The supplemental restraint system (SRS) of a car includes airbags, which are critical life-saving devices. In the event of an emergency or a tragic road accident, airbags demonstrate their true value by protecting the driver and passengers from major head and body injuries, and even saving their lives. It is needless to say that these features and especially airbags are lifesavers and without these, passengers and drivers will be ten times more at risk of injuries and death due to an accident. 

When your car’s airbag light starts flashing, you need to figure out what’s causing it so that it doesn’t leave you vulnerable in the event of an accident. It can pretty confusing and you may ask yourself several times why is my airbag light on and how do I fix this. 

Should You Be Driving A Car With Its Airbag Light Flashing?

The minute you see this light come on and start flashing in a car that was otherwise working just fine and showed no sign of damage, you should see your mechanic without any delay. 

In the event of a collision, you or your loved ones will be grateful that you took care of an airbag light that you may have ignored. Don’t panic and understand what are the reasons for an airbag symbol flashing and how you can fix the error timely. 

Will The Airbag Deploy if the Light is Flashing? 

There is a very good chance that in an event of an accident your airbag light that is already flashing may cause your airbags to not deploy and that means, you and the passengers are at high risk of injuries and even death. 

Hence, you should immediately use a VPN to search for the possible reasons for the light flashing through a good tutorial video and also contact your mechanic immediately. 

Here are some common malfunctions that can occur and make your airbags flash: 

The airbag’s battery backup is depleted

One of the most typical causes for your airbag light to be on is the depletion of the airbag battery backup. There is a possibility that this is due to the recent depletion of the car battery.

You may need to use a scan tool to remove the soft-code error from the airbag control module to fix this problem, although this problem is generally solved when the battery is fully charged.

The Clock Spring Needs a Replacement 

As a primary purpose of the airbag clock spring, it serves to ensure that the driver’s seat airbag and the vehicle’s electrical wiring are always aligned.

There are a number of reasons why the airbag on the driver’s seat may be reporting a Soft-code error, which may cause the airbag light to flash. The wear and tear on the circuit bands are related to the routine use of the devices.

If you don’t have an OBD2 scanner, it’s impossible to diagnose the clock spring issue on your own. Even if you’re certain you have a broken clock spring, we still advise having it replaced by a professional.

If you attempt to replace airbag system components on your own without taking the proper measures, you could end up injuring yourself.

Solving these issues can be a hassle and you need a guide like this video to know how to fix your airbag light issue. If you are unable to access the video, you can always use a good VPN to change your location on your device. What is a VPN? A VPN is a layer of security between your device and the server that is connecting it to the internet. It will keep your data and your location safe from hackers and help you access geo-restricted content. 

The airbag module might be wet or corroded

In most automobiles, the airbag control module is positioned under the driver or front passenger seat. To put it another way, the airbag control module can be shorted or corroded if the car has been exposed to high water, even for a brief period of time.

Airbag control modules that have been damaged or shorted out generate diagnostic fault codes immediately, causing the airbag light in your car to blink. This may be a reason for the airbag symbol flashing. Look for different videos that can help you solve this issue and use a video unblocker if you can’t access the content due to your location. 

A Malfunctioning Sensor 

Modern vehicles’ supplemental restraint systems are made up of a multitude of parts, including sensors, which are all connected to the car’s primary computer (ECM or PCM).

The car’s computer will notice any fault in one or more of these sensors and turn on the airbag warning light as a result.

 A Recent Accident 

When buying a used car from a private party or an auction, this is frequently the case. You may not be able to use the airbags in the vehicle again if it was previously involved in a collision, as many SRS components are one-time use only. You never know what you’re dealing with.

For the airbag system to function properly even after all parts have been replaced, the car’s ECM must be reprogrammed. The airbag symbol flashing will be a common occurrence if the reset hasn’t been done properly. 

Conclusion 

As someone that owns a car or even someone that has spent some money in getting a car, you must look at the security features of the vehicle. One of the biggest put offs is the car not having airbags intact. It is these airbags that will save you from immediate harm in the event of a severe accident. 

You need to be sure you know when it is time to get that airbag light flashing fixed because otherwise, the next thing you know, you are in the middle of an accident without your first line of defence. Although there are many resources out there on the internet, including how to videos and tutorials that can show you how to fix major and minor car faults. However, there are some issues that are best left to the professionals to fix. You should not meddle with security features if you can avoid it because you might end up making the problem worse and the fix might become even more expensive than before you were DIYing it. 

So make sure that you do not take this issue lightly and at the very first sight of that light flashing, respond immediately and take your car to the mechanic. 

Remember, prevention is better than the cure. Drive safe!