Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Airbag warning light stays on
Most reported: 2015 Chrysler 200 with 157 reports. Across the 154 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 2,433.
- 2,433owner reports
- 154model years affected
- 58,000median miles
- 64involved a crash
- 4involved a fire
This is the narrower sheet inside airbag problems for the warning light itself: an airbag or SRS light that stays on, or comes and goes, with no crash involved. The light is the car saying part of the airbag system may not work when it's needed.
Part of Airbag Problems, which counts 16,092 reports.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of airbag light on reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12015 Chrysler 2006 crashes1 firerecall1578% of its complaints60k mi
- 22014 Chevrolet Traverserecall7815% of its complaints70k mi
- 32014 Nissan Altimarecall788% of its complaints49k mi
- 42015 Nissan Altimarecall778% of its complaints49k mi
- 52016 Ford Explorer1 crash653% of its complaints51k mi
- 62017 Subaru Foresterrecall6311% of its complaints35k mi
- 72014 GMC Acadiarecall6114% of its complaints77k mi
- 8553% of its complaints66k mi
- 92014 Volkswagen Passatrecall488% of its complaints80k mi
- 104814% of its complaints43k mi
- 112015 Nissan Rogue1 crashrecall479% of its complaints43k mi
- 124612% of its complaints55k mi
- 132014 Buick Enclaverecall3613% of its complaints100k mi
- 142018 Subaru Foresterrecall367% of its complaints40k mi
- 152015 Volkswagen Passatrecall3213% of its complaints53k mi
- 162014 Ram 1500recall312% of its complaints53k mi
- 172015 Chevrolet Traverserecall3110% of its complaints68k mi
- 182019 Volkswagen Atlasrecall316% of its complaints30k mi
- 192014 Ford Explorer1 crash292% of its complaints64k mi
- 202014 Nissan Roguerecall297% of its complaints33k mi
- 212015 Chevrolet Malibu1 crashrecall2810% of its complaints50k mi
- 222014 Kia Forte2 crashes276% of its complaints90k mi
- 232014 Kia Sorento1 crash263% of its complaints81k mi
- 242014 Nissan Pathfinderrecall265% of its complaints19k mi
- 252015 Subaru Foresterrecall264% of its complaints100k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe airbag light on. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12014 Chevrolet Traverserecall7815% of its complaints70k mi
- 22014 GMC Acadiarecall6114% of its complaints77k mi
- 34814% of its complaints43k mi
- 42015 Volkswagen Passatrecall3213% of its complaints53k mi
- 52014 Buick Enclaverecall3613% of its complaints100k mi
- 64612% of its complaints55k mi
- 72017 Subaru Foresterrecall6311% of its complaints35k mi
- 82015 Chevrolet Malibu1 crashrecall2810% of its complaints50k mi
- 92015 Chevrolet Traverserecall3110% of its complaints68k mi
- 102015 Nissan Rogue1 crashrecall479% of its complaints43k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Chrysler 200214
- Nissan Rogue121
- Ram 150071
When it happens
1,407 of the 2,433 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 38,000 and 85,000 miles; the median is 58,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of airbag light on, grouped by the model year of the car. 64 involved a crash and 4 a fire. 48 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 2,433 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
Firestone's reading of the light is blunt: the airbag system may not deploy properly in an accident, and the car should be inspected as soon as possible. Volkswagen's recall 15V-483 is a clear example. Debris could get into the clock spring, the spiral flat cable that keeps the driver's airbag powered while the steering wheel turns, and tear it, cutting the connection so the driver's airbag couldn't deploy. In NHTSA's 2019 investigation PE19-013 on the Chevrolet Volt, a folded passenger seat sensor mat set a fault code in the airbag control unit, lit the light and switched off the passenger's frontal and knee airbags.
About 2,400 complaints on this site describe the light, with a median mileage of about 57,000. The 2015 Chrysler 200 has the most, followed by the 2014 Chevrolet Traverse and 2014 Nissan Altima. About one in six says it turns on and off, and where owners name a part, a sensor or the clock spring comes up most. Passenger seat sensors have their own narrower sheet on this site.
In the Volt case the fault left a trouble code in the airbag control unit, and reading the stored code is the sensible first step. Tell the shop whether the light stays on or flickers, whether it comes on when someone sits in the passenger seat or when you turn the wheel and whether the seats, wheel or dash had work done beforehand.
Don't treat it as cosmetic. Keep children under 13 in the back seat, as NHTSA advises, and get it scanned soon. Check NHTSA's recall lookup first, because several airbag light causes have been recalled and the repair is free. If not, report it during the warranty; the FTC says a defect reported in that period must be fixed even if the warranty ends before the repair.
Sources
- Types of car warning lights (airbag warning), Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA recall 15V-483, Volkswagen air bag clock spring
- NHTSA investigation PE19-013, passenger sensing system, Chevrolet Volt (NHTSA investigation file)
- Air bags, NHTSA
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.