I drive a 1997 Acura 1.6 EL and recently my SRS light came on while driving stays on all the time (except for when the car is off of course).

I took it to the dealer and they claim the SRS control module has failed. $738 for a new module.

I went to car-part.com to see what was available. And it looks like for under $200 i can get one.

However there were several model numbers that were listed.
- 77960-S04-N81 (from a 97 EL)
- 77960-S04-N92-M1 (98 EL)
- 77960-S04-N94-M1 (00 EL)
- 77960-S04-N81-M2 (96 Civic)

I entered my VIN to search for parts. Are they all compatible with my car? They are all "A" grade and the first couple listed are $200, and the last one is $75.

Any thoughts? And how comfortable are you guys with using a wrecker SRS control unit? Should i just spend the money to get a brand new one?

 

I would spend the money an get a new one, i would never trust anything used when it comes to saftey devices.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but I have heard of many instances where a salvaged unit is good becuase majority of SRS modules never fail if the air bags have not deployed yet.

 

get the part # off your old one and match it.

 

Thats true too, however it could have taken some sort of damage previously. imo i like knowing that if i get in a serious accident my airbags will deploy because i had it replaced wih a new unit not something from a junkyard pull.

 

damaged how? they either work or they don't. if there was an actual problem with it, there would be a code.

 

what i mean is that if you get one that you pulled from a junkyard you wouldnt know its throwing a code until you put it in.

 

in 96 you could get just a drivers side air bag so i wouldn't get that one if i was you . and did the dealer ship give you the code or just tell you the srs module was bad ?

 

I bought a used one that was fine. Just find a reputable seller.

 

Exactly, find a seller who'll stand behind his product and won't disappear after selling you a one that's defective and you'll be fine... so long as you buy one that's compatible with your car.

But if you buy the wrong part and it blows a code or the harness can't plug in, etc. then I can't fault the seller for not taking it back.

My SRS control unit recently failed with same error (I bought the car new and the airbags have never, ever been deployed) and my eyes started bleeding at the prices I found for used units, since Honda doesn't make my part anymore guys are just gouging mercilessly on used parts. Probably need to look into seeing if I can find a cheaper compatible part again... and when I say gouging, I mean it's broken into 4 figures territory.

 

i replaced the one in my integra for <$50.

buying one from a junkyard (not a pull a part) usually comes with a warranty that the part works.