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Both dashboard tell-tales show a seated figure with a belt across the torso. One is asking you to do something; the other is telling you something is broken.
Look for the circle. The seatbelt reminder is just a seated figure with a diagonal belt, and goes out when everyone buckles up. The airbag/SRS light adds a large circle or oval in front of the figure representing an inflated airbag — and it does not go out, because it signals a fault that may stop the airbags deploying in a crash.
Both belong to the Vehicle dashboard warning symbols system.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Airbag / SRS warning light | Seatbelt reminder light |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | people and objects | people |
| Airbag / SRS warning light | Seatbelt reminder light | |
|---|---|---|
| Visual difference | A seated figure with a belt AND a large circle/oval in front, representing the inflated airbag | A seated figure with a diagonal belt across the torso, and nothing in front |
| What it is telling you | A fault in the airbag/pretensioner control system — the equipment may not work in a crash | That a seatbelt is unbuckled right now |
| Can you make it go out? | No — it needs diagnosis and repair. It is not responding to anything you can do from the seat | Yes — fasten the belt, and it goes out |
| What to do | Have the restraint system diagnosed. Driving is possible, but crash protection may be compromised | Fasten your seatbelt |
| Normal start-up behaviour | Briefly illuminates as a bulb check at start-up, then goes out. Staying on is the fault condition | Illuminates with an audible chime while a belt is unbuckled and the vehicle is in use |
| Common misconception | Assuming it is a seatbelt nag and ignoring it — this one indicates a safety-system fault | Assuming a persistent light means a fault. If it stays on with belts fastened, check whether it is actually the airbag light |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Seatbelt reminder light — Both belong to the Vehicle dashboard warning symbols system. | Commonly confused with Airbag / SRS warning light — Both belong to the Vehicle dashboard warning symbols system. |
ISO 2575 governs the general colour and format conventions, but its per-symbol annex codes are paywalled and were not independently verified — both symbols' confidence profiles record this honestly.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Warning Light
RepairPal · retrieved 2026-07-27
About the Rear Seat Belt Indicator
GMC · retrieved 2026-07-27
A single manufacturer's own owner-support page, used only for the widely-standard seatbelt-reminder convention, not as an independent corroborating source.
ISO 2575:2021 — Road vehicles — Symbols for controls, indicators and tell-tales (preview extract)
iTeh Standards / ISO · retrieved 2026-07-27
Only the Scope, Clause 5 (colour conventions) and the Annex letter structure/summary table were accessible in this preview extract — full annex text with individual per-symbol registration numbers is paywalled. Used only for verified colour-convention (red/amber/green/blue) and annex-family facts, never for a specific symbol's exact ISO code.