how to reset airbag light on a 2007

Main points
1. No 2 digit codes
2. No reset of airbag light even after pressing brake 8x in 5 secs while jumper wire was on and doing it 6x.
3. No reset of airbag light by just removing jumper wire after seeing the blink sequence. Did that about 6x.

 

Well, I see two lights blinking codes, the airbag being one of them, but you cut off the video too soon. Can you record a longer video, at least 60-90 sec, please?

As mentioned before, this sequence is for the brake ECU and will not reset SRS codes.

 

I tried the Patrick Wong method suggested in this thread a few times. That also did not reset the airbag light.

 

Well, I see two lights blinking codes, the airbag being one of them, but you cut off the video too soon. Can you record a longer video, at least 60-90 sec, please?
What blinking code did you see? Not the 2 digit code alluded here for sure
Longer vid
https://youtube.com/shorts/QTXIZXFI01k?feature=share

I have also done it for 5 mins as well for 3x. No 2 digit codes were seen from start to end

 

The airbag light there is clearly blinking 51. It repeats 51 four times within the length of the video.

Of course, I was a little afraid it would be 51, because there are four different trouble codes (B1800, B1801, B1802, B1803) that share the 51 blink code.

At least, those four all have to do with the driver's side airbag squib, the one in the steering wheel, not anything seat-related. So it is good to know that much. If you could get an actual scan tool to find out which of those actual four codes it is, we would then know whether we're looking for a short, an open, a short to ground, or a short to +12.


The other light I see blinking codes is the tire pressure monitor. Just for completeness, those are 21 (C2121, no signal from the tire transmitter registered as ID1) and 77 (C2177, initialization not completed).

 

You did better than me. I got the SRS 51 and the TPMS 21 but couldn't get the 77. Would have been easier if the camera wasn't all jiggling around and another 30 secs longer. Oh well.

 

As per the last sentence of Patricks post:

If you are doing the reset correctly (and I suspect you are not because you don't seem to see the codes being blinked), what is likely happening is the code clears then immediately comes back.

A 51 code is not going to go away until you actually fix the fault it is reporting.

 

I still can't see any 2 digit code displayed on the dashboard where the lights are blinking.
In any case, if you saw 51, then as I said before months ago when I had a guy use techstream it showed b1801/51 and he suggested I replace the spiral cable which I did this week. It solved my horn, steering wheel buttons issue but not the airbag light

I would ignore the tpms warning light

What is this 77?

I had one other code abs related 1249 I think. But I leave in a place where there is no rain or snow...it wasn't anything serious.

Of course I got p0420(check engine) 8 times in the last year. But replacing valve gasket seems to have solved that issue (oil loss, oil in spark plug well, misfiring, unburnt fuel damaging cat triggering 0420). My mpg went from 41.3 to 47-48 after replacing valve gasket.

 

Maybe I am not doing Patrick reset correctly as I still can't see the 2 digit code. At what sec in the vid do you see 51

 

I am not sure you quite understand the whole process. There aren't any actual numbers or digits that appear anywhere. When you connect those two terminals or circuits together, several different ecu's (such as ABS or airbag) are programmed to make the warning lights flash in a sequence based on what codes are present (if any).

You watch and count the number of flashes. If the airbag light flashes 5 times, slight pause, one time, longer pause - that's code 51 (it then repeats or goes to a different code if there's more than 1 present).

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Per this vid (not mine) you actually see 2 digit codes. Check it

 

Another option would be to get a capable scantool that can retrieve (and clear) codes and data from all systems on a Gen2 Prius.

Here's a thread that reviews several apps and OBD2 devices. https://priuschat.com/index.php?posts/3290690

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Whoever made that video used an editor to add those numbers (he counted the flashes and then edited in the resulting code next to the light it applies to).

The Prius dash does not have little number displays next to the warning lights. period.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

That's a nice video, but yes, it was made to explain how a person should count the blink codes, and the counted-off code numbers were added to it for explanatory purposes.

In your own video, you can see how the airbag light gives 5 blinks, then 1 blink, then repeats ... and the tire pressure light gives 2 blinks, then 1 blink, then later 7 blinks and 7 blinks, and then repeats its whole sequence.

Maybe there's a way to comment on that explainer video to have them add some note like "don't expect to see these numbers on your actual display ... this is just showing you how to count them." The person who made it probably wasn't thinking about how it could look that way.

So the current situation is you had a B1801/51, replaced the spiral cable on a mechanic's suggestion that it might solve that problem, and you still have a 51.

The spiral cable sure is one of the usual suspects for a 51 code, so the mechanic wasn't wrong to suggest replacing it (plus you had horn and steering wheel button issues, so you needed it anyway), but now you've replaced it and still have 51, with the rest of the troubleshooting tree for that code ready to be explored.

Because four different codes share the 51 blink code, it's possible that the 51 you have now isn't exactly the same code from before. For example, one possibility could have been that the last spiral cable really did have a short (B1801), but the replacement might have an open circuit (B1802) ... or the connection to it wasn't perfectly secured, and now creates a B1802. Both B1801 and B1802 share the 51 blink code, so the only way to get the more detailed trouble code would be with a scan tool.

Or maybe the original B1801 short was somewhere else besides the spiral cable all along, and hasn't changed.

In any case, whatever it is, it just needs to be traced down and fixed.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I have to believe it is b1801 as I was looking over the mechanic shoulder to ensure all connections are secure and spiral cable is new OEM from Toyota dealer. So assuming b1801, the next items to look for is 1. Squib 2. Center airbag sensor 3. Instrument panel wire . Any ideas on next steps would be appreciated.

 

Have you obtained the full repair manual troubleshooting section for B1800/01/02/03 ? I would just follow those steps, making sure to pay very close attention to the safety implications. (There is also an earlier part of the SRS section that explains the safety precautions just by themselves, and it would be a very good idea to go through that section too.)

You will notice that the given testing steps will involve isolating the actual squib from any of the components to be tested, and then making resistance tests on pretty much everything except the squib itself.

One does not go making any kind of resistance test on a squib, ever, unless one has an instrument like this, which won't be in most people's tool bag.

 

If I saw a problem like this, I would use a capable scantool to determine if the specific code indicated a open circuit or short. Then I would create the opposite condition at some convenient connector in the circuit to see if the ecu recognized it and set a different code.

Repeat this until you reach the airbag itself- if all the wiring checks ok then the fault is the squib in the airbag.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I don't have anyone here with access to obdc and techstream

Is it a good idea to inspect for any bent pins or dirt or loose connection and do continuity testing with multimeter for the below ? I guess this is done with 12v battery disconnected.

1. Connector from ECU - that connects to Clockspring
2. Connector in Squib - that connects to Clockspring cable
3. Just the Clockspring cable(this is brand new genuine OEM. So should not be an issue).

I am positive my blink code 51 corresponds to 1801.

 

Make sure you've learned the safety rules, and the reasons for them, backward and forward. It's not just about testing with the 12 V battery disconnected. Your multimeter also contains a battery that can explode an airbag in your face. That's why:

you can ohm out the spiral cable, but only if the squib is unplugged from the spiral cable first

you can ohm out the wiring from the ECU, but only if you have unplugged it from the spiral cable, or the squib from the spiral cable, first

you don't bring any kind of ohmmeter or continuity tester to a squib, ever. Unless you are the kind of lab that would have the kind of specialized instrument I linked to earlier. Instead, you just fail the squib by process of elimination, if you're sure everything else checks out.

Be sure you understand which connectors have built-in shorting springs, and why.

A few posts ago you were positive there wasn't a blink code. I don't say that to pick on you, but there's a valuable point in there. In diagnosis, the things we're so positive about we don't bother checking are often where we will miss stuff. Do enough of this kind of work and you can even start to think that when you really feel that positive about something, it's like a message from the universe saying "are you sure you don't want to check?".

it won't always be wrong. It'll often be right, and then you can bask in vindicated positive-ness. And those few other times, you'll be glad you checked.

 

Yes. Didn't intend to do continuity testing on Squib! But was planning to see if connector pins on Squib were bent or dirty and fix that without doing any multimeter tests. That should be fine I guess

I get your point on my assumption that code is b1801.


Are the below the safety precautions you were alluding to. That's a long list. Maybe I should just do visual inspection of the 3 connectors for bent pins, grime, loose connection and fix it AND not do any continuity testing. I see value in it.

CAUTION:
Be sure to perform the following procedures before troubleshooting to avoid unexpected airbag de-
ployment.
(a) Turn the power switch off.
(b) Disconnect the negative (–) terminal cable from the battery, and wait for at least 90 seconds.
(c) Disconnect the connectors from the airbag ECU assy.
(d) Disconnect the connectors from the horn button assy.
(e) Disconnect the connectors from the front passenger airbag assy.
(f) Disconnect the connector from the front seat airbag assy LH.
(g) Disconnect the connector from the front seat airbag assy RH.
(h) Disconnect the connector from the curtain shield airbag assy LH.
(i) Disconnect the connector from the curtain shield airbag assy RH.
(j) Disconnect the connector from the front seat outer belt assy LH.
(k) Disconnect the connector from the front seat outer belt assy RH