If the airbag warning light on your Nissan Frontier’s dashboard remains on after starting your engine, your truck’s supplemental restraint system (airbag) is likely malfunctioning. If you see this light, bring your truck to a Nissan dealership or a trusted mechanic as soon as you can.

It is important for all Nissan Frontier drivers to know what to do when they see their airbag warning light, as well as what it means, its likely causes, and how to reset it. If you’re not a

car repair

expert yourself, no need to worry—we’ll walk you through everything you need to know.

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What does the airbag light mean on a Nissan Frontier?

Each time you power up your Frontier, your truck’s computer system scans the vehicle’s systems for faults, including the airbag system. If a problem is detected, the

airbag indicator

on your truck’s instrument panel will light up and stay on, or start to blink.

The airbag warning light on a Frontier looks like a person buckled into a seat, with a large circle in front of them representing the airbag. You may see the letters “SRS” (which stand for “supplemental restraint system”) light up as well.

There are a few common reasons why the airbag warning light will come on in a Nissan Frontier pickup truck, which include:

Malfunctioning sensors: Your Frontier’s crash sensors instruct your

airbag control module

when to deploy the front or side airbags. There are also seat sensors in your truck that alert the ACM when the driver’s and front passenger seats are occupied. If these

sensors

break down or suffer a glitch, your airbag warning light could come on.

Faulty airbag module: Your truck’s ACM can short out or malfunction if it is damaged or gets wet, which can cause the system to shut down and cause the airbag warning light to light up. Check your

car owner’s manual

to determine where your airbag module is located.

Wiring issues: Wires connect the Frontier’s airbag system with the control module. If those wires become frayed or worn out, this can cause the airbag warning light to light up.

Depleted airbag backup battery: If your Nissan Frontier’s

car battery

is dying, the airbag backup battery may be sending power to the car. This will seriously drain the airbag battery’s power, thus causing the airbag warning light to come on.

Damaged airbag clock spring: The Frontier’s airbag clock spring can wear out over time and need replacing. The airbag clock spring is located within the steering wheel, and it expands and contracts as the steering wheel is turned to maintain electrical continuity with the driver’s side airbag. If this spring fails, the airbag warning light will come on.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of all that can cause your airbag light to come on, just the most likely reasons to cause this. If you own an OBD-II scan tool, you can

scan for car OBD codes

tied to the airbag system on your own. However, if that’s not your thing, it is never a bad idea to

take your car to a mechanic

to figure out the problem.

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What you need to know about the 2008 Nissan Frontier front airbag recall

Nissan issued a large recall in 2008 that included Nissan Frontier pickups from 2005 to 2009 due to a problem with crash zone sensors (CZS) rusting that could cause the truck’s airbags not to deploy during a crash.

The issue was most acute in cold weather states as a mixture of water, snow, and road salt would enter the front crash zone sensor housing and could exacerbate internal rusting and malfunctioning of the CZS. If rusting occurred and the sensors weren’t working properly, the red airbag warning light would come on.

If you own a Nissan Frontier between 2005 to 2009, and you notice your airbag warning light is on, this could be the issue. (But hopefully, you haven’t ignored the airbag warning light for that long!) If you aren’t sure, take your truck to your Nissan dealership to double-check.

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How to reset the airbag warning light on a Nissan Frontier

Sometimes, all you need to do to turn that pesky airbag warning light off is reset the system! To reset the system, just follow these steps:

To start, turn your ignition to the ON position without starting the engine. The airbag warning light should light up and begin to flash.

As soon as the airbag warning light turns off, switch the ignition off before the airbag warning light turns on again.

After 5 seconds, turn the ignition back to the ON position.

Repeat these steps twice for a total of three cycles. The blinking pattern should begin to change.

Once you've completed this process three times, wait about 5 seconds before turning the engine on.

After following the above steps, the airbag warning light should remain off once you start the truck. If it is still blinking, repeat the above steps over again. If the problem isn’t solved after multiple tries, bring your Frontier to a Nissan dealership or to a trusted mechanic to get the problem solved.

MORE: Nissan reset indicator lights

Is it OK to drive with the Nissan Frontier airbag light on?

You should be able to drive your Frontier normally with the airbag warning light on, but this is not recommended for long periods of time.

Why? Because the airbag light indicates a problem with the airbag system. This means that, if you’re involved in an accident, the airbags may not deploy as designed. This would leave you and any passengers vulnerable to injury or death.

The moral of the story is this: If your airbag warning light comes on and you aren’t sure why, you should get your truck checked to ensure its airbag system is working properly.

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