hello,

I have recently pulled off the driver airbag from my 97 sebring lxi and disconnected the wire and when I put it back together my airbag light stays on. I did not disconnect the neg battery cable before doing this and I am wondering if this may have caused the problems, as there is no apparent problems with the connections. I was just wondering if this is what caused the issue and what I need to do to reset the srs indicator light

thanks,

Jon

 

The purpose of disconnecting the battery is to prevent the thing from blowing up in your face. Apparently, that didn't happen. You may have pinched a wire in putting it back together. If you're sure you didn't do that, then take it somewhere (like the dealership) where they can read the code that has the light turned on. No point in guessing.

 

Or... Before you go to the stealer.... Go back through and check for a pinched wire. Follow steps you did first time disconnecting battery and so forth. If light was not on before you removed srs bag it shouldn't be now. I had a pinched wire when I did mine. after all that is why we joined a forum because most of us like to work on our own vehicles... not sure why first suggestion is to run to dealer...sorry

 

The first suggestion was not to run to the dealer. The first suggestion was to check for a pinched wire. That was the purpose in saying "You may have pinched a wire in putting it back together." If that was ruled out, then the next suggestion is to get the codes read to find out why the light is on. The whole purpose of having a computer monitor the system and set an error code is to avoid the expense and waste of replacing parts *****-nilly when you don't know what's wrong.

 

true but the computer doesn't always know... for instance. My car wouldn't start... no codes showed up. had 12 volts at pump.... should work right.. well had a nick in wire along frame rail. wire had corroded to the point of almost breaking. was allowing voltage to pass but wouldn't allow amp draw. Computer didn't pick that up. Took me a long time to find that one... sorry if I came off harsh. ... I rely on forums because it is full of people who work on their own cars and are willing to help. and anything that can go wrong someone has fixed it and can help.

 

Yes, that's why the forum is here. But if you start off by assuming the computer doesn't know what it's doing, then there's no point in having it. If the light is on, there's a reason. If the reason isn't obvious (like a pinched wire) then the next logical step is to get into it and read the codes. You don't have to go to the dealership but you'll have to go somewhere where they have a sufficiently sophisticated piece of diagnostic equipment to be able to drill down and find the reason for an airbag light to be on.
You're making a big mistake if you think somebody who has never seen or touched your car can figure out why a trouble light is on from 500 miles away.

 

got it....I was thinking about it and I assumed that the airbag light came on because after reattaching the turn signal switch i turned the key on to see if it worked (before reattaching the driver airbag, which I did not initially realize was unnecessary

 

to remove). But if I found a pinched wire and fixed it, or if this was the cause, once the problem is corrected would the light automatically go off, or would I still need to reset? also is there somewhere to buy a scan tool for the srs or some kin of wrk-around to reset the system without the tool?

 

Assuming you found a problem and fixed it, and the light was still on, try disconnecting the battery and waiting several minutes. Disconnect the big battery ground at the spring tower on the driver's side under the hood. It's very easy. Park the disconnected cable using the plastic loop slipped over the stud. Hold it there by replacing the nut you just removed. Replace everything when you're done.

That may do it. If not, you should probably verify that there isn't a real reason for the light being on. The kind of scan tool that the dealer has costs several thousand dollars, so you aren't going to make that kind of outlay. Reputable repair shops other than dealerships may have such a tool, or a near equivalent, so ask around. The ones they have at Autozone for a quick check of your "check engine" light probably won't get to the airbag problem.