Jim Grant's Tech Tips

'96 Honda Civic, Air Bag Warning

Q: Recently I removed the steering wheel on my daughter’s ‘96 Civic to repair the turn signal cancel cam. I am certain that everything is back together correctly and all connections are good. The problem is the SIR light stays on. Disconnecting the battery does not reset the SIR computer. How do I clear the codes in the SIR computer.

A: The Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR), in other words Air Bag warning light is telling you that there is a system problem. If you happen to turn the ignition on while the driver’s side air bag was removed the SIR computer would have quickly noticed that the air bag was missing and set a diagnostic trouble code. This would result in the SIR warning light coming on. Unlike other computer systems that lose all their memory when the battery is disconnected, the SIR’s computer on your Honda does not forget. To turn the SIR warning light off will require a computer scan tool or special tool to connect to the memory erase connector. You do want to know why the warning light is on; it may have nothing to do with your work, there may be a system problem. Have your vehicle checked at a repair facility to be sure your air bag system is operating safely.