Toyota Sienna 2006 airbag light on - serious safety issue

potat

Hi,

I looked up the service history of a Sienna 2006 (have been planing to buy the minivan) and found that it had a few incidents with AIR BAG ON. When I initially searched for 2006 Sienna I mostly hit the door latch problems. Looks like the airbag issue has been reported on several blogs and there is no recall yet on this issue.

My question is, if I buy extended warranty, whether this would cover the repair cost or not. Or, should I stay away from 2006 Siennas? If so, which models/years should I avoid?

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

ateixeira

Not if the original warranty expired already. When there is a lapse, they will not cover pre-existing conditions.

potat

I guess there is power train warranty on the vehicle. Dealer says that I can buy extended warranty. The issue is, extended warranty covers electrical probs., not AIRBAGS. So not sure how this works!

ateixeira

Yeah, powertrain would cover the engine, transmission, drive shafts, etc., but not air bags.

Sounds to me like the dealer is just eager to sell a van...

fibber2

Can you get a read on what was done to address the previous owner's complaints? If the service dept responded "No Trouble Found" and thus took no action, is it really a pre-existing condition?

I see a few ways to go:

1) Get them to guarantee in writing that they will cover any airbag issues for the first year, given that it is an unresolved issue in the van's history. I don't have the full details, but from the Toyota Owners Warranty Info site I found the following line, so you might already be covered:

Powertrain Coverage: 60 months/60,000 miles (engine, transmission/transaxle, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, seatbelts and air bags).

2) Is the selling dealer a Toyota dealer? Ask them if the vehicle could be sold as a "Certified Used". It costs the dealer about $1k to do the inspection and file the paperwork, but then you get a full 1 year bumper-to-bumper new car style warranty in addition to a powertrain extension to 7 year, 100k miles. That is well worth a $1000 - $1500 premium, and you might be able to negotiate that down depending on the circumstances and how hungry they are.

3) Look into a Toyota Platinum extended warranty. I hear mixed things depending on who you talk to, but it seems that Toyota dealers can sell vans that are out of the 3/36 warranty and then get full coverage added (sold as Certified Used or not...). Under "computers & electronics" it does list airbags and sensors.

Let us know how this works out!

potat

Thanks, Fibber.

Great tips. Let me see what they can offer me.
Yes, I am looking at the extended warranty.
Thanks so much!

wysockigal

I want to comment on the Airbag light issue. One time I took my 2006 Sienna in for service at the dealer for my 100,000 mile service. At that time my airbag light was on, but I also had a lot of work done that day (timing belt replacement, brakes, ect.) My total bill was around $1000. It was all preventative maintainence. I asked about the airbag light, and they said they just "reset" it and it was fine, and did not charge me for that fix. I think, since I spent so much money on that service, that they felt they had alrady gotten enough money, so they did this fix for free. This got me thinking. How can it be such a simple fix? Fasy forward six months. Again, my airbag light went on again. It always seems that my airbag light would go on after long trips. I finally made a the connection about why it would go on only after long trips. It was because of the storage tray UNDER the front passenger seat. Before you think I am crazy, read on. When my family and I travel on long trips, we store all our charger cables for video games and phones in that passenger seat storage tray that slides out from under the front passenger seat. It seems that moving this tray in and out causes the wiring harness for the airbag to come a little loose which makes the airbag light come on. If you take a look under the front passenger seat, you will see the harness right there. It is bright yellow. I just unhooked the wiring haress and re-connected it and the next time I started the car, PRESTO! no more airbag light. It is this smae fix that works every time that airbag light comes on. Before spending $1000's at the dealer, try my way first. I only charge $0.

fibber2

Interesting, and good observation! I noticed how very vulnerable that connector is attached to the front-right corner of the seat base, and wondered how long it would take before someone simply snagged it getting into the van (like my teenage daughter - trouble always seems to find her!).

wysockigal

I am just wondering if this is a common fix for all 2006 Sienna Minivans, or if my situation is just a fluke. I guess we will see if this fix helps other people. I hope so.

potat

Thanks, Wysock for your helpful comments. Yes, your great tips will be definitely be helpful to other owners. Greatly appreciated. Once again thanks Fibber for your valuable points.

Here is my status, I bought a 2006 Toyota sienna, CE a week ago. This was from a private party, a local vehicle. There are no issues as such, other than a driver seat belt coming on and off. My mechanic checked the vehicle and recommended it after checking the vehicle and told not to worry about the seat belt issue as this is more likely a sensor issue, costs about $50 or so for the sensor.

I happened to check with the dealer where the vehicle has been serviced, and they told that there are no issues with 2006 Siennas.... I did contact toyota customer service center (toll free number) and I was told there has been a technical service bullettin (TSB) that has been issued to fix the air bag issue - but no recall. Now, with the recent toyota recalls and the recent issues, I would assume that toyota would issue a recall if the issue has been serious (may be I am wrong?). So, after considering all the factors I decided to buy the vehicle. So far I am satisfied and hope this lasts for several years!

Thanks for all your helpful tips.

fibber2

Some people do Sudoku to keep them sharp and entertained, we do cars! Glad we could help.

So this is a different '06 from the one you originally came to the board about? That was from a dealer, this a private party. Sounds like you made out OK. Glad to hear it.

Concerning TSB's.... Usually they constitute little more than a brief, bulletized advisory for the shop's use to highlight problems that seem to be coming up more frequently. Ultimately, I view them as somewhat self serving, as they save Toyota on warranty cost overruns by not having a thousand techs troubleshooting the same issue over and over. Most clearly state that they only provide free service during the basic 3/36 warranty (or 5/60 for powertrain issues). If you beg, you might get some consideration after the warranty. But unlike a recall, these carry no further obligation.

potat

Hi Fibber,

I have been looking at Sienna's for the past few months. The one originally I looked at (and posted the airbag issues) was for 06, from the dealer, base model. I also saw one 05 XLE at the dealer, but the price was too high ($3400), compared to 06 base. As I mentioned before the ext. warranty was a min of $1400. In the mean time, I saw a craigslist post by owner, and that is the one that I bought! It took over a week
for the process, seeing the car a few times, getting it checked, etc., but I suppose it worked out fairly smooth.

Thank you!!

myrtlebeach

My 2006 Toyota Sienna I bought at Sparks Toyota in Myrtle Beach has had the air bag light on since I purchased it in 06. It was worked on regularly for 2 years and had every possible thing replaced. The airbag light was still on when the warranty expired and Sparks would not fix it as a warranty issue. They said the bags would deploy....it was just the light that didn't work. Now that our family is grown we want to sell or trade the van but have found out the bags will not work due to this issue. Don't buy this van....their may be no fix. We have literally had the passenger seat replaced, the center console bag replaced, the sensors in the dash replaced, the seat belt replaced, the wires and connectors replaced...our light is still on.

fibber2

If the airbag light is on, there is a problem with the system. As you don't know what the problem is, you really have no idea without physically testing them whether they will deploy.

The SRS system is covered under the longer powertrain warranty (5/60), I believe. If the light really never went out you should be in touch with Toyota Customer Care and report this.

myrtlebeach

I think you will find the link below interesting:

http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/2006/Toyota/Sienna/Airbag

fibber2

Sad to see such a long list. But other than the last few, virtually all began in the 70k to 100k+ region, and after several years. Yours reportedly began when new, and has never been resolved. If so, you shouldn't be paying a penny and should not continue to be driving a vehicle equipped with multiple air bags that might never deploy if needed.

frieguy

Thank you so much. Your tip worked like a charm after thinking all day I was going to have to spend 3,000 to get this fixed. Thanks again.

guyintrouble

I am having the same trouble. I am glad I found your solution. However, I don't know what you mean by ' unhooked the wiring haress and re-connected it'. Do you mean that you pulled out the wires off the bright yellow harness and put it back? I would greatly appreciate your further assistance. Thank You.

easyme

Thanks for the tip, it worked. Have had the problem for a few years off and on. Always corrected by wiggling this plug. This time it did not work. Saw your post and unpluged and it worked. Drivers side issue.

At the 100,000 mile check up last year it was on and ask the dealer to check the seats for this issue. Told him I suppected the drivers seat.

When he called me he said it was a short under the floor mat and he had contacted Toyota and they had agreed to cover the cost of new airbags but I would have to cover the cost of the labor which would be $3500.. Needless to say I said thank you.

went home and corrected the issue as in the past.

Thanks again

tiroart

YES!!! My 2006 Sienna airbag light started blinking for the first time in 106,000 miles last week. The Toyota dealership where I've had it serviced since new "diagnosed" replace the harness for $570. Today I found your post and realized I had pulled out the compartment under the passenger's seat last week to empty and clean it (something I do every 3 years!). So I just went out, removed the plastic compartment, unplugged and replugged the yellow harness plug, started the car twice, and THERE IS NO BLINKING AIRBAG LIGHT!!!!!

Thank you "wysockigal" for solving the problem that Toyota mis-diagnosed!! I will now tell the Service Manager that I'll keep coming there with my 2 Toyotas if she'll send me a copy of her email to all her service consultants and mechanics about the wysockigal airbag light fix!

And I'm now registered for Edmunds.com forums for good.

Cheers.

potat

We all owe a BIG THANK YOU to 'wysockigal' for his observations and diagnosis and his easy fix. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! Your fix has saved us a lot of time and money.

Tiroart, I do not know how your toyota mechanics are. But, the recommended TSB for the airbag issue is replacing the harness/airbag. If you are interested, you can go to your toyota and they can print the TSB for you. Once you share 'the easy fix' your service consultant and mechanics would save time, but will continue charging the customers as much as they can. What one should do is to list wysockigal's easy fix in asmany forums possible so that people are aware of the issue and its easy fix, and they can try it themselves.

To be honest, my experience with toyota shops are not great. They need your business and that's all what they care. Here in Beaman Toyota, they quote you a price over the phone - $400 + taxes (for replacing a water pump, toy. camry 1999, w parts and labor) and when you reach the shop to get the order written, the total goes up to $675 + taxes. :mad: And I drove out my car without completing the order.

Have a good week!

texan999

@wysockigal
I have been researching this issue on several blogs.
Every ASE & Toyota tech that has chimed in recommends taking to dealership.
Everyone that does this reports back that Toyota replaced airbags, wiring harness, etc... and they continue to have the same issues.

I myself was an ASE tech and have tried various things to troubleshoot this.
Your recommendation resolved the issue. I unplugged the yellow connector under the passenger seat and it worked.

Now I wonder how many people have spent money on this for no reason.

Thanks wysockigal, you rock girl!!!

hungkim

Hi Taxen999,

Would you send me the solution how to fix airbag off, I did try to reconnect the yellow connector in passenger side but it did not work.

Thanks
Hn

easyme

Problem not always on passenger side, mine was drivers side.

hungkim

I tried both side but it is still airbag off

ckgrick

My great thanks to wysockigal along with all the others. My 2006 Sienna light started blinking after only 20,500 miles, so I think it may be more a matter of time and/or using the plastic tray under the passenger seat. I figured out how to unplug the yellow connector (careful not to lose the little springs); repluged and voila! No more dire warning light.

As an aside, after a number of Toyotas, this is my last. It came brand new with a battery that was hit and miss on holding a charge, stranding us in a ferry line once (live on an island). Then the side power door went south. Next the driver door welds went. Not a satisfied customer.

earamiro

Thank you so much! and i was about to bring my van to a dealer for check up. glad i saw your post! You have helped a lot of folks!

bigblues03

I was about to tell my husband about the srs warning light issue today (it's been on for a couple days now) but I decided to "google" the prob myself first and low and behold I fixed it using your solution!! As a matter of fact I remember about a wk ago my husband pulling out the plastic bin under the passenger seat saying "huh what's this? did u know this was under there?" We have never used that bin so have never had this issue before. So him pulling it out for the first time must have wiggled the yellow wire just enough to set the light off. We have about 79,000 miles on our van so I was hoping it wasn't going to be a $$ fix, sure enough it was free and I fixed it...easily!!! Thank you!!

ausnbri

Unplugging the yellow wire harness is only a temporary fix. This only resets the system until it runs the test again. I was very excited when my light went off, however it came back after about 800 miles.

popimpexpress

___MUST_READ_____If you fear the safety of your family and/or passenger as well as yourself please take a few minutes and read my post and then hopefully you will utilize the link I'm providing along with this information.
I'm posting this in hopes that we as parents, as citizens, As Americans will stand together and demand that something be done about this safety issue that Toyota for some reason has not been held accountable for. A widespread safety problem with which we have entrusted ourselves and our families' safety with.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), should've long ago demanded this issue be resolved at the satisfaction of any reasonable 2006 Toyota Sienna owner. The NHTSA has this listed on their website which tells me that someone up there is doing their best NOT to do their job. Just read this that I will now COPY and PASTE directly from their website at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

"Report Your Safety Complaint Form Approved: O.M.B. No. 2127-0008"
"Why your complaint is important
Your complaint information will be entered into NHTSA-ODI's vehicle owner's complaint database and used with other complaints to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists. More...
If a safety-related defect exists in a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment, the manufacturer must provide a remedy at no cost to the owner. Your complaint is the first step in the process.
We do not have to receive a specific number of complaints before we look into a problem. We gather all available information on a problem. Your complaint is important to us."

So please just take the time to submit the proper complaint and lets try to get some real results. Here is that link again. https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

potat

Hi,

If unplugging just resets the system, then can't one do it using the OBD diag. tool or by disconnecting the battery? I agree this is a temporary fix for 2006 airbag issues, but many times if you unplug the connector, the warning sign goes away do not come back for 1000's of miles.

Now, if all of us register a complaint with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as popimpexpress pointed out, there is a good chance that the dirty Toyota corp will issue a recall. I had called Toyota and they said they have issued a TSB (Tech. service bullettin). So Toyota is aware of this issue, but not willing to issue a recall.

Let all of us please register a complaint regarding the airbag issue and see how this would help us. Please take 10 minutes of your time and file a complaint.
Thanks a lot!

rainman16

Excellent advice, popimpexpress. The SRS light on my 2006 Toyota Sienna came on yesterday. Vehicle only has 52,500 miles. I took it down to the dealer to see if it was covered by Toyota. Trouble code was B0111. I am out of the warranty period. Initial estimate for the labor alone was $1600. So I am guessing it will easily be over 2,500 OTD.

I still registered a complaint. What do I have to lose? Hopefully, Toyota will issue a recall to fix this problem.

potat

Thanks, rainman for registering a complaint! Good job. I hope more and more people register their complaints so that the issue is taken up more seriously!!

ckgrick

Excellent advice and information. I have done my duty per your advice.

I now have another warning light(s) issue with these lemon cars, but not too surprising.

rainman16

Potat,

Let me ask this. It seems that people have reset the SRS light. What are the affects of doing this? Doesn't that just "hide" the fact that there something still may be wrong with the SRS? Right now, the Toyota mechanic told me that the airbag has been disenabled. I am afraid that it may deploy accidentally as I am driving.

I got an automated email reply from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration when I submitted my problem. Can I expect to hear back from them?

Thanks in advance.

ckgrick

I understand your concern. I would say that after you reattach the connector and the warning light does not turn off or comes back on shortly, you likely do have some kind of issue that will require a visit to a dealer.

Why Toyota engineers put the SRS system cables right under the pull out tray on the passenger side where it gets bumped is hard to fathom. I don't use that tray anymore.

The NHTS Administration email is all you're going to hear from them. Enough complaints of the same nature and hopefully they will initiate a formal inquiry.

sienna_owner1

Here is my story. My 2006 Sienna airbags intermittently and unpredictably become non-functional. That is, the warning light goes on and off at unpredictable intervals. I am told by the dealer service representatives that the airbags are non-functional (i.e., system shut down) when the warning light is flashing. This is a severe safety concern to me for the sake of my family. It is galling since the airbag system was a major selling point of the car. Attempted repairs by dealer on August 4, 2009 under warranty replaced the airbag assembly on one side but did not fix the problem of repeated intermittent failure. After the vehicle was out of warranty, Toyota refused to address their failed attempts at repair, and I was quoted well over $2,000 to fix the problem as per Toyota service bulletin T-SB-1062-10 on July 20, 2011. This proposed repair apparently included replacing the previously replaced airbag as well as the assembly on the other side. I delayed the repair at risk to family on account of the extreme cost. Also, I appealed to Toyota corporate representatives since the problem had been a persistent and unremedied one since during the warranty period. Recently, the Toyota dealer informed me that a new Toyota service bulletin isolates the defect somewhat from previous Toyota T-SB-1062-10 and reduces the cost of the repair to somewhere near $400 (although I paid $47.50 to learn that). But after that recent service by Toyota on June 20, 2013, the warning light is off again, and the airbags are presumably functioning again for a while. This intermittency has been the problem with getting this defective airbag system fixed under warranty as it should be. Also, the intermittent and repeated failure of the units suggests a faulty design and a safety defect that should be addressed in all of the vehicles. I have seen similar airbag concerns of other 2006 Sienna owners on various online bulletin boards. I did file a complaint at DOT, but I know how effective that will be ...

potat

Hi Rainman,

Just missed your query. Once you are resetting the SRS airbab (which in most cases is a connection issue - at least per the discussion), it goes back. In general, if it doesn't come back after 200 miles or so, it is fixed (Similar to waiting for a few drive cycles to complete after resetting).

I do not know whether airbag deploys just when you are driving. Don't be scared of toyota dealers/reps who scare you. And in this context, how come Toyota has reduced the cost of the repair to ~ $400 for Toyota T-SB-1062-10 (See recent post by sinenna_owner_1), more likely they have come accross this discussion thread and trying this out themselves!!

Sure this is a serious safety issue and we will have to wait for any action from NHTSA - which depends on the number of complaints/accidents/reports etc.
Again, if you know a sienna owner who has similar issues, just ask them to file a complaint.....

Thanks!!

fibber2

A few comments, FWIW:

1) Per your previous question, B0111 is not a code that the average person can readout or reset thru the OBD port. In most cases, all you can access with a generic reader is the P0xxx drivetrain codes. ABS, SRS, body ECU, etc., are not part of the generic OBD standard and thus require TechStream or other enhanced readers.

2) While removing the negative battery cable will wipe out codes, it's not something you will want to do unless you need to, as it also wipes out other essential learning that can impact driveability. There is a whole other set of TSB's related to what to address if removing a terminal results in a van that will not idle right, or even start. You should, however, disconnect the battery and wait a few moments before fussing with any airbag circuits. There is a residual power supply (capacitors) to ensure that the airbags still deploy in the event of a power cut in an accident.

3) B0111 indicates an open circuit (bad wire, bad connector) in the airbag squib (sensing and firing) circuit. The factory service manual includes this line when troubleshooting:

After selecting the check mode, perform the simulation method by wiggling each connector of the airbag system or driving the vehicle on a city or rough road.

So apparently someone at Toyota gets it that this might be something very simple, and replacing EVERYTHING shouldn't be the first course of action.

kandsnj

Thank you for this post, your fix worked for us. The airbag light went off on my 2006 Sienna at about 38,000 miles several years back, and through a bit of internet research I found that the warranty for this problem had been extended so we were covered. I was annoyed at our local dealer, who charged us $100 to "clear the code" from the computer because "it shouldn't have been there" (what does that mean?) and did not otherwise repair the car, so that the airbag light lit up again within a month. When I took it back to the dealer, the car was repaired under warranty (extensive repairs and hours of labor, removing and replacing the seat etc.). Last weekend, on the way home from a long trip, at about 76,000 miles, the light went on again. I found this board and this post, and my husband disconnected and reconnected the airbags under both front seats. The light went off, and has not come back on! Maybe we never needed all those repairs the first time around either, and the fix is really this easy. I am grateful for this information and am hopeful that we have solved the problem. Thank you!

t2surfer

Thanks for this post. I was looking at a $2K-4K dealer fix for the blinking SRS warning light on my 2006 Sienna. Just by sliding the storage tray under the passenger seat and wiggling the yellow cable there, the SRS warning light went out!

wittster2

Just had my air bag light fixed - this was the second time I had to pay to get this fixed. I told dealership that I would expect a recall on this problem but they told me no because they had corrected the problem. Told them there were a lot of 2006 Sienna owners having this same problem... At the same time, I had all the latches replaced on sliding door and the other one. They did cover that due to the recall a while back. I had waited 1 1/2 years with broken doors for that recall. Always loved my Sienna but these problems are dangerous and Toyota needs to address and pay for Air bag .
Now they tell me I need to replace timing belt by 100,00 miles or else... Is this true?
I did register complaint with National Highway for air bag light, doors and those damn run flat tires that didn't last very long.

bobb12

Thanks for the postings here. I bought a 2006 Sienna and the airbag light came on the day after I bought it. After reading the posts here, I looked under the front seats to find the yellow cables, simply wiggled the connections as I applied some pressure, and the light went out. I have to wonder how many people have paid when a faulty connection was their only problem.