June 16, 2025 • 9 mins
Ron Ananian joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about how serious it is when the airbag light is on in your car dashboard.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, over the past few weeks, we've been taking a
tour of your dashboard and trying to figure out what
all of those warning lights mean, and how about the
airbag lights. That's what's up next. That Ron and Aian
is the host of The Car Doctor, which is available
weekly on the iHeartRadio app. He's also owner of R
Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey. Good morning, Ron, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning Larium Great.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Let's talk about it. The airbag light.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The airbag light. This is a biggie. This is and
this seems to be the one everybody ignores because it
doesn't affect the way the car runs, It doesn't affect tires,
it's not about engine operation. It's this annoying red light,
orange light that came on the dashboard. I don't know
what it means. I'll just keep driving now. It may
not say airbag, it may say SRS Supplemental Restraint system.
(00:56):
It may be orange, it may be red. You should
open up the owner's manual and identify which light on
the dashboard for your particular car is the airbag light.
But it's it's critical. I can't stress how critical it
is because when they design cars for safety and this
is the biggie, all right. When they design cars for safety,
(01:17):
they design crush zones. Are you familiar with the term
crush zone?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
First time I've heard it, So, crush zone.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
If you ever watch a NASCAR race, You ever watch
a NASCAR race and you see how the cars break
apart on an accident, that's the crush zone. They've determined
that when the car gets hit from this angle that angle,
that's how it's going to come apart, but keep the
passenger compartment intact and keep the people person inside safe.
They've taken that technology and they have applied that to
(01:44):
the automobiles we drive every day. So now they create
a crush zone idea. They now put seat belts in
and they design air bags. It's a supplemental restraint. It's
there to work with a seat belt. So when your
air bag light comes on, your car's air big system
will not work in the event of an accident.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
You know. I was told I was told by an
automotive guy just recently and well within the last couple
of years. When I say recently, that he goes, remember
all the Volvo commercials, how safe they are and how
safe they were, and people bought Volvos for that reason.
He said, sure, all the cars are safe. Now, that's
what he told me.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
They are. They're a lot safer. There are some that
are not as safe as others. But they still need
that air bag, they still need the seatbelt, you still
need all the components as designed to be operating, because
when that airbag light is on, that means there's a
problem in the system and they won't allow that big
to deploy.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Here's a term I've heard for the first time. What
are stored codes.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Stored codes means that well, cars have store all cars
have stored codes engine controllers. But in terms of an airbag,
we're looking for, are there any faults in the system
in history? But you won't see it. Le'll explain it
this way. You won't see an air bag system with
a history fault code. Why is that? Because they're always stored,
(03:08):
They're always there. They take air bag faults and failure.
So seriously, it's an instantaneous check. Remember, in some of
our previous conversations, I would say that it would take
the right operating conditions and the right temperature and the
right length of time for the engine to run before
it would set a fault code YEP. In the case
of an air bag, that decision is made the moment
(03:29):
you turn on the key and energize the car and
start it up. It's looking at its circuits for continuity,
resistance and all the other tests it does, and it
does it in a microsecond and decide airbag's working good,
air bag's not working bad, store a code and turn
on a light.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
You know, it's fascinating. I heard recently also that AI
is now involved in keeping our cars safer? How does
that work?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
AI? They're using AI to help design some of the
systems and some of the you know, positioning and placement.
They're using AI a lot in the development of the automobile.
They're also using it in the diagnosis of some of
these systems. You're now seeing a little as a little aside.
You're now seeing and it's starting at the dealership level
where some dealership techs are now walking around with with
(04:16):
with goggles on and just like you would have a
heads up display in front of your vehicle, like Corvette's Cadillacs,
some of those have heads up displays to show you,
you know, spinometer and critical gauges and so forth. We're
now using AI in the in the in the glasses
to display an image in front of us. If we're
looking at a car for wiring and the wiring is
right in front of us as we work, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I think sometimes a lot of people don't trust these
warning lights because they go and get them checked out
and they're told, oh, you know, that's nothing, don't worry
about it, that's nothing. They't worry about it. But the
airbag light, I guess would be different.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Air bag light is different. Airbag light is complete, is
absolutely going to impair and prevent that vehicle from being
as safe as it possibly can be as designed. You know,
I always say, you know, I order repair is so expensive, Larry.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Why is that?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Because sometimes people just don't know how to diagnose and
they either guess or they tell you don't worry about it.
So you've you've got to you've got to come to
the realization that if that light is on, I don't
care what system we're talking about, but it particularly airbags,
if that light is on, there's a problem.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And that's just specifically with the airbag or all the
different warning lights that go on.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, all the different warning lights. We want to pay
attention to But but air bags, see air bags. Let
everybody cheat because the car still runs, all right, everybody
gets out, you know, some people will get out that
that role of black electrical tape and just hey, I
fixed it. Uh, they don't, they don't, They don't. They
don't see the problem until they until when and if
(05:49):
haven't forbid, they get into an accident, and then then
then they find out the air bag doesn't deploy. Remember
the Takata airbag recall, and I think it's still going
on from ten years ago. The problem with those cars,
and that was spread across so many vehicle manufacturers around
the world. Dakata just had such issues. But all those
(06:09):
vehicles with the airbags on, people were given loaners when
they were available because those vehicles were unsafe to drive,
the air bags wouldn't operate.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Is there any kind of legality in not paying attention
to your airbag your air bag not working?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, that's a great question and I don't have the
answer to that. I remember when airbags first came out,
Mercedes actually started it to their credit, Mercedes, older Mercedes.
You will find the air bag is date coded because
the first initial thought was after ten years were going
to require all air bags to be replaced, but when
(06:45):
they found out what it would cost, everybody kind of
balked at that and we sort of slid that idea
under the table because realize how an airbag works in
an airbag car. You ever see an airbag go off?
I have, Oh it's you know, I've seen them deployed
in class. When we go to safety class, that air bagel,
that air bage will go twenty five thirty feet in
the air. It's crazy. It goes off like a shotgun
(07:06):
shell when they set.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Them off, and it goes off so quickly. I mean
the fact that it can prevent you in an accident
from hitting that dashboard which is what you or your
steering wheel, and that's what prevents serious accidents. That's it's
really amazing that it can happen that quickly.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Right, It's sort of one of the reasons and we
should mention this. You're driving your car. How do you
drive your car? Larry? Do you drive one hand two hands?
Do you crush your left to your right or you know?
Are you are you? You know?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
It varies if there's no cars around. On one hand,
that if there's cars around, I usually go to two hands.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You know, they always say that, you know, you should
have your hands at ten and two. Yep, and not
in front of the horn pad, because if that air
bag goes off, it'll slam your forearm into your chest.
It might break your forearm and may not be able
to do the job it's designed. You got to remember it.
You've got a projectile in front of you. You've got
an explosive force in front of you. You've got to
be aware of that. Not the freaking everybody out on
(08:00):
a Monday morning.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, you just freaked me out. I'm not going to
be driving that way anymore. Ten and two, ten and
two from now on. If if the I have to
get my earbag fixed, is my car going to be
out for a while.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It depends on depends on the part, depends on what
it needs. You should at least find out a lot
of cars it's it's not a big deal. A lot
of cars, believe it or not. The seat belt goes bad.
Seat belts are sort of many air bags in a
sense that they have an explosive charge in them. In
the event of an accident, it will lock you in
place and prevent you from slamming forward or sideways, so
(08:39):
sometimes the seat belt goes bad again. It's part of
the air bag system. Honda's had a pile of those.
We recently had a car within the last eight months
where we had an older Honda Civic needed a seat
belt and they don't make the part anymore. It was
a twenty year old Honda. We had a scrounge and
we found one. But up until then I had to
explain to the customer be aware. I don't know what
(08:59):
to tell you. I can't get you a seat belt.
The airbag light's on, it's not going to work in
the event of an accident, and it's complicated. You should
at least get it checked out. Don't ignore it, would
be my answer, and be aware of what we're dealing
with and consider getting it repaired. And it's not going
to fail inspection, at least not in New Jersey. I
think it should, but it doesn't. But from a safety perspective,
(09:22):
that vehicle is not as safe as the manufacturer designed.
That that's the bottom line.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
All right, great advice. I'm sure there's people out there
right now that have the airbag light on that you've
just maybe you saved their lives. Ron and Nadian, host
of the Car Doctor, which is available weekly on the
iHeartRadio app, and owner of Our Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey.
Talk to you again next week.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Ron, Thanks Larry be Well
Well, over the past few weeks, we've been taking a
tour of your dashboard and trying to figure out what
all of those warning lights mean, and how about the
airbag lights. That's what's up next. That Ron and Aian
is the host of The Car Doctor, which is available
weekly on the iHeartRadio app. He's also owner of R
Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey. Good morning, Ron, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning Larium Great.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Let's talk about it. The airbag light.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The airbag light. This is a biggie. This is and
this seems to be the one everybody ignores because it
doesn't affect the way the car runs, It doesn't affect tires,
it's not about engine operation. It's this annoying red light,
orange light that came on the dashboard. I don't know
what it means. I'll just keep driving now. It may
not say airbag, it may say SRS Supplemental Restraint system.
(00:56):
It may be orange, it may be red. You should
open up the owner's manual and identify which light on
the dashboard for your particular car is the airbag light.
But it's it's critical. I can't stress how critical it
is because when they design cars for safety and this
is the biggie, all right. When they design cars for safety,
(01:17):
they design crush zones. Are you familiar with the term
crush zone?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
First time I've heard it, So, crush zone.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
If you ever watch a NASCAR race, You ever watch
a NASCAR race and you see how the cars break
apart on an accident, that's the crush zone. They've determined
that when the car gets hit from this angle that angle,
that's how it's going to come apart, but keep the
passenger compartment intact and keep the people person inside safe.
They've taken that technology and they have applied that to
(01:44):
the automobiles we drive every day. So now they create
a crush zone idea. They now put seat belts in
and they design air bags. It's a supplemental restraint. It's
there to work with a seat belt. So when your
air bag light comes on, your car's air big system
will not work in the event of an accident.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
You know. I was told I was told by an
automotive guy just recently and well within the last couple
of years. When I say recently, that he goes, remember
all the Volvo commercials, how safe they are and how
safe they were, and people bought Volvos for that reason.
He said, sure, all the cars are safe. Now, that's
what he told me.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
They are. They're a lot safer. There are some that
are not as safe as others. But they still need
that air bag, they still need the seatbelt, you still
need all the components as designed to be operating, because
when that airbag light is on, that means there's a
problem in the system and they won't allow that big
to deploy.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Here's a term I've heard for the first time. What
are stored codes.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Stored codes means that well, cars have store all cars
have stored codes engine controllers. But in terms of an airbag,
we're looking for, are there any faults in the system
in history? But you won't see it. Le'll explain it
this way. You won't see an air bag system with
a history fault code. Why is that? Because they're always stored,
(03:08):
They're always there. They take air bag faults and failure.
So seriously, it's an instantaneous check. Remember, in some of
our previous conversations, I would say that it would take
the right operating conditions and the right temperature and the
right length of time for the engine to run before
it would set a fault code YEP. In the case
of an air bag, that decision is made the moment
(03:29):
you turn on the key and energize the car and
start it up. It's looking at its circuits for continuity,
resistance and all the other tests it does, and it
does it in a microsecond and decide airbag's working good,
air bag's not working bad, store a code and turn
on a light.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
You know, it's fascinating. I heard recently also that AI
is now involved in keeping our cars safer? How does
that work?
Speaker 2 (03:54):
AI? They're using AI to help design some of the
systems and some of the you know, positioning and placement.
They're using AI a lot in the development of the automobile.
They're also using it in the diagnosis of some of
these systems. You're now seeing a little as a little aside.
You're now seeing and it's starting at the dealership level
where some dealership techs are now walking around with with
(04:16):
with goggles on and just like you would have a
heads up display in front of your vehicle, like Corvette's Cadillacs,
some of those have heads up displays to show you,
you know, spinometer and critical gauges and so forth. We're
now using AI in the in the in the glasses
to display an image in front of us. If we're
looking at a car for wiring and the wiring is
right in front of us as we work, it's crazy.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I think sometimes a lot of people don't trust these
warning lights because they go and get them checked out
and they're told, oh, you know, that's nothing, don't worry
about it, that's nothing. They't worry about it. But the
airbag light, I guess would be different.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Air bag light is different. Airbag light is complete, is
absolutely going to impair and prevent that vehicle from being
as safe as it possibly can be as designed. You know,
I always say, you know, I order repair is so expensive, Larry.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Why is that?
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Because sometimes people just don't know how to diagnose and
they either guess or they tell you don't worry about it.
So you've you've got to you've got to come to
the realization that if that light is on, I don't
care what system we're talking about, but it particularly airbags,
if that light is on, there's a problem.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
And that's just specifically with the airbag or all the
different warning lights that go on.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, all the different warning lights. We want to pay
attention to But but air bags, see air bags. Let
everybody cheat because the car still runs, all right, everybody
gets out, you know, some people will get out that
that role of black electrical tape and just hey, I
fixed it. Uh, they don't, they don't, They don't. They
don't see the problem until they until when and if
(05:49):
haven't forbid, they get into an accident, and then then
then they find out the air bag doesn't deploy. Remember
the Takata airbag recall, and I think it's still going
on from ten years ago. The problem with those cars,
and that was spread across so many vehicle manufacturers around
the world. Dakata just had such issues. But all those
(06:09):
vehicles with the airbags on, people were given loaners when
they were available because those vehicles were unsafe to drive,
the air bags wouldn't operate.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Is there any kind of legality in not paying attention
to your airbag your air bag not working?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, that's a great question and I don't have the
answer to that. I remember when airbags first came out,
Mercedes actually started it to their credit, Mercedes, older Mercedes.
You will find the air bag is date coded because
the first initial thought was after ten years were going
to require all air bags to be replaced, but when
(06:45):
they found out what it would cost, everybody kind of
balked at that and we sort of slid that idea
under the table because realize how an airbag works in
an airbag car. You ever see an airbag go off?
I have, Oh it's you know, I've seen them deployed
in class. When we go to safety class, that air bagel,
that air bage will go twenty five thirty feet in
the air. It's crazy. It goes off like a shotgun
(07:06):
shell when they set.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Them off, and it goes off so quickly. I mean
the fact that it can prevent you in an accident
from hitting that dashboard which is what you or your
steering wheel, and that's what prevents serious accidents. That's it's
really amazing that it can happen that quickly.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Right, It's sort of one of the reasons and we
should mention this. You're driving your car. How do you
drive your car? Larry? Do you drive one hand two hands?
Do you crush your left to your right or you know?
Are you are you? You know?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
It varies if there's no cars around. On one hand,
that if there's cars around, I usually go to two hands.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
You know, they always say that, you know, you should
have your hands at ten and two. Yep, and not
in front of the horn pad, because if that air
bag goes off, it'll slam your forearm into your chest.
It might break your forearm and may not be able
to do the job it's designed. You got to remember it.
You've got a projectile in front of you. You've got
an explosive force in front of you. You've got to
be aware of that. Not the freaking everybody out on
(08:00):
a Monday morning.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, you just freaked me out. I'm not going to
be driving that way anymore. Ten and two, ten and
two from now on. If if the I have to
get my earbag fixed, is my car going to be
out for a while.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It depends on depends on the part, depends on what
it needs. You should at least find out a lot
of cars it's it's not a big deal. A lot
of cars, believe it or not. The seat belt goes bad.
Seat belts are sort of many air bags in a
sense that they have an explosive charge in them. In
the event of an accident, it will lock you in
place and prevent you from slamming forward or sideways, so
(08:39):
sometimes the seat belt goes bad again. It's part of
the air bag system. Honda's had a pile of those.
We recently had a car within the last eight months
where we had an older Honda Civic needed a seat
belt and they don't make the part anymore. It was
a twenty year old Honda. We had a scrounge and
we found one. But up until then I had to
explain to the customer be aware. I don't know what
(08:59):
to tell you. I can't get you a seat belt.
The airbag light's on, it's not going to work in
the event of an accident, and it's complicated. You should
at least get it checked out. Don't ignore it, would
be my answer, and be aware of what we're dealing
with and consider getting it repaired. And it's not going
to fail inspection, at least not in New Jersey. I
think it should, but it doesn't. But from a safety perspective,
(09:22):
that vehicle is not as safe as the manufacturer designed.
That that's the bottom line.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
All right, great advice. I'm sure there's people out there
right now that have the airbag light on that you've
just maybe you saved their lives. Ron and Nadian, host
of the Car Doctor, which is available weekly on the
iHeartRadio app, and owner of Our Automotive in Waldwick, New Jersey.
Talk to you again next week.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Ron, Thanks Larry be Well
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