Back-to-school maintenance: Airbag light safety feature

Whether you drive the kids five minutes to your neighbourhood school, or you commute an hour to college or university, you want to make sure your airbags are working. This starts with checking your airbag light. If it’s on, don’t delay getting it checked out.

To help you hit the road with confidence, let’s go over some basics about airbags and what it means when the warning light appears on your dashboard.

Airbag basics

Since 1999, airbags have been a standard automotive safety feature in Canada, although their history dates back several decades. Now, all passenger vehicles, including EVs, have them at least in the front seats to protect against severe and/or life-threatening injuries in a collision.

Airbags are deployed in three steps:

Detection: A sensor detects a change in velocity or deceleration, indicating a potential impact.

Inflation: An inflator fills the airbag with nitrogen in milliseconds.

Deflation: After being fully inflated, the airbag slowly deflates to allow passengers to exit the vehicle.

EV airbags are very similar to the ones in regular cars, but they may be positioned slightly differently because of the design of the vehicle. Some EVs also have external airbags that inflate outside of the vehicle in the event of a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist.

If your EV senses a problem with this feature, the airbag warning light may come on. This light is typically orange or red and looks like the outline of a person seated with a large circle (representing the airbag) in front of them. Alternatively, the word “AIRBAG” or the letters “SRS” (Supplemental Restraint System) may appear.

Why the airbag warning light is on

When you first turn on your EV, an automatic diagnostic check happens to make sure everything is working properly. During these first few seconds, it’s normal for the airbag warning light to appear. If the light doesn’t turn off or starts to flash, however, you may have a problem to address.

Failing crash sensor

The airbag detection sensor may need to be reset or replaced if the warning light is on. This is especially likely if you’ve recently been in a minor collision where the airbags weren’t fully deployed because they weren’t needed.

Faulty seatbelt pretensioners

During a crash, your seatbelt tightens keep you safe. If the seatbelt pretensioner device is broken, the airbag warning light may come on.

Electrical issues

A loose wire or other electrical-related problems are a common cause for the airbag warning light to turn on.

What to do when the airbag warning light comes on

The airbag warning light is usually a sign that the SRS isn’t working properly, which requires professional attention. The warning light has no impact on your EV’s drivability, but it puts your safety at risk, so it shouldn’t be ignored.

Keep in mind, while driving with the airbag warning light on isn’t illegal, a failed airbag deployment may invalidate your car insurance. You may also be found liable if you were driving while knowing about a potential issue.

To fix the airbag warning light, have your vehicle assessed by a professional as soon as possible. The EV experts at your local NexDrive service centre can diagnose and repair your airbag warning light issue and answer any questions you may have about this important safety feature.