Airbag Light blinks/can’t clear code

[BigRedMoose]

All,
I took a trip recently where my 2009 Nissan Pathfinder SE turned 200k miles. It’s still the best running car in my garage! While on the trip the airbag light began to blink. I did a Google and found a YouTube clip to turn the key on, wait til it blinks and then turn it off, wait five seconds then repeat until the light turns off. I must have done that three dozen times and at one point there was a different pattern to the blinking…a couple of short blinks and a long blink or something…but it reverted back to a consistent blink. I took the car to my mechanic. He saw a code for a right side air bag. He could clear the code, the code would go away and he would turn off the ignition. Turn it back on and the light would blink again. Tried resetting the computer by removing the negative battery post. Didn’t fix it.

This vehicle was wrecked about four years ago…front end damage and air bags did not deploy. The police were surprised that the airbags didn’t deploy as well as I was. I am wondering if the module for the airbags is even working properly or how to check or if anyone had any other recommendations on how to reset the light? But if there are bigger concerns about the airbags not even working properly then I would also like to hear what you had to say about that as well.

Thanks for any help!!!!

[VStar650CL]

Nissan "bag brains" are as reliable as anything else in the industry, and very sophisticated. They use three to four crash-zone sensors plus a 3-axis accelerometer to calculate both the speed and vector forces of a crash and deploy only what needs to be deployed to protect the occupants. In accidents where a smaller vehicle hits a larger one or the crash occurs at an angle and speed where the forces aren't great, it's not uncommon for nothing at all to deploy, or only the belt pretensioners. If some bags or tensioners aren't working, that won't prevent the brain from using whatever working resources it has. It also does an extraordinary amount of self-checking every time you cycle the key. If you can post the exact code it's throwing then we can give you more help with a probable diagnosis, but it's very unlikely the brain itself has any issues.

[VStar650CL]

PS - Bag codes are also "historic". They can't be cleared completely until the underlying problem is resolved, although on some older brains the codes will clear temporarily until the key is cycled. Newer ones won't clear at all until the DTC that caused the problem passes the self-check and goes "past".

[BigRedMoose]

I am fairly certain it was B1126

[VStar650CL]

I am fairly certain it was B1126

I'll look it up tomorrow in ASIST and post back.

[BigRedMoose]

Something else that may go with it…there is a seat belt light that flickers. I have isolated that to the passenger side. I am wondering if they are all part of the same harness?

[VStar650CL]

Depends which airbag is involved. If it's the passenger side bag then possibly, if it's the passenger dash or curtain bag then no.

[BigRedMoose]

Little bit of an update:

So I rewatched the YouTube video and determined I may not have done the reset properly. After I did the key to on back to acc three times I got the different cadenced blink. I let that go 30 seconds then back to off for 10 secs and then back to on. The light turned off. I turned the car back off and then all the way to start. The light was off for about 15-30 secs (enough time for me to get my phone and snap a pic) and then it started blinking again.

[BigRedMoose]

I am fairly certain it was B1126

I'll look it up tomorrow in ASIST and post back.

Thank you for helping me out

[VStar650CL]

B1126 isn't valid for an '09 Pathy, but if it's B1129 then it's the RH side airbag located in the seat back. The airbag itself is almost certainly not responsible, the problem is almost always the under-seat wiring or a kink in the airbag lead-wires inside the seatback. We're not allowed to repair SRS wires for legal reasons, but you can DIY it if you know the rules and follow them. Read and understand this article thoroughly:

https://www.nicoclub.com/archives/my-ai ... -i-do.html