spoiler900

I have a 2001 TL, bought it at 80K, now at 106K, so Ive had it for a little while now. I bought it from a used car dealership, clean title, but carfax showed it was in a small accident. Im not sure if the airbags deployed (I belive they did because my horn can sometimes be loose when pushing it it moves slightly, very slightly but still noticeable). Anyways I know there are scams out there and bad people who put back cheap air bags, but in the unfortunate event of an accident how do I know if they will deploy, is there a way to check or do I have to bring it to an Acura dealer for a full inspection. I dont wanna hand over the money for it but its a huge safety issue. Any ideas?

fsttyms1

The only way this side of driving the car into a wall to see if the go off is to have a SRS scanner check the system. Its typically a dealer tool. You can inspect the wiring and see if they are connected. Also the steering wheel airbag is molded to the cover, you can't replace it without it. I doubt its a knockoff. Also a small accident could be a scratched bumper that needed repainting or a dented fender and wouldn't necessarilr mean the airbags blew. Try tightening the cover to see if it fixes your loose feeling issue.

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

I got in a decent front end collision and mine didn't pop. The sensor is under the seat not in the bumpers so its not overly sensitive and blowing off airbags for tiny taps. Most likely it's fine and you just need a T30 torx to tighten it up some.

01tl4tl

I agree--airbag deployment is almost aways terminal--ie: Totals the car, which will show on carfax
a body shop can ck the cover and make sure its attached correctly

if you had bought is as salvage title- I would be very concerned about an airbag filled with nothing but newspapers and 1 old tennis shoe
so THATS what that smell was!!!

spoiler900

When i bought the car one headlight was noticeable newer, and the hood had a little oxidation so my guess is they bumped the front corner, not sure the extent of the damage but it looks great now

01tl4tl

thats a nothing accident

you may want to replace the other bulb,,maybe the housing if moisture is inside lens,
or a complete replacement hid parts kit as the ballast go bad

way better than stock and only 59 bucks! with bulbs included! sweet ziner deal from one of our trusted sponsers www.hidextra.com

01tl4tl

carfax usually has the dollar amount paid on the claim

$1000 is a tiny bump with little visable damage
2500,,a corner of the car with no frame damage
5000 they want to total the car!
airbag deployment 1 or more - automatic total

go thru the fluids and change each one, all easy diys and covered in the diy forum
then go thru and ck every bolt you can reach for tightness,know the car is all together!
clean TB and IACV

go all thru the brake system, clean and lube, flush all fluid
change spark plugs NGK, adjust valves (skilled job) clean egr system- important!,
CK YOUR TIRE PRESSURES!
36 all around is a good start--depending on tire size and make
32 is too low and reduces mpg
SEAFOAM!!

fsttyms1

There are more sensors than that The sensors under the seat are for the side airbag deployment.

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

I'm glad there's none in the center of the bumper/hood cause I woulda ended up eating airbag if so!

radiofred

iTrader: (1)

quick way of testing is when you turn on the ignition make sure the srs light comes on it should stay on for about 4-5 seconds then go off, within that time that you turn the car on the srs modules begin to check the whole srs system if there are no faults/issues found the light goes off "EVERYTHING IS GOOD AND WORKING CORRECTLY" if some thing is faulty thats when the light stays on and the airbag system is currently disabled

fsttyms1

Not necessarily. Too many people think that because they were in an accident the airbags should have went off, even if there was good damage. Thats not how they work. Put simply (there is more than that involved in modern srs systems) But they are decelerometers. If the impact isnt as hard or vehicle doesnt slow at a fast enough rate to go off they wont. And trust me you dont want them to go off if you dont need them to!

01tl4tl

the only concern is if you bought it salvage title and carfax noted airbag deployment.
and
you bought the car on the super cheap from a guy missing several teeth and a bunch of wrecks in his yard,,,

then the odds of having nothing more than used newspapers and one, smelly flood soaked tennis shoe in the steering wheel airbag,,,go up dramatically