craiger28

03 Accord EX 4cyl. 5 spd. How in the hell would the side airbag deploy just driving down the road with no accident occuring? I do have a yellow side airbag light blinking and a red airbag light on constantly. I am going to replace the seat with a good used one. What else will I need to do. Thanks in advance.

redbull-1

It may be a faulty side impact sensor or SRS control unit.

You may have to replace the side impact sensor too (should be located near the seat on the pillar b (floor board)).

Disconnect battery power for at least 3 minutes before working on it.

You may have to go to the dealership or an independent shop to clear the codes for the SRS unit afterward.

Hopefully, the SRS control unit is not faulty.

craiger28

RedBull, thanks for the reply. Can you be a bit more descriptive. (should be located near the seat on the pillar b (floor board)). Are you talking about the side post next to the passenger seat? The only air bag that deployed is the passenger seat air bag on the side of it.

redbull-1

It is on the floorboard. You will need to remove the seat assembly, front door sill trim and center pillar lower trim panel to access it. It is held in with Torx screws.

redbull-1

Just for informational purposes only, see the following wiki link regarding car pillars:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_%28car%29

redbull-1

There was a guy selling a Honda OEM side impact sensor for $15; but, he posted in May 2010. Don't know whether he still has it, you can try to contact him:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...162062&page=16

DELuth

The SRS unit cannot be reused after a deployment. You will need to replace it.

Were you the one driving when this happened?

craiger28

No, my customer was driving, no damage to him or car thank goodness, just the loud boom of the air bag. He thought he had a blow out on the tire. I have purchased the side impact sensor and a new used seat. Deluth, Will I still need to purchase the SRS unit since it was not in an accident?

2k.civic.si

Since this was faulty safety equipment the dealership by law is required to fix it free of charge.

DELuth

Yes.

If there is a deployment of ANY kind (seatbelt, buckle, airbag), the SRS unit must be replaced.

DELuth

well...

I have seen cars do some pretty crazy things, but I have never seen or heard of a Honda just blowing a belt or airbag for no reason. There is always an impact or vibration that caused it. Is a screwy impact sensor possible? Yes, but highly unlikely.

I doubt you are getting the full story, craiger28. I have people come in all the time that have a blown belt or bag that say they were "just driving along and it just went boom". Every single time, after a thorough inspection, I find the hidden impact point, usually under the car or sometimes on a wheel. I show the customer the scrape and they say something like "Oh, yeah, I guess I do remember hitting something now." People are strange. I think they get embarrased that they screwed up their car and don't want to admit to it, even if it ends up costing them a few more bucks. I hate calling any customer a liar, but I simply don't belive your customer.

Does the customer have huge subwoofers in the trunk? I have seen a powerful stereo blow side curtain bags in a Honda Pilot before because of the vibrations hit the SRS unit just right. The SRS units don't do well with vibrations. If you don't belive me, put in some earplugs, turn the key on, and remove the SRS unit with an air ratchet. BOOM! Then go clean your shorts.

The service manual says to replace any impact sensors tripped and I normally replace it/them, but in my experience you can reuse the impact sensors if they are not physically damaged. They still work fine after being tripped. The SRS unit locks up after a deployment and cannot be reset.

KWayRacing

@ deluth and OP

I could not agree more with Deluth. Customers are funny. I always want to tell them that it doesn't make it any cheaper if you lie. I have found bent control arms, wheels, rocker panels, towhooks, subframes, and on and on and on. All in cars that have "never" hit anything or so the customer says. I've seen unexpected speed bumps, parking blocks, and running over a 5 inch diameter limb set off air bags. I have had people complain the bags didn't go off when they thought they should have.... I always ask those people were they hurt in the accident always no and then I ask them did you really want your airbags to go off ughm no, but I have NEVER seen any airbag just go off for no reason. Customers are funny.

PlayForFun

I have worked as and with airbag technicians for the past three years, myself being an apprentices to the field and everything the post above me said is true. there has never been a recorded case of a pyrotechnic safety system in a vehicle simply deploying for no reason without some form of accident or tampering with the equipment.

The reason that the Honda SRS units cannot be reset is the internal circuitry actually takes a full 12v surge to deploy the airbags and as a result destroys the internals, every "re-flashed" or "rebuilt" SRS control unit I have ever dealt with has been faulty and simply a waist of time.

I would check the pre-tentioners on both seatbelt buckles and the reels themselves to see if they are deployed (buckles should be "sucked in") as that is a common effect of a side impact or rollover situation.

As for the impact season, the above post in correct, if it was an impact that caused the deployment and there is no damage to the impact sensor it should be fully functional, thous it is recommendable, not to mention legally required for insurance related work that they be replaced in the even of a deployment, and given the circumstances of the cause of the deployment being unknown I would recommend the entire system be replaced.

If you have any questions I would be happy to help any way I can, so please feel free to PM with any other questions.

siman.sss

Very useful info, thanks.

I have a question though. On 2006 honda civic (the european model) the front crash sensors and the seatbelt sensors look exactly the same but their part numbers are slightly different, the front crash starts with starts 77930 and the number of the seat-belt airbag sensors starts with 77970. Does anyona have an idea if they are compatible and interchangeable? I ordered front impact one but the seller sent me the seat-belt one and I was wondering if I can still use it or if I should return it and ask for the correct one.

Thanks