Airbag light on: what happens in a collision

What the warning actually means

The symbol usually shows a seated person with an inflated bag in front of them, or the letters SRS. The system has found a fault somewhere in the chain and takes itself out of service to avoid an unintended deployment.

How the system protects you

The airbags and the belt tensioners are meant to work together in a collision. When the system finds a fault anywhere in that chain it takes itself out of service rather than risk firing when it should not, and the light is how it tells you.

Common causes

• A fault in a sensor or a connector under a seat
• Low voltage, or a battery change
• A fault after work on the interior or the seats

What to do now

1. Keep driving normally, but be aware the bags may not work.
2. Book an inspection. The fault is read with a diagnostic tool.
3. Do not poke around in the system yourself. It is pressurised and can deploy.

What people often get wrong

That it is only a light. The system takes itself out of service when it finds a fault, so the bags and the belt tensioners can be inoperative exactly when you need them.

When the car must go to a workshop

This is a checked item at most annual inspections, and it is not something you can put right yourself.

Read next

• Traction control light: flickering, or staying on?
• Brake warning light: check this first
• Service light on: is something actually wrong?

This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. Symbols, codes and behaviour vary between makes. Always check the handbook for your own car.