Air bag light came on after being hit

My 2010 Tacoma got hit by a drunk driver in my driveway two nights ago, the passenger air bag light has come on now& it was never on before. It’s the one on the clock consul in the center. Should I be concerned? Should I take it in to turn it off? I don’t like the light one bit! Should I just cover it with tape? I bought the truck 4 months ago from a dealership (only 37k miles as of today)& all these annoying lights people talk about in these threads were not on when I bought her. Now she is making an unusual squeaky sound and the airbag lights on as well as the passenger seatbelt light, none of these have been on since I owned her. Could it have something to do with being hit? & how do I turn them back off??

 

If the air bag light is on, that means there is a problem with the SRS (supplemental restraint system). With that light lit, if you are in an accident, the bags won't go off. The same for the passenger seat belt light.

You really should have it checked. I hate to tell you, but I think this can get expensive.

If you were hit, then your insurance company should be contacted. Cars have been totaled because the air bag system was compromised in an accident.

Yes it could be because of being hit. As for the squeaking, that is for another thread.

 

My 2010 light for passenger side always on as far as I remember . If a passenger under certain weight (child ) sits in pass seat under that light OFF will light up letting you know the passanger side air bag is turned off
This light you talking about correct ? the red passenger light .
If its yellow air bag light on dash then problem with airbag system.

 

Try looking under AIR BAG .You can kind of see OFF and ON

Noticed you said pass seat belt light also on ? Could be sensor under seat .
May as well take it in and let other guys insurance pay for it

 

Thank u for replying!!
I contacted my insurance & they are hopefully sending someone tomorrow to look at the truck. Then I can take her in to a shop. I’m afraid to drive her for the reasons U stated as well as because I have a big lift kit that maybe got damaged as she seemed to veer to the left a bit the one instance I did drive her to check out if anything happened. That’s when I noticed the lights on & the squeaky sounds.
Just to be clear it’s the airbag light that actually says ‘airbag’ & not the picture of the person and the airbag.
From my research it sounds like normally that light is on (?) but mine has always been off until the collision.

 

Mine in clock cluster has always been on . Off will light up under it to let you know its turned off if child is seated in pass seat .I believe latter models you can turn off pass side air bag with switch on panel .Not positive though .

 

Yes hemitruck it’s that red light in the center not the yellow one on drivers side. But it was definitely never on in my 4 months of owning her. And yes the on/off lights are coming on when I sit in the passenger side. As well as the passenger seat belt picture, which was never on before.
My truck has a decent amount of after market goodies, I bought her like that & I asked the dealership when I bought her to get rid of any annoying lights & specifically the drivers seat belt chime cuz I live in Hawaii and like driving down the beach without my seatbelt.
I suppose it’s possible they just decided to come back on? Coincidentally right after the drunk plowed through the yard, 2 inches from my truck and got stuck in a fence?
The cops came when the accident occurred & told me to move my truck out of the way so they could pull the car outta the fence. They said he didn’t hit me & I believed them until I drove her the next day. The neighbor said the drunk tried to hit & run but couldn’t get out of the fence, which I think is when he hit me, not when he came barreling through the yard.
Anyway the cops said I was lying about the lights & the squeaking and so I don’t think I’ll be able to use the drivers insurance

 

I’ll check out the sensor under the seat
Thanks!!

 

You need to take it to the dealer and have them go over it. Inform the dealer what happened and that you will probably be making an insurance claim. The airbags work on impact sensors and it seems like one of yours has taken enough force to make it register an impact. The vehicle was parked so the airbag didn't deploy but the sensor and/or airbag may need replacing. Talk to your insurance company and tell them you are taking it to the dealer to be checked over. Cops can be wrong and if the dealer says the vehicle was damaged then the insurance company can take over and go after teh other person's insurance if they had any.

 

Any other witnesses that can support your claim the cop told you to move your truck?
Any cameras catch the drunk?
Pics of the scene?
I would think the physical evidence would show within reason what happened.
Whether to cops corroborate what you’re say or not, you can file a report with them to file w your insurance.
Also get a copy of the accident report they did fill out- it occurred on your property. It could support your claims despite what they verbally told you.

 

Yea try checking making sure connections good under seat . If it was a problem with the SRS system the yellow air bag light would come on on dash .Try calling dealer Servco ? (I live in Hawaii too lol ) and tell them your problem and if its ok to drive to them .

 

Scotty Kilmer did a video on something like this with the Tacoma. It might be the airbag sensor up behind the grill. You can have it scanned and it may tell you which one it is. Watch his video.

 

Mahalo hemitruk I’m def gonna take her into Servco!! Everything under the seat seems ok.

Bajatacoma its been one hell of a long, strange trip! She’s going to the dealer for sure!⚡️♥️
So frustrated by the cops but I’m not surprised either

PzTank yes the whole neighborhood came out when the accident happened so I’ll talk to all the neighbors & see what kind of evidence I can collect. I can’t get any info on the police report until 7-10 days after the incident though.

You guys are so awesome thank you so much for all this feedback, I’m def gonna stay active on this amazing site!

 

I’ll check out Scotty, winkel!!

 

Ho brah Scotty is da man!