Auto Airbag System Repair: Air-bag light, saturn sl, proper diagnosis

Question
Hi Glen
I parked my '02 Saturn SL-1 on the street and when I returned and started it the air-bag light came on and beeped.  I checked the front bumper and didn't see any damage.  I turned it off and back on--same thing.  When I looked at the steering wheel it looked like the center was lifting slightly on the right-maybe 1/8".  I drove to the closest repair shop where the mechanic told me in broken English "take dealer."  When I started it again it didn't come back on.  It was after 5:00PM Friday so I drove it straight home and parked it.  The closest dealer that works on Saturns is 11 miles away.  Now I'm afraid to drive it.  What do you suggest?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Nancy:
On most vehicles, the airbag light should come on for @6 seconds, and then go off if the system is working properly.  If there is a fault or a problem in the system, the light will remain illuminated, or flash continuously.  If the airbag light does not work properly, some vehicles have an audible tone that sounds indicating a problem with the airbag light system.  When the light is on (or the tone is sounding), the airbag will NOT deploy, even in an accident.   
The flashing light on your car is telling there is a problem.  On some vehicles, the light is flashing a two digit code.   Your vehicle will require a scan tool for the proper diagnosis, (and not the scanner at Auto Zone…airbag systems cannot be ready by that scanner)  
For more information on airbag lights and the system in general, please visit our company website:www.airbagsolutions.com
You do not need to buy a subscription unless you plan on fixing it yourself.  The resource and component pages as well as our blog will give you a lot more information

Good luck
Doug