96 Legacy Wagon 138K miles

Hello! The Airbag Light just came on our Legacy wagon. Is this an expensive dealer service light trick like Volvos have, with an accessible reset button somewhere?? Or should I expect the bag to blow up in my face at any moment? Also, I'm getting the familiar light "clunk" from right rear when turning, sounds like someone tossing a golf ball at the car. Sounds like this is the rear shock, sway bar mount or frame flex from reading past postings, Thanks! Mike in NH.

Try disconnecting the battery for a half hour or so. If it comes back on then check with the dealer.

clunk sound could be a rear swaybar or shock, most likely shock

I rather get slapped by an airbag than to go to a dealer and get slapped by service-manager's charge!

When the airbag light comes on, it is indicative of a fault in the system. they do not reset by unplugging the battery or by multiple key cycles. The system is monitored constantly by the SRS control unit and the light will only go out when the fault is corrected. You can find out the problem with a simple scan by the dealer or anyone else with an airbag scanner (not a check engine scan tool like Auto Zone has). Once you know the codes and cause, you can decide if you want to fix it. As long as the light is on, the system is down and will not deploy even if you are in an accident.