How to Diagnose and Fix a Flashing Airbag Light

This instruction will help you how to diagnose and fix a flashing airbag light. The flashing means that there is a fault with the system. You can read the number of flashes and it will give you a code.

Here we list some codes for Ford Ranger, Ford Explorer, Mazda B3000 (2000-2005) for your reference.

15- drivers side air bag circuit shorted

16- passenger side air bag circuit shorted

19- restraint control module (RCM) memory full

24- restraint control module (RCM) internal fault

25- passenger air bag deactivation (PAD) switch fault

27- passenger air bag deactivation (PAD) warning lamp inoperative

29- Incorrect Vehicle Identification Code

32- driver air bag circuit resistance high

33- passenger air bag circuit resistance high

34- driver air bag circuit resistance low

35- passenger air bag circuit resistance low

43- front impact sensor

46- drivers side seat-belt pretensioner

47- passenger side seat-belt pretensioner

 

If your code is not listed, just google the year, make and model of your car along with “airbag light code”(ex. 2005 Ford Ranger airbag light code)

More cases about airbag, please refer to AIRBAG

 

Normally when you start your car, the airbag light will come on and stay by three to five seconds then it will shut off. That means that the airbag system is working fine.

But when you start your car and your airbag light stays on or flashes, this means that there’s a problem with your airbag system. The flashing light is giving you a code. How to know the code? Here we’ll show you how to read code on 2001 Mazda B3000.

When airbag light start flashing, count how many flashes before pause, then continue to count how many flashes until finish. In our case, it’s 4 flashes before pause, then 6 flashes, so that’s code number 46.

After you read your codes, it’ll flash about five times, it’s give you five chances to read the codes. Then your airbag light will stay on and that’ll let you know what there’s a problem. On some cars there’s no flashing, it just the airbag light comes on and then you can just take it to Pep Boys or autozone or any of those parts stores and they’ll check it for free.

Codes 46 means that the driver side seat belt pretensioners circuit is broken. Under the driver seat, there’s a connector, The common cause for that is when you move your seat or you put stuff underneath your seat, you’ll trigger the connector or moisture gets in here or the connector gets loose.

What we can do is push this clip down to take this apart

and spray a little bit WD-40 in it or use some dielectric grease that’ll help out

Plug it back in place, make sure it clips and it is together completely

 

More repair project about Mazda, please click to MAZDA REPAIR.