Air Bag Light Suddenly Came On and Will Not Go Off

[ray]

:ohmy:

The Air bag light on the 1997 Lexus ES300 suddenly came on and has stayed on for the past four days. It comes on right when the car starts and stays lit the whole trip.
It kind of flickers a bit when it first lights up but it just stays there the whole time once you get going. There has never been a problem with the airbag before this since I have had it. Is there something I can do to reset or turn it off? I would love to try to figure this out without paying for a mechanic to solve.

Please help because it is scary and annoying with it up the whole time. Thank you all in advance!!!

Topic

[Lorrin Barth]

Short of looking under the seats for anything unplugged there I don’t think there is much to be done short of visiting the dealer. The system should set a code identifying the offending part.

[Bill]

You will need a scan tool that is capable of reading SRS codes to determine the cause.

[Rudy Wilmoth]

🙂 In most cases of a sudden airbag light, the usual suspect is the clock spring device in the steering column. It is the piece in the steering column that connects the airbag wiring to the steering wheel. The clock spring name refers to the part looking like a coiled spring to rub against a copper plate on the steering wheel to make a connection. When the spring weakens over time the connection becomes loose and the airbag light comes. On.
You can replace it yourself if you are mechanically able, you will need a steering wheel puller and a steering column retainer plate compressing tool to do the job . There are instructions on how to do this on the internet and you will save some money.
I would get the ABS code pulled to see if it is the clock spring. Good luck.

[Author]

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