The airbag malfunction light is blinking.  Is there a common cause of
this or am I stuck with taking the car somewhere to have it checked out?
I don't have a code reader or any other way of looking at what might be
causing the problem.

The car has to pass a safety inspection every year and this will cause it
to fail, but I'd like to get a general idea of what the repair might cost
before it goes in to be looked at.