Red Airbag light

I've had that come up a few times, too (on the passenger side, though). I THINK what it may be is if you have something in the front seat that is heavy enough that the car senses some mass there, but not heavy enough to turn ON the airbags. The car normally mistakes the presence of some "mass" as a small child, and makes it a point to tell you that there is no airbag safety on for them. It's a guess. Mine comes on and goes off, and I have tons of books that go in that seat at any given time.

 

I have the same problem w/my 2007, I noticed that the light turned on 2 days ago (the red airbag light), when I turned off, and turned back on the prius, it went away. But then this morning I noticed it had come back on and stayed on.

When I looked in the manual, it said go to a dealer immediately, but there hasn't been any problem, or accidents since I've owned it, then all of the sudden it comes on? That doesn't make any sense.

Any info on what this could be I would appreciate it.

 

If it were me, I'd take it to the dealer. I don't think you can diagnose it without a scantool.

I don't think it would cause you to fail inspection, but I don't know your state's regs.

 

Your maintenance required light is working properly. It has nothing to do with the airbag light.

 

Important note to make, I believe the light on puts the airbag system on off mode, not something to take lightly, though you're still safer than riding a motorcycle.

Also not sure but my understanding is once the light is set from the system checking all the connections on startup and detecting a fault , the light will reappear for several on off cycles. Perhaps autozone can do a general scan for trouble codes and if they are able to turn it off, you will then see if the light was just something random, an isolated occurrence or is a reoccurring problem that needs to be looked at further. Good luck.

 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but have you checked the 12V battery? When it gets weak, all sorts of wierd things happen, and they go away when the computers get enough juice.

 

Here are a couple of links I found using the Search function:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...leshooting/68589-my-turn-new-12v-battery.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-12v-battery-replacement-opinions-please.html

 

Hello Tom:

Airbag systems are quite complex pieces of engineering. So complex that even a crack in the windshield can affect the performance of an airbag, as the windshield actually becomes part of the entire environment that is involved with the airbag in the event of deployment.

As such, it's a good idea not to try to turn off a check light or disable the system. If the light is on, it usually indicates a defective component in the system. Sometimes it's just a sensor, but usually most people don't have the knowledge or tools to diagnose or fix the systems properly in their backyard. There is also a certain amount of danger involved should an airbag deploy accidently.

Years ago, it could take days (and a lot of part swapping) for a repair shop to correctly diagnose problems with an automobile. Yes, paying for a proper diagnostics and repair can get expensive, but my feeling is that when you compare the cost in inflation adjusted dollars, it's probably a bargain compared to a few decades ago.

Just my 2 cents.....

 

You could have a sensor that is going bad, or a loose connection in the airbag system. Due to vibration or whatever a bad connection could improve, a reference voltage could fall back into range, whatever. After a few start and stops the previous diagnostics error may then clear itself.

 

It had happened to my Corolla, the driver side air bag threw a code. I had it fixed by disconnected the air bag connector under the driver's seat and re-seated it. This is caused by the dirty contacts in the connector over time.

 

Bedrock brings up a good point. You could try disconnecting the connectors that go to the seats. However, to be on the safe side and not risk an accidental air bag deployment, it might be better to disconnect the car's 12v power first. Then disconnect/reconnect the connectors, and after that reconnect the car's 12v power.