harness for the seatbelts. Double check all of those connections for tight fit, and consider you may need to replace if defective.
Good luck,
Richard
Thanks mate much appreciated
Gday Richard
If the airbag is deactivated how can I get it reactivated ?
And what is the cost of that?
Any info much appreciated mate
Cheers
I haven’t used your methods yet,
But I’m optimistic about it.
And will let you know what happens
Light has been on a few days, MOT is due, read this article and then remembered we had moved the passenger seat to carry some food a few days prior, wiggled the wires under the seat and hey presto, thanks a million.