Toyota Rav4 SRS Warning Light

Heya everyone, and happy new year. The SRS Warning Light on my dashboard and the Seat Belt Warning Light are turning on every time I start my car. I haven’t had any collisions. The only thing I can think of is I was away for a week. While I was gone, a lot of snow and ice accumulated around my car. Can the cold affect it? I intend to bring it to a mechanic, but I’m wondering if anyone knows how much fixing the issue should cost, and also if there’s any way on my own I could potentially diagnose the issue? I moved to a new area and don’t have a trusted mechanic yet. I’m a young woman, and every time I’ve brought my car in for anything, they’ve tried to upcharge me in about a thousand different ways. Since this is something I know nothing about, I’m nervous to go in completely unaware. Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve already tried the yellow plugs underneath the seat. There’s about 170,000 miles on my car, and it’s a 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 Sport if that’s helpful. Thanks all.

You may have to get SRS fault codes retrieved

Take a screen picture with your phone

Autozone MIGHT do this for free . . . ?

There are “cheap” . . . I don’t know your finances . . . scanners that will do this, probably on Amazon. Make :100: %sure they will do SRS on your exact car

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You can either purchase a scanner that not only retrieves Diagnostic Trouble Codes, but also ABS and SRS codes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D32BNNQ9?m=A338X9NNA1JLZE&maas=maas_adg_1CFD874831EE1C91B4AB1C09F332AF07_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tw_source=bing&tw_campaign=482131476&utm_term=1232552846120231&tw_adid=77034733803583c&msclkid=cba5a015c6981af67f30c9485c998223&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=OM%20|%20Brand%20|%20Quiz%20Page&utm_content=Innova

Or you can take the vehicle to a mechanic, which will probably cost as much or more than the scanner.

Tester

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Another one for get the SRS codes scanned and report back…
As mentioned, most name brand auto parts stores such as O’Reilly’s, Advance Auto, and Auto Zone will do this for free…

Toyota’s (and sure other manufacturers) SRS system will cause a fault if the battery is weak. As others have mentioned, get it scanned to determine the exact cause.

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Have you used that scan tool? Looks very impressive. I have an older (at least 10 years old) scan tool that uses wifi to connect to iphone and thinking to replace.

@db4690 @Tester @davesmopar @MikeInNH Thanks all for the input. I found a friend with a tester who was going to drop it off tomorrow, but today the warning lights went off, so I’m incredibly confused. It was warmer today then it has been. Could that be it? It was on for two weeks straight every time I’d start the car.

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Don’t worry . . . That scanner will retrieve those stored SRS fault codes and then you’ll have sn idea what’s next

A defective clock spring can be effected by temperature, and can cause an intermittent SRS warning light.

Tester

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“Clock spring” means the coil-y wire in the steering column, not anything associated with an actual clock. That wire keeps the buttons, horn, and whatever that are built into the steering wheel connected to the car’s systems while the wheel turns back and forth. (Good advice from Tester, as usual, but OP might not understand the jargon.)