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Hey, got that pesky airbag light staring
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you down on your WRX or STI? Yeah, the
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one that just won't go off no matter
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what you do. It's annoying, I know.
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What's up, guys? I'm Tom and welcome
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back to Car Justify. I've been wrenching
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on Subarus for a long time, and today
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I'm going to walk you through how to
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diagnose airbag module issues on your
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WRX or STI. This is one of those things
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that seems complicated, but hang with
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me. We'll break it down nice and easy.
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All right, let's get into it. First off,
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if your airbag lights on, that doesn't
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mean the whole system's toast. It just
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means the car's found something it
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doesn't like. Could be the module, could
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be a sensor, or even just a loose
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connection. So, don't panic yet. Step
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one, grab yourself an OBD scanner, but
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not just any scanner. You need one that
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can read SRS codes. That's supplemental
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restraint system. Fancy talk for your
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airbags. I like the Autel or Blue Driver
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ones for this. They won't break the bank
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and they'll tell you what's actually
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going on under the dash. Now, if your
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scanner throws something like airbag
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control module failure or crash
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detected, that's when we got to take a
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closer look. A lot of people get tripped
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up right here. They think the module is
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bad and go drop 500 bucks on a new one.
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But hold up, let's check a few things
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first. One super common issue, the
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yellow connectors under the front seats.
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Subaru uses those for the seat belt
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tensioners and seat airbags. I've seen a
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ton of WRXs where someone slides the
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seat back real quick and boom, wiggles
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that connector loose. happens more often
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than you'd think. So, go ahead, slide
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both seats all the way forward and peek
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underneath. If you see a yellow plug
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that's halfway out or just sitting
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funny, unplug it, give it a quick shot
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of electrical contact cleaner, and plug
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it back in snug. Next, take a look at
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your clock spring. That's the little
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ribbon cable inside your steering wheel
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that lets the wheel turn while keeping
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the airbag connected. If your horn's not
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working or your cruise control buttons
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are acting weird along with the airbag
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light, there's a good chance the clock
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I actually had this happen to a buddy of
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mine last week. He turned the wheel too
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far with the battery disconnected and
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the thing just snapped. You can replace
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it yourself in like an hour. Just make
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sure you disconnect the battery and wait
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15 minutes before messing with the
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steering wheel. Safety first. Yeah.
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Okay. Now, here's one that really messes
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with people. If your car was in even a
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minor accident, the airbag module might
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have stored crash data. That means even
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if the airbags didn't deploy, the module
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still thinks the car has been in a
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wreck. And once that happens, it'll lock
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itself down. You can't clear those codes
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with a basic scanner. You either need to
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send the module to a service that resets
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crash data or replace it entirely.
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There's companies online that'll do this
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for around 50 to 100 bucks. Way cheaper
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than buying a new module from Subaru,
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let me tell you. Oh, and here's another
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thing. Water damage. If you've ever had
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water leak into your WRX, and trust me,
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older ones are kind of known for it.
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Check under the carpet on the passenger
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side. That's where the module lives.
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I've pulled modules out of puddles
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before. If it's got corrosion or rust on
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the casing, it's probably toast. Don't
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try to clean it and reuse it. Just
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replace it or send it out to get
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rebuilt. And if your scanner gives you
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something like module not communicating,
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double check the wiring harness and the
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fuses. Sounds obvious, but I had a guy
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bring in his 15 STI once. Turned out he
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blew the SRS fuse while jump starting
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the car. Yep, that's all it was. New
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fuse, light gone. So, always check the
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simple stuff first. All right, so real
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quick recap. Start with an SRS capable
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OBD scanner. Check the yellow connectors
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under the seats. Those are a classic
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trouble spot. If the steering wheel
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stuff is acting weird, check the clock
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spring. If the car has been in a fender
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bender, even a tiny one, you might need
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to reset or replace the airbag module.
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And if the passenger footwell's ever
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been wet, yeah, you might be dealing
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with a waterlogged module. Don't get
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overwhelmed by all this. Most of the
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time, it's something small and fixable
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in your own driveway with just a couple
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tools and some patience. And hey, if
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this helped you out or saved you from
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spending a bunch of money at the dealer,
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do me a favor, hit that like button and
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subscribe so you don't miss the next
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video. I post new tips every week and I
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always try to keep it real and easy to
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follow. Drop a comment if you've got a
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question about your WRX or STI. I read
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every single one. All right, stay safe
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out there and I'll catch you in the next
