Airbag Check

[sotal]

Everytime I pull my sun visor down there is a warning label that says I have to get my airbags checked when the car is 10 years old.

The car is very nearly 10 years old, so do I HAVE to get them checked or is it a recommendation? Where do I go? How much does it cost??

[Bibbs]

Drive into a wall at about 60 .. that'll check the airbags ..

[sotal]

So it's soft at the first real push .. defo get the fluid done.

Or, pump the brake before you set off. Idon't wanna be reading another "I crashed my car" story please.

First you tell me that then you tell me

Drive into a wall at about 60 .. that'll check the airbags ..

Make your mind up do you want me to crash or not??

[mikeb]

I don't know sotal - your engine drinks oil, your brakes don't work, your airbag might be about to expire. Maybe crashing it is the best thing you can do for the poor old girl - put her out of her misery like. :P

[sotal]

I don't know sotal - your engine drinks oil, your brakes don't work, your airbag might be about to expire. Maybe crashing it is the best thing you can do for the poor old girl - put her out of her misery like. :P

cheeky git

So how come you haven't put your old girl out of her misery yet Did you even get airbags on her??

Oil consumption is well within the amount it should use according to the manual (up to 1 litre per 600 100Km) and that was when it was new

Brakes work after the first press

Airbags - who needs em - I wear my seatbelt

Looks like I'll have to sell elsewhere if I keep telling the truth about my celica on here! Anyone want to buy a Celica????

[daktari]

Looks like I'll have to sell elsewhere if I keep telling the truth about my celica on here! Anyone want to buy a Celica????

*Walks away quickly whistling.*

[chris202]

I don't know sotal - your engine drinks oil, your brakes don't work, your airbag might be about to expire. Maybe crashing it is the best thing you can do for the poor old girl - put her out of her misery like. :P

Looks like I'll have to sell elsewhere if I keep telling the truth about my celica on here! Anyone want to buy a Celica????

mmhm i'll swap you my packet of pickled onion space invaders for it ?

[Bibbs]

I don't know sotal - your engine drinks oil, your brakes don't work, your airbag might be about to expire. Maybe crashing it is the best thing you can do for the poor old girl - put her out of her misery like. :P

Looks like I'll have to sell elsewhere if I keep telling the truth about my celica on here! Anyone want to buy a Celica????

mmhm i'll swap you my packet of pickled onion space invaders for it ?

That's fair .. an open bag for some that may not operate ..

I'd suggest speaking to Mr T and finding out what they do to check them .. and then take it elsewhere for the same, but cheaper ..

[sotal]

So have all you lot with older cars got airbags or not???

Surely somebody must have a 10 year old car with an airbag????

[Special Red]

I have on my 1990 GTE!

[daktari]

So have all you lot with older cars got airbags or not???

Surely somebody must have a 10 year old car with an airbag????

Nah.. I leave her at home

[Bibbs]

My MR2 doesn't have any .. and the S2k aint that old ..

[GT4 BOOSTER]

as far as i know it takes 10 years for the circuit board to break down . it has a multi plug on the top of the module , toyota can plug it into a tester and check that the circuits are all ok and it will fire in the event of a crash - all toyota air bag module circuit boards are dipped into a plastic resin coating making them water proof in the event of water presence , but a human hand touching any componant on the circuit board contains enough salt to decompose some components and vias on the circuit board which takes approx 10 years.It may also have something to do with the air bag itself , the cloth decompossing or the gas levels in the firing cylinder ??? i used TO make all toyotas air bag modules - we at TRW still do them for toyota , but i run fiat , daimler chrysler mainly on my machine now.

[sotal]

Well you lot are as useful as a chocolate teapot in a microwave,

I just spent 5 mins searching the net instead of half an hour on here and I think I found out what I needed from a Volvo Forum.

Back in the 90's airbags hadn't been around long so they guessed that 10 years would definatley be OK, now after 10 years - they have now decided they don't need checking for 15 years.

The Volvo Dealer airbag check is free and involves the following:

Insert Key

Turn to Position two

Watch Airbag light come on

Watch Airbag light go off.

So I've checked my own airbag to Volvo's Standard (and they're supposed to be safer than Toyota!)

After 15 years though you *should* replace it as you won't be able to count on it, but it's only a Manufacturers Recommendation, not a requirement

------------------------

Sorry GT4_Booster your reply wasn't there when I replied, yours was more useful than the rest of these plonkers :P ;)

[GT4 BOOSTER]

SOME EXAMPLES OF DIAGNOSTICS OF AIRBAGS.SQUIB = 1 AIRBAG

21 Driver Squib Circuit Short To Ground C-04

22 Driver Squib Circuit Short To Battery C-04

23 Passenger Squib Circuit Short To Ground C-04

25 Passenger Squib Circuit Short To Battery C-04

31 Squib Circuit Resistance Driver High C-05

32 Squib Circuit Resistance Driver Low C-05

33 Squib Circuit Resistance Passenger High C-06

34 Squib Circuit Resistance Passenger Low C-06

44 Telltale (Check Light) Circuit C-07

48 Battery Voltage Low C-03

49 Battery Voltage High C-03

51 ECU (Squib Code) Not Programmed C-02

53 Reprogram ECU (Squib Code) C-02

55 Replace Electronic Control Unit (ECU) C-02

66 Squib Circuits Activated (Crash)

[sotal]

WTF???

So do I need to get it checked then?? if so does it need to be at a dealer?

[GT4 BOOSTER]

only a dealer will know the particular module , if you want to know if it will deploy for certain , have it checked , like i said i dont know what they 100 % will check , either the module which is like an ecu - the cloth bag or the gas firing cylinder, i just make the things sorry.

1 thing i do know it takes about 2 minutes to make an airbag module then 4 to 6 six hours of constant testing before they leave the building 100% working.

[mikeb]

My guess is that they only said 'get your airbags cheked after 10 years' in order to cover their ubiks if one failed to go off in an accident. I doubt that there is much that they can check on the unit itself without doing destructive testing (i.e. setting if off). They could check the circuitry but isn't the built in self check going to do that when you turn on the ingition anyway. The only other part to test would be the sensors I suppose. Older systems tend to have a mechanical trigger (ball bearing and spring kind of arrangement), newer ones have accelerometers to measure the g force.

The other possibility is to check that the detonator hasn't become unstable (allowing the airbag to false deploy - not pleasant). Again, I have no idea how the would test that.

No one ever thinks about getting seatbelt pretensioners tested and they have been around about as long as airbags. If I were you, I'd just fix the brakes and then you won't have to worry about the airbag!

[sotal]

Right - I thought I better what any normal person (I'm not normal ) would do and ring Toyota.

We've got two near us, so I rang the first one who told me I've got to take it in and have the airbag replaced at a cost of £828.22 inc Parts and Labour and VAT - I asked if I have really "got" to do it and they um'd a bit then said no I haven't got to but they highly recommend it. (I didn't like to ask if that was for both airbags or just one)

So I rang the next Dealer (one of the forum members with a GT4 works there) - They said for the 10 year check they just have to plug it in to the computer and read off any diagnostics codes from the airbag - which is done free at any service or is £25+VAT to be done on it's own. He then asked what the airbag light does which I told him it comes on when you start the car then goes off after about 10 seconds. Which he said showed there were no major faults stored but there could be something reported which doesn't show - so it would be better to have the computer plugged in.

So I'm happy to leave it as it is :) I know which Toyota garage I''ll be going to out of the two

[GT4 BOOSTER]

just wear your belt mate, airbags can snap your neck anyways if you sit too close.

[Special Red]

Basically the way the world is these days means that companies have to cover themselves and so the recommend alot of checks in order to save them from being sued but for £25 I would get it checked if your that bothered. The way I see it is aslong as the airbag light goes off everything is fine!

[sotal]

just wear your belt mate, airbags can snap your neck anyways if you sit too close.

At 6'3 there is no chance of me sitting too close!