Land Rover Airbag Light On

Is the airbag light staying on all the time on your Land Rover? This article will teach you about Land Rover and Range Rover airbag lights. We will discuss how the system works, the possible causes & symptoms, and how to diagnose & fix the problem yourself.

What does the Airbag / SRS light mean on a Land Rover / Range Rover?

The airbag light is a warning indicator that alerts the driver that the supplemental restraint system or srs is malfunctioning. The airbag warning light can cause the airbags not to deploy when needed or to deploy randomly, which is dangerous to the vehicle’s occupant. There are a lot of possible causes why the airbag light comes on, and will be discussed in detail below.

Can You Drive Your Land Rover with Airbag Light On?

While the vehicle may run, driving the airbag light on is not recommended. The airbags are a safety feature that protects the driver and passengers in a car crash. With the airbag light on, the airbags may deploy randomly even when not needed and may cause serious injuries to the vehicle’s occupants. We recommend fixing the problem immediately before driving your Land Rover again.

Symptoms

On the far right of the instrument cluster, you can see the airbag light staying on all the time.

On this vehicle, the check engine light is also on but that is a different unrelated issue. Some common symptoms may be experienced when the airbag light is illuminated.

• Airbag/SRS Light on Dashboard: The most common symptom of a faulty airbag system is the warning indicator on the dashboard.
• Non-Functioning Airbag System: When the warning light is illuminated, it means that there’s a malfunction in the system which may cause the airbag not to deploy when needed.
• Intermittent Light: The airbag/SRS warning light may turn on and off intermittently, indicating an intermittent fault in the system.
• Audible Warning Tone: In some Land Rover models, an audible warning tone may sound when the airbag/SRS light turns on. This is an additional warning to alert the driver and passengers of a potential issue with the airbag system.
• Random Deployment of Airbags: if the airbags are malfunctioning, it may cause them to deploy even when not needed.
• Horn & Steering Wheel Buttons Not Working: If you have a faulty clockspring, the airbag light will come on and affect the steering wheel buttons & horn.

Common Causes

The most common problem that triggers the airbag light on Land Rover vehicles is the failure of the clock spring, but other issues can also trigger the airbag light.

Blown Airbag

Suppose your vehicle has a previous accident and the airbags have been deployed and not replaced. In that case, it will trigger the airbag light to come on because the airbags are used only once and should be replaced immediately. You will need a scanner to find the airbag that has not been replaced. Ensure the scanner you use can run through the Land Rover’s airbag system.

Lose or Corroded Wiring

The airbag system consists of a lot of wiring, which keeps the crash & weight sensors, control module, airbags & pre-tensioners connected. The wirings can get damaged over time due to age, fluctuating temperature, high temperature, corrosion, and physical damage, which can be possible if the wirings are bent frequently. Identifying faulty wiring can be challenging, but this strategy could assist: Utilize a scanner to interpret the error code. Then, the scanner will provide details regarding the malfunctioning component. Once you have that information, proceed to examine the component’s wiring.

Deployed Seat Belt Pre-tensioner

The seat belt pre-tensioner is an airbag system that keeps the occupant from the seat and prevents occupants from hitting the dash during a car collision by tightening the seat belts. Once the pre-tensioner has been deployed, the airbag light will illuminate because you will need the seat belt to be rebuilt or repaired, like the airbag control module, which needs to reset after an airbag deployment. If your seat belt pre-tensioner is bad, you will notice the seat belts won’t retract, retracts slowly, or the seat belt gets locked.

Occupancy Passenger Sensor

The occupancy passenger sensor (weight sensor) detects the occupant’s weight on the passenger seat and then sends it to the srs module, allowing the airbags to be enabled or disabled. The airbags will be disabled if the passenger seated is a child because airbags are dangerous to children. The weight sensor can wear out over time, and possible causes are due to corrosion or their wirings getting damaged. To diagnose a faulty passenger sensor, you must use a scanner that can run through the airbag system of a Land Rover.

Faulty Airbag Control Module

The airbag control module is the one that controls the airbags of the vehicle and is a major component of the airbag system. Once the airbag module malfunctions, it will trigger the airbag warning light.to illuminate. The module can be damaged for various reasons, including water damage and poor wiring connection, which are the most common. Also, if the car has been in a car crash and the airbags have been deployed, you must reset the srs module. Resetting the airbag control module can only be applicable if minor issues occur.

Faulty Clock Spring

The clock spring is a connector that keeps the steering wheel airbag, and buttons keep intact with the airbag module. This rotary connector prevents the cables from breaking when rotating the steering wheel. If the clock spring malfunctions, the airbag light will illuminate, and other steering wheel components won’t work. To diagnose a bad clockspring, you must check if there’s still voltage using a multimeter. Before removing the clock spring, disconnect the battery and press the horn a few times to prevent the airbag from deploying when removing it.

Weak or Dead Battery

A weak or dead battery can trigger warning lights because the airbag system needs at least 9.5V to run properly. The airbag system can also be affected because its backup battery has low power, causing the airbag light to come on, and if a car crash happens, the airbags will not get enough power from them to deploy properly. Batteries can run up to 3-5 years, depending on their use. To check the voltage of your battery, use a multimeter.

Faulty/Defective Crash Sensors

The crash or impact sensor is the one that detects a car crash sending it to the srs module, which will deploy the airbags. These sensors can wear out over time, and one possible cause is due to corrosion. The sensors can be located on the front, driver, and passenger side. To diagnose a fault impact/crash sensor, you must use an airbag scanner to read the codes. Some airbag scanners cannot read codes on Land Rover’s module, so use a scanner that can run through the system.

How to Reset Land Rover Airbag / SRS Warning Light?

The airbag light on a Land Rover can come on for several reasons, including a dead battery, a faulty sensor, a bad clock spring, etc. To find out, you need to read the codes with a scanner that can read the airbag module, such as YOUCANIC full system scanner. Then fix the underlying issue and clear the codes outlined in the section below. 

1. Locate the OBD-II port under the dashboard and plug in your adapter.
2. Power on the Youcanic scanner: Press the power button until the device turns on.
3. Go to the ‘Diagnose’ option: On the scanner’s main menu, select the ‘Diagnose’ option.
4. Select the Vehicle Make: You will see a list of vehicle makes. Scroll through the list until you find your vehicle’s make, then select it.
5. Select ‘Control Units’: The next screen will display different options after selecting the make.
6. Find and select the ‘Control Units’ option.
7. Select ‘Airbag/SRS Control Unit’: The next screen will show a list of various control units.
8. Scroll down until you select the ‘Airbag/SRS Control Unit’.
9. Read or Clear codes: Here, you can ‘Read codes’ or ‘Clear codes.’ To read the airbag codes, select ‘Read codes.’ The scanner will then display any stored airbag codes.
10. To clear the airbag codes, select ‘Clear codes.’ Follow any prompts that appear to clear the codes. Please note only clear codes after the problem has been fixed. Clearing the codes without fixing the problem may cause the codes to reappear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fault Codes

These are some common lists of Land Rover Airbag Lights. Remember, the format for these codes is typically BXXXX:

• B0001: Driver Frontal Stage 1 Deployment Control
• B0002: Driver Frontal Stage 2 Deployment Control
• B0003: Driver Frontal Stage 3 Deployment Control
• B0004: Driver Knee Bolster Deployment Control
• B0005: Driver Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control
• B0010: Frontal Passenger Stage 1 Deployment Control
• B0011: Passenger Frontal Stage 2 Deployment Control
• B0012: Frontal Passenger Stage 3 Deployment Control
• B0013: Passenger Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control
• B0014: Right Front Side Airbag Deployment Control
• B0015: Right Front Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment Control
• B0020: Left Front Side Airbag Deployment Control
• B0022: Driver Frontal Deployment Loop Single Stage or Stage 1 Short to Ground

Applicable Models

All Land Rover models are equipped with an airbag control module. Some of the Land Rover models that have been equipped with an airbag control module in the past include:

• Land Rover Discovery
• Land Rover Discovery Sport
• Land Rover Range Rover
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
• Land Rover Defender
• Land Rover Freelander