Service airbag light

AdrianZ71 · July 30, 2014

Hello all!

I went to start my 2005 Sierra earlier and noticed it said "service air bag" on the odometer. Before calling the dealer to service it I was just wondering if anyone had any experience/tips/advice? I've never had a vehicle require that. I was just wondering about stuff like whether it will cost money to service it or anything like that?

Thank you guys in advanced for your input!

8.1HD/ALLISON · July 30, 2014

It will cost 1 hour of diagnosis and whatever they find wrong. Have to check codes and diagnose problem.

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chupe442 · July 30, 2014

Been down this road too much in the past.. You have to have the codes. Not the ones from your hand held or Orielly shop reader, but the dealer code reader to find exactly what module has failed. Good luck!

8.1HD/ALLISON · July 30, 2014

You can use any tool that will read codes, dealer or otherwise, but that is only the starting point for diagnosis. Could be a hundred different problems.

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TooTall1 · July 30, 2014

I had this message on my 2008. Turned out to be an impact sensor (common failure). I ordered two from Rock Auto, changed both in about 15 minutes, and no more service air bag message!

Sir Dan · July 30, 2014

You will have to buy an upper priced code reader to get the airbag codes. I just pushed the onstar button and asked for the code. Turned out to be a front impact sensor. Replaced both with the dorman brand purchased on line for 1/2 the dealer price.

chupe442 · July 30, 2014

You can use any tool that will read codes, dealer or otherwise, but that is only the starting point for diagnosis. Could be a hundred different problems.

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Most readers out there will only read the engine codes when the light is on, not the ones in memory or airbags. Unless of course you happen to have the expensive one on hand and that is what you are referring to. Even the Oreilly/Advanced Auto stores readers will not read airbag codes. It sucks!

gmtech4 · July 30, 2014

OP , your airbag system (SRS) is disabled while there is a fault present

Bartmon · August 1, 2014

I had mine do the same thing on my 2008 Silverado...I fixed it by re-connecting the driver seat sensor which is located on the lower part of the seat on the right side near the console...for some reason it had pulled out from the connector.

AdrianZ71 · August 2, 2014

Thanks you guys for your input!

I will start with checking the driver seat sensor but from what you guys are saying it looks like it has to go to the dealer. Perfect timing since I also cracked my sideview mirror (hoping to find a cheap replacement because I didn't realize how hard finding one with the turn signal was) and I am in the middle of moving. I didn't think about using Onstar for the trouble code. Too bad I don't have it anymore.

Tmanuel1313 · September 10, 2019

I have a 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 LS crew cab 4 by 4 I replace the right front sensor for the airbag underneath the radiator and my thing told me that that was the problem and I deleted all the codes and everything and it was working fine and then it came back on I have no idea what is going on

Steve Cisneros · October 8, 2019

On 8/1/2014 at 12:45 PM, Bartmon said:

I had mine do the same thing on my 2008 Silverado...I fixed it by re-connecting the driver seat sensor which is located on the lower part of the seat on the right side near the console...for some reason it had pulled out from the connector.

I’ve got a 2009 Silverado and this is exactly what happened to mine as well on the drivers seat. Thanks for posting helped me out big time. Not sure how it came undone but it was....

Happy days123 · February 20, 2021

I had the alert "Service Air Bag" as well as the red airbag warning light in my 2008 GMC Sierra 3500. It ended up just being a fuse!

I had first googled the problem which led me to replacing the oh-so-expensive front impact sensor. After I replaced it the service lights remained on. I went into the fuse box located in the engine area on the drivers side. There you can read all the fuses. There were two that said air'something'. I pulled both and found one that was an obvious blowout by evidence of a small burn hole. Ended up costing me $4 to replace the mini 15amp fuse. Better than the $170 for the sensor! After I replaced it the service lights were off. Hope your solution is just as easy.

Steven Schnelz · December 5, 2022

I bought a cheap ($150) Foxwell scanner and it said both impact sensors were bad. I bought one and swapped it between the two front impact sensors and it turned out to be just the driver side sensor even though the scanner said both. The bad sensor showed open when tested on an ohm meter. Saved myself $180 by just buying one sensor. They must be in series and if one goes it looks like both.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Steven Schnelz

Chris Red Evans · May 22, 2023

Although this post might be responding to an older thread, I'm hoping that my experience could prove valuable for future readers. I, too, experienced the airbag light issue on my GMC, and initially tried to fix it myself. However, I realized I was just wasting a lot of time.

Then I tried searching for other potential causes, then I stumbled upon an article titled "GMC Airbag Light" on the YOUCANIC website. This piece suggested inspecting the clock spring of my vehicle, as it could be a potential culprit, especially since I'd been having trouble with my horn and other steering wheel controls. Upon inspection, I discovered the clock spring wires were damaged, likely due to their age.

Subsequently, I replaced the clock spring, and was relieved when the airbag light disappeared after a bit of driving. I cannot stress enough the usefulness of the YOUCANIC website in my situation, and I strongly suggest that others might find it equally beneficial.