UPDATE FIXED* Clock spring replaced problem solved! - Airbag light stuck on
 

Original Post ***So... anybody ever have this light come on randomly for no reason? Ive had the truck 7 years and never had this issue.

I believe any recalls that were out for the 4runner airbags have been addressed

I checked under seat connections, all looks and felt fine. I don't want a takata airbag to the face.***
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Update*** Had the code scanned which after doing some google searching all signs pointed to Clock spring. I ordered an OEM genuine toyota part off ebay. Part number in picture.
-Also disabled my TPMS light while I was already there.

Quick Write up with steps. :

-Disconnect Battery for at least 10 minutes.
-3 Phillips screws around steering column shroud (must turn wheel side to side to get each screw but always return to center)
-remove shroud and small plastic cover plates on each side of wheel
-Remove 2 T25 screws that loosen but dont completely remove
- Pull horn/airbag assembly towards you gently.
-disconnect Horn ground wire, Radio control Plug and the Red and Black airbag power (from the airbag side!) CAREFULLY
-Remove horn/airbag completely
-19mm nut for steering wheel
-Always return wheel to center after loosening nut
-use steering wheel puller( I didnt) or Bang on the wheel a few times and it will come loose, then simply pull towards you.
-Careful of wires!
- remove wheel completely
-Remove 2 plugs on bottom of Clock spring Black one and yellow one. CAREFULLY not to bend the pins!
- Remove 4 small phillips screws holding clock spring
-install new clockspring and make sure wheels are straight and the clockspring is set to center!!!
-retighten 4 phillip screws
-carefully break orange tab off and make sure its still center!
- replug in the 2 plugs to the new clock spring on the bottom.
- reinstall steering wheel snug!
-Becareful of wires!!
-Plug back in radio wire, ground to horn and airbags CAREFULLY
-Snap center horn/airbag into place and retighten T25 screws
-Reinstall Shroud
-DONE!

noone? lol

Prob need to get a cheap copy of techstream and read the module for faults for better direction. There's many more points of error than the under seat plugs, what made you go to those? Recently have the seats out?

Nothing really made me go to those other then its easy access, since I was on my way to work when this happened this morning. I have read other threads in the past on other toyota's that the wire harness under the seats and to the belts could get weak or frayed over time causing similar issues.

The light went off when I drove it on lunch and then came back on while driving. so something is weird. Im going to try to get it scanned later. Didnt know if there was a common culprit to look for though.

Scanned the code finally. B1181 was what I got.

I believe its for the Clock spring.

Update*** Had the code scanned which after doing some google searching all signs pointed to Clock spring. I ordered an OEM genuine toyota part off ebay. Part number in picture.
-Also disabled my TPMS light while I was already there.

Quick Write up with steps. :

-Disconnect Battery for at least 10 minutes.
-3 Phillips screws around steering column shroud (must turn wheel side to side to get each screw but always return to center)
-remove shroud and small plastic cover plates on each side of wheel
-Remove 2 T25 screws that loosen but dont completely remove
- Pull horn/airbag assembly towards you gently.
-disconnect Horn ground wire, Radio control Plug and the Red and Black airbag power (from the airbag side!) CAREFULLY
-Remove horn/airbag completely
-19mm nut for steering wheel
-Always return wheel to center after loosening nut
-use steering wheel puller( I didnt) or Bang on the wheel a few times and it will come loose, then simply pull towards you.
-Careful of wires!
- remove wheel completely
-Remove 2 plugs on bottom of Clock spring Black one and yellow one. CAREFULLY not to bend the pins!
- Remove 4 small phillips screws holding clock spring
-install new clockspring and make sure wheels are straight and the clockspring is set to center!!!
-retighten 4 phillip screws
-carefully break orange tab off and make sure its still center!
- replug in the 2 plugs to the new clock spring on the bottom.
- reinstall steering wheel snug!
-Becareful of wires!!
-Plug back in radio wire, ground to horn and airbags CAREFULLY
-Snap center horn/airbag into place and retighten T25 screws
-Reinstall Shroud

Awesome! "Easy" enough. I love it when people actually come back with a conclusive post and then you go even further to explain. Good work.

Thanks! I couldnt agree more, the most frustrating thing is searching the forums to find people who beg for help with the same issue and there is no resolution. So i end up reading 10 threads that have no ending. There should be some sort of time limit on theads that dont end in a result, where the OP most check a box after a month with a resolution or something unless its a different thead type or something.

I restored my steering wheel to stock, from a Taco, and the airbag light stayed on. No codes popped up in the scanner, so i figure the Dealer has to fix it. Never could find anything else that worked.

I didn't replace the clock spring, but I did replace my steering wheel. Left the battery unplugged for 30 minutes before taking anything apart. Took out the old steering wheel, transferred all the parts over to the new one. Fit flawlessly. No airbag light.

Kind of related, but I bought a 2007 Ford Fusion AWD 4 year ago. About a couple weeks after I purchased it, that exact airbag light came on, even though I didn't work on the car at all. Took it to the dealership and pulled the codes. They said they were pretty sure it wasn't the module or sensor, maybe something in the wiring (sounding expensive). I elected to stay with the light on since I rarely had a passenger.

Thanks for the thread, and coming back and posting you solution! Basic walk through, but all that is needed. I did this without any hiccups following your directions.

One thing I'll say is to remove the shroud around the steering column AFTER you remove the steering wheel.... with the battery disconnected, it's an unnecessary pain to turn and hold the wheel to remove the 3 screws that hold the shroud in.

To my belief I bought an OEM clock spring off Ebay ($40), however I noticed that the OEM one has a yellow tag around it, where as my replacement one has a green tag(see below)? Either way if it becomes a problem, its a simple enough job to replace again and I'll get one from Toyota directly if the need ever arises.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/80634168@N05/49915846408/in/dateposted-public/" title="Clock Spring &amp; Trim Wrap"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49915846408_5c10b61dbc_c.jpg" width="800" height="662" alt="Clock Spring &amp; Trim Wrap"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Thanks for this thread!

The SRS light illuminated on my 2007 4Runner, and I was able to troubleshoot and fix myself after reading this thread. An additional contribution to this thread...the Android OBD Fusion app (with 2007 4Runner adder) and a elm327 OBD2 scanner was able to communicate with the SRS computer to get the trouble code. This app saved me the cost (and trip) of the dealership reading the trouble code. I called O'Reilly, Auto Zone, and Advance Auto, but the rep that answered at each store stated that their free ODB2 reader could not read SRS trouble codes.

The trouble code was "B1181 Open in D Squib (2nd Step) Circuit" which indicates an open circuit for one of the circuits to the steering wheel airbag.

I ordered a new spiral cable (clock spring) from the online store of a Toyota dealership which is about 30 miles one way from my house; so I had it shipped. I saved about $100 compared to the price of 3 closer Toyota dealerships. Since the spiral cable is part of the airbag circuit, an eBay spiral cable did not seem like a good idea. But who knows...maybe the quality is the same...and the "stealership" has a huge markup.

The new spiral cable is installed, and the SRS light did not return after a 30 minute test drive.

Thanks for the writeup! About a month and a half ago my airbag light came on too. I had the dealer read the code and they said the clock spring was bad. So I bought a Toyota one from them and replaced it. The airbag light turned off... success! Well, then I noticed the steering wheel creaked whenever I turned it, which the sound must be coming from the clock spring since it was what I changed. Since the install was so simple I couldn't figure out what I did wrong, even after taking the wheel off again to look at it. Anyway, fast forward a month an a half and the airbag light comes back on. Wanting to get rid of the creaky clock spring anyway, I started there and bought a new Toyota one off eBay. Well the airbag light is off, but the creak (slightly different now) is still there. Any ideas what I could possibly have done wrong in the install? Thanks!

Creak solved! There were these tabs on the back of the clock spring that connect to the steering wheel position sensor. They must have had some kind of lubrication that had long worn off after 15 years to keep them from rubbing on the sensor connection. I put some electrical tape on the tabs and the creak is gone! :cowboy:

I don't often see the airbags themselves failing electrically (i.e. short/open) unless it's something really weird going on. I think I've only seen maybe two? in my entire career that just failed by themselves...

So any of those "Squib D" DTCs or codes indicating an electrical issue in the steering wheel airbag usually signal to me that something else is going on. I'll usually play with the horn, cruise control, and such while pulling the vehicle into the stall and sweep the wheel looking for tell tale signs of the spiral cable acting up. Most of the time I will have something like the horn stops/starts working only at specific spots when the wheel is turned or the backlight on the cruise control flickers. So by the time I actually hook up the scantool, I'm already expecting to see corroborating DTCs.

Though I have seen some bad aftermarket alarm installs cause similar issues, but that's a different story.