Toyota: "check your airbags"!

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e9999

e9999

Gotta get out there...
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hmmm....
you know how Toy in its infinite US-lawyer-inspired (ptooooi...!) wisdom has decided to put up the ugly warnings everywhere on the visors etc. Of course, nobody reads these things.
Well lo and behold, my daughter the other day points out that it says that you have to check your airbags after 10 years and then every 2 after that (IIRC).
Which made me think that, eh, the first '95 80s are right there!
And it may be a good idea to not disregard completely said warning.
So what is one to do to check? Or not? DIY?
E
 
I had to have mine checked as part of my federal inspection , when I imported my 80 . Don't know what they did to check , sorry .. but it passed evidently . So I'm good for a while , I guess ...

TY
 
e9999 said:
So what is one to do to check? Or not? DIY?
E
Click to expand...

Well you could run in into a stationary object at say 30+ mph.......... :flipoff2:
 
I know with all the airbag equiped Mercedes we have had the airbags are REQUIRED to get changed at ten year intervals. Mercedes has this special replacement program where they rivet into your pillar a special airbag replacement serial number sign that authenticates the replacement program. As far as Mercedes goes, NO airbag is effective after ten years. In fact, I was told by the local Mercedes dealership who has been helpful to me while I restore my current restoration project that if a vehicle came equipped with an airbag and is more than ten years old they wont sell it unless the bags are changed and authenticated!!! Pretty serious stuff but I do not know how this translates to Toyota; I'm sure you could go to any toyota dealer and tell them you want the bag/s changed and they would do it but as far as I know it is not a scheduled service item? and as far as I know, it is not something so seriously regulated by the factory and the dealer? please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, perhaps this is poll material, but since we are all such maintenance freaks, how many have or are going to get the bags changed when the rig has its ten year old birthday???????? Or, is this one of those things that we read and say "yea right" to when we see the price tag???????? Thanks. :cheers:
 
reffug said:
Well you could run in into a stationary object at say 30+ mph.......... :flipoff2:
Click to expand...

Nah.... too easy, and one knows it is coming. Take a nice sharp electrical probe, hook it to a power source, and start jamming it in behind the airbag... sounds like fun to me!
 
Eric,

Based on the way you tinker, I would suggest you sub-let the inspection......:rolleyes:
 
I'd suspect that the 10 years limit is government regulated as in the system must perform properly for that length of time and then the lawyers jumped in and came up with the inspection after that time to protect the manufacturer in the event that the airbags failed and a fatality occured.

That is just a guess tho
 
landtank said:
I'd suspect that the 10 years limit is government regulated as in the system must perform properly for that length of time and then the lawyers jumped in and came up with the inspection after that time to protect the manufacturer in the event that the airbags failed and a fatality occured.

That is just a guess tho
Click to expand...


This seems likely, frickin risk management all over the place; the government mandates it in a way the manufacturers must abide by, then at the end of that limit the manufacturers mandate it in a way the consumer must abide by! Hey I've heard that if you Leatherique your airbag it will last another ten years!!! :D
 
T Y L E R said:
I had to have mine checked as part of my federal inspection , when I imported my 80 . Don't know what they did to check , sorry .. but it passed evidently . So I'm good for a while , I guess ...

TY
Click to expand...

:eek: Wow I just took the air bag for granted, that could be a big mistake what do they do to test them? :bounce:
 
Gold Finger said:
:eek: Wow I just took the air bag for granted, that could be a big mistake what do they do to test them? :bounce:
Click to expand...


They poke at em with sharp objects (i.e. add your favorite knife here _____ ) and see if they get a response......... :whoops:
 
I really don't know what they tested for ... I assumed perhaps it was something in the computer . Maybe a code that would indicate if it had gone off . Also you would think they must be able to quickly test if there is indeed an 'airbag' in that steering wheel ..

Problem was , jackasses were selling off used cars with soda cans etc jammed into the steering wheel .. or no bag at all ! WTF ?

I bet if someone called the right mechanic , or the RIV (Registrar of Imported Vehicles) and inquired , they'd get a more comprehensive answer .

TY
 
dosent the controller test all the circuits every start? or was that my Chevy? if so that takes care of electrical, the bag itself should be fine as ling as it stays dry, kept away fom sunlight and chemicals

on such a static system with no moving parts and almost no electrical load and self diagnostic's I would think you would do more harm than good by inspecting it

has anybody heard of one not going off when it should? (in an FZJ80), when we start hearing about that might be a good time ot start looking into it.
 
RavenTai said:
has anybody heard of one not going off when it should? (in an FZJ80), when we start hearing about that might be a good time ot start looking into it.
Click to expand...

Not in an 80 .. but I did have a conversation (in person) with a fellow that tours the US giving talks on airbag safety etc . One of the interesting things brought up was the fact that MVA's happen all the time ... and of course EMS arrives and there is the airbag ; deployed . But consider this .... how many of those accidents were caused by that very airbag deploying spontaneously ?!! SUbsequently knocking the driver into the ditch ...

Hmmm


TY
 
RavenTai said:
dosent the controller test all the circuits every start?
Click to expand...

Yes it does. When the key is first turned-on, the air-bag system is running a check. If the light does not go off, it means there is a problem, eg. high resistance, open circuit, short to gnd.

I'm a Chrysler mechanic, and we see alot of airbag lights. Most of the time it's in the Town & Country minivans, and they are due to an "open squib" in the clockspring which is in the steering column behind the steering wheel. The clockspring allows operation of the steering wheel mounted controls such as the cruise, or radio while turning the wheel. Chrysler actually has a recall on these. CHRYSLER HAS ALOT OF RECALLS!! If under 70K miles, it gets replaced. If over 70K, we check for DTC's. If no DTC's, it doesn't get replaced.

I've replaced a handful of passenger airbags in the PT Cruisers for open circuits, and there's also alot of Sebring Convertibles with intermittent airbag lights which is due to corrosion in the connector for the driver's seatbelt tensioner. This is the driver's side buckle which incorporates an explosive device that cinches the buckle in an impact, pulling the belt tighter against the occupant to keep them against the seat. Chrysler's fix for the corrosion is to unplug the connector, clean the terminals and apply some dielectric grease.

As for checking airbags every 10 years, that's something I've never had to do. I too have seen the warning label on my sunvisor and have wondered how it would be checked? I guess you could disconnect the battery, and unplug each airbag connector and check the resistance. but again that's what the Airbag Contol Module is for.
 
at least it doesn't say "*change* it" after 10 yrs, that would cost a penny or 2 I'm sure...

but it's one of these things where it may indeed be good policy to have an official Toy dealer do the checking...

(and that's regardless of how well one tinkers!!!!!!)

E
 
e9999 said:
but it's one of these things where it may indeed be good policy to have an official Toy dealer do the checking...

(and that's regardless of how well one tinkers!!!!!!)

E
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree. My last sentence was meant to mean a Toyota mechanic could check it, not the ownerhim/herself!!
 
unfortunately, since the dealerships likely never had to do one of those 10 years check, they will not know what to do -as usual- and attempt to convince us that we need the whole thing changed... :censor:
E
 
reffug said:
They poke at em with sharp objects (i.e. add your favorite knife here _is this the dagger I see be ahhhh__ :ban: __ ) and see if they get a response......... :whoops:
Click to expand...
I supose some just don't go off others pre. eh, are to sensertive and :whoops: go off on there own.
 
turbocruiser said:
I know with all the airbag equiped Mercedes we have had the airbags are REQUIRED to get changed at ten year intervals.
Click to expand...

That's strange, our dealer has no knowledge of this "exchange" program, and from what I've been told by both local dealerships as well as MBCA members and MBNA certified techs is that Mercedes recently extended the "expiration" time to 14 years because their airbags simply were not going bad. Don't know any of the technical details of this.

Our `86 190E has a driver's airbag (first car to have one, I think) and the SRS light has never stayed lit after the startup check. Wonder if the thing still works??? ;)
 
Derek,

If there's no fault (permanent SRS light), then it should be working fine. On mine ('86 560SEL) the air bag has been replaced in '96 (10 years) per the manual booklet suggestion by the PO. There's a stamp on the glove compartment's door that certified the replacement noting that the bag should be inspected every two (2) years after.

FYI,
Frank.
 
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