Read the Airbag (SRS) Warning Light Flash Code

If the airbag (SRS) warning light is lit on your second-generation Impreza — the GD saloon or GG wagon, including the WRX and STI — a generic OBD-II scanner will not tell you why. On this generation the airbag control module reports its faults as a blinked flash code on the dashboard light, read by grounding a pin of a hidden diagnosis connector. This guide shows how to retrieve that code, what the numbers mean, and how to clear the memory once the fault is fixed.

Why you can’t scan an Impreza airbag light with OBD-II

An OBD-II code reader talks to the engine management system. The airbag module is independent of it and has no OBD-II output on the GD/GG Impreza — instead it drives the warning light in a coded flashing pattern through its diagnosis connector. So the way to see the fault is to make the light count it out for you.

Retrieve the airbag code

The diagnosis connector is a small six-pin connector (labelled B82) tucked into the lower trim of the instrument panel, near the steering column. Its top row is terminals 1 and 2; the bottom row is 3 to 6.

1. Switch the ignition ON (you do not need to start the engine).
2. Ground terminal No. 1 of the diagnosis connector — connect it to the connector’s ground terminal.
3. Watch the airbag warning light and read the pattern. A long, 1.2-second flash is a “ten”; a short, 0.3-second flash is a “one”. Tens come first, then ones — so two long flashes and one short flash is code 21.
4. Switch the ignition OFF and disconnect the ground from terminal No. 1.
5. Tape over the ground terminal and return it to its place.

If, instead of a code, the light simply blinks at a steady even rate — 0.6 second on, 0.6 second off — that is the “normal” signal and no fault is stored.

Impreza airbag flash-code list

Codes 22 and 55 mean a device has already fired and must be replaced — single-use items. Anything in the 11–16, 31–32 and 41–85 ranges is a circuit or component fault to be traced and repaired.

Clear the airbag memory

Do this only after the fault itself has been repaired — otherwise you are just hiding a live airbag problem.

1. Ignition ON.
2. Ground terminal No. 1 of the diagnosis connector (call this ground “A”).
3. While the warning light is flashing, also ground terminal No. 2 (ground “B”).
4. When the memory clears, the light goes back to the even 0.6-second flash. If it does not, a fault is still present — repair it and clear again.
5. Ignition OFF, remove both grounds, tape the ground terminal and put it back.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work on a WRX or STI? Yes — the GD/GG airbag system and its diagnosis connector are the same across the range, so the read and clear steps are identical.

My scan tool reads engine codes but nothing for the airbag light. That is expected. The airbag module is separate from the OBD-II system on this Impreza and only reports through the flash code above.

What does a steady one-per-second blink mean? The even 0.6-second-on/off pattern is the normal, no-fault signal. A stored fault shows as the long/short counted pattern instead.

I cleared it and the light returned. The fault is still live. Clearing only wipes the memory; a returning SRS light means the airbags may not work in a crash — get it diagnosed properly.

Drive a Forester too? The Forester SG uses the same airbag flash-code method — see reading the Forester SRS code.

Looking up a specific warning light or trouble code on your Subaru? Our sister site autodtcs.com covers diagnostic trouble codes.