Hello all,
I'm new to the forums and a new proud owner of a 2002 Acura 3.2TL =)

The car was bought used and has no air bags. I should be scared but I'm not, even though I routinely drive 80mph because it's so easy to go fast in my Acura (and no shaking!) hehe.

Anyway, the SRS light is on and it annoys me. I do not wish to get new airbags because I do not care for my personal safety. Is there a way to turn off this freakin' light??

 

How about the safety of your passengers??? You can't turn off the light, but you could unplug it if you take the dash apart. FYI...I don't think your seatbelts will work in a crash with your system like it is right now.

 

You don't think my seatbelts would even work? I tried pulling on them hard when I have them on and they lock like in any normal car.

Why would you think they wouldn't work?

 

which reminds me, i had a honda civic, also 2002 that had no airbags...but i got in a wreck with it 2 weeks after buying it and the seat belts worked fine. acura is built off honda i believe.

 

You are correct that Acura is built by Honda. I would be afraid the pre-tensioners won't go off. They fire-off using small explosive charges like the air bags, and their operation is controlled by the SRS module. If the SRS light is on, I'm not sure the pre-tensioners would fire. Glad you survived your Civic accident. How hard was the impact?

 

is this car salvage/rebuilt title or clean title?

Was any electrical work done recently- stereo install- something where the seats were unplugged? that can trigger the SRS light and need reset (search for it) if light comes back on--to the dealer you go

if no work was done- go direct to dealer
If clean title, there is a special SRS warranty to 10 years 150kmiles- may even cover salvage title cars for seatbelt extended warranty
that covers 99% of the parts that can fail in the SRS -per the Service Managers on here

make an appointment,,, right now you have no airbags
acura care can tell you the cars warranty and recall repair history 1-800-382-2238x5
register as the new owner with them

 

I don't think the warranty covers the air bags being physically missing lol. He literally does not have any air bags in the car.

 

Oh I get it now--must need to wear glasses when sitting here

junkyards/auto recyclers or internet search for airbag rebuilders

or learn to drive to avoid crashes and who needs airbags~

Many of us older folk grew up without any of this stuff,,
beyond `Moms Right Arm` as our restraint system

Who remembers riding backwards in the back of the station wagon, on the death seat- on amorall'd vinyl bench seats,,,and no seatbelts! at all!!!

 

reading OP again-
I suggest black model paint or electrical tape to cover the srs light
or dig way far into the dash to access bulb,
which could turn out to be an led for all I know lol

 

Do you need to go through annual state inspection/emission where you live ? If yes then you will need to replace it. If not and you just want not to see the srs light, try pull the cluster out and see if you can just pull the bulb, on some cars you can. If not then use black electrical tape and tape over it or tape the surrounding area of the srs light and spray paint it black. But if your state require inspection and emission they will reject it, visual inspection and not see any airbag where they belongs, or when they hookup the OBDII they will know.

 

get your airbags bro, you never know....

 

PM member Inaccurate
he gutted a gen3 TL for racing and knows a resistor or something you install to kill the srs light
His triggered when racing seats were installed and no more connections to seat sensors,,

result- no warning light- assumedly no codes since the system is being fooled

go to a race track high performance driving school- aka track days
in your TL- with a pro driver as your in car coach- learn to avoid crashes
I dont like airbags- for the small insurnace discount vs stories my friend the Emergency Room Doctor tells of the burns and injuries from the airbags

And with our gen2 now having recall on some for ~overly enthusiastic deployment of airbag~ can cause serious injury---they change the ignitor iirc- acura techs feel free to correct that info

but ck in with Inaccurate- his thread on the whole gutting job in gen3 is: Putting the TL on a diet

 

@jdjohn84: impact was hard, but no injuries. I was driving down the road about 30-35 in icy weather and a giant glass truck just pulled out in front of me. I couldn't stop and rammed right into the driver's side door. Police came, determined it was his fault. Insurance company paid me $4000 more than I paid for the Honda. That's how I got my Acura :p

@01tl4tl: reconstructed title...however my mechanic says their is little evidence of it having been totaled (besides just the exterior I mean).

@probmxstyle: you are exactly right..apparently local Russians make a killing on airbags, go figure.

So i tested my car today. I was driving 80 down the freeway and slammed on the brakes...sure enough my seatbelts clicked and held me in place. :p

It's hard for me to imagine it being legal to require seat belts to activate based on the SRS settings anyway...aren't and shouldn't seat belts be entirely mechanical so they NEVER fail?

 

I'm not an engineer, but I think the way the system is supposed to work is that the airbags will deploy and the seat belt tensioners will fire simultaneously to prevent you from slamming into the airbags. Without the airbags, maybe the seat belt alone will hold the passengers enough. Of course stomping the brakes at 80 is not the same as high-speed impact. Do what you want.

Like 01tl4tl, I'm not a huge fan of airbags, but I personally want mine to work. I know they can cause burns and broken noses, but were those people wearing their seat belts, too? And what would the injuries be withOUT the airbags?

I remember sleeping in the back floorboard as a kid, and some kids would sleep in the back windsheild. I actually hate seat belts more than airbags...seat belts wrinkle shirts

 

Yes, well, stomping the brakes at 80 is the only test I'm willing to perform I might have disregard for my safety but i'm not suicidal.

Never had much of an issue with seat belts myself though I like that I can count on something that is visible instead of something that MIGHT just pop out of my steering wheel spontaneously. But then I don't believe in God either. That is of course not a topic for this forum :p

 

And that, my friends, is the definition of irony.

 

Lol. No. Jesus Quintana is a character from the Big Lebowski.

 

the seatbelt pretensioners tighten up the belts with airbag deployment - so they snug up against you to protect you better

beyond that are inertial sensors - when you stab the brakes it locks the belt in position
thats a trackday trick- leaving the pits give it a quick brake ck so belts lock in place

iirc even rebuilt title cars can get the seatbelt extended warranty coverage- and srs if yours had airbags

 

Didn't for me. If the item is malfunctioning, yes, if due to an accident, no. If 'airbag deployment' code is thrown, no warranty SRS replacement. If 'seatbelt pre-tensioner fired' code is thrown, no warranty replacement.

Normally, insurance would pay for replacement. Once totaled (salvage, rebuilt), you are on your own, except for malfunctioning.

 

thats what I was trying to say-
even rebuilt title can get `some` coverage on safety parts
If those parts were triggered already as above- well no they cant hook you up, but if certain other parts fail-- they can be covered

All is not lost on rebuilts,,just most,,
but you got a deal and are aware of the risk--have a rainy day savings account for the TL and enjoy it in the meantime

 

Do you have the velour jumpsuit?

 

Lol. Well, I would like to get it fixed simply because the SRS light bothers my OCD :p

How much do you think new airbags cost?

 

do an internet search for replacement airbags + whatever you drive
probably several pages will show up

or call the local auto recycler yard

you will need way more than the bags- triggers and sensors etc

ck the thread in gen3 Putting the TL on a diet-
where a guy gutted the TL for racing and he knows where you can add a resisitor or something like that in line to prevent the light

 

I added an 'or' above because those are two mutually exclusive routes. The first will get you on a path to proper SRS operation. You would have to get a new SRS module as well in order to get fully operational.

The second suggestion is to clear the light with no airbags in place. What would be the point of installing airbags and then installing a resistor to turn the light off if the SRS system won't work anyway? If you just want the light off, install the resistor and nothing else. If you want the airbags to work and the light off, you will have to go all the way with it.

 

I though he just wanted the light off

I dont know airbag prices,,
but in general on a TL- thats what makes it a totalled car- airbag deployment--the cost exceeds the value to repair ratio for the insurance

who has actually replaced theirs?

 

^ And be careful...some resellers will skimp on SRS repairs to make more money, and then the buyer is stuck with getting it finished right. But no...I'm not bitter.

 

60 minutes on TV--found shredded newspapers and stinky old tennis shoes in rebuilt title cars with `replaced` airbags
How would you like that to deploy in your face! whack with a siz 12

Not as good as the old SNL skit where fresh popped popcorn came out of the airbag-
so you have a snack while waiting for the ambulance
Jiffy Bags!!

 

********
new to the forum, but wondering what ohm range is used to replace the airbag units so no ECU codes are being displayed??? Or can I just remove all the wiring for that system including the respective fuses & not have the MIL light on or error codes showing up on the scan device???
I have transplanted a 2003 TL 3.2 motor, drive train/suspension & tranny [complete with ALL of the TL's wiring harness] to my custom one-of-a-kind Attack K-1 car & obviously don't have airbags in this car. Similarly I do not have an ABS system, so how do I stop from having error codes for that system too??
This engine should move this car pretty fast, as it should only weigh 1900 pounds when done; usually they installed the 4 cyl. Honda H22 in them, but I wanted more with the Acura V6.
{check out pix of the build here >>> http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...pyder%20Build/ }

 

^ cant answer your question but i must say that thing is fawking sick!

 

A 2-ohm resistor should block the SRS error. Not sure about ABS.

 

pull the bulb on the dash. your seatbelts will still work fine even tho the SRS light is on because they're not electronically controlled (only has wiring running to it to show you're not buckled in)