Airbag SRS 7-2 help

11398 Views 15 Replies 5 Participants Last post by EX5spd, Nov 25, 2009

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · Oct 17, 2009

Hi,

Brought my 04 to the dealer since my airbag light came on for no reason several months ago. They immediately noticed my battery was getting low, and got a diagnostic code 7-2 which they say is an SRS unit failure. They told me it could be caused by the bad battery. Well I did replace the battery and attempted to clear the code to no avail.

Being out of warranty with only 35k miles, I was wondering if there were any other possible causes/remedies Im not aware of. Being that I dont have the $1,200 they want to replace the SRS unit, Just curious if anyone else has changed it out themselves. Any help or advice would really be appreciated.

Thanks

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

wipeout97

· #2 · Oct 18, 2009

How did you try to clear the code? The SRS unit can not be cleared from the OBD access port and this is what I am getting at.

SRS failures if caused by a voltage issue can and will reset itself within 150 miles or so. Was this car ever in a wreck? Have you owned it for the life of the car or was it purchased used at some point? Even if a carfax is clean I never trust it. Carfax has been lacking facts too many times.

There is a MES / memory erase signal 2 pin connector at the drivers side floor kick panel (left foot). You can reset the light yourself with a simple paper clip. You may want to search superhonda.com for the clearing instructions. It is something like: Turn the ign. to secondary and jumper the 2 pin connector for 5 seconds, SRS light will blink, remove for 5 seconds, then jumper for 5 more seconds. Pretty simply and straight forward.

If the light comes on again though I you should know that a problem is evident and the airbags will not deploy as long as the light is on.

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wipeout97

· #3 · Oct 18, 2009

MES reset instructions are included here.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GJ1QN9T5

It's a one page pdf. Again do not buy the tool to do this. Use an all metal paper clip and you will be just fine. It may take 1-2 tries but you will get it.

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 18, 2009

Hey wipeout97 I appreciate your reply. I accidently wrote I was trying to clear codes (oops I actually meant reset the SRS light). I have tried several times using the simple jumper technique, but to no avail. I can get it to always flash twice at the end, but it will not stay off. I know this of course means there is still a problem that needs to be corrected. I should also add I am the original owner, and the car has not been hit.

The dealership told me the 7-2 code means SRS unit failure. Should I assume this is an accurate diagnosis, and R&R the srs unit myself? Does anyone know of some limited troubleshooting one can do on this system? I read a lot about seatbelt tensioners,etc. but I have different code. Also looking for any known or remotely possible quirks the element srs may have.

Thanks in advance

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ramblerdan

· #5 · Oct 18, 2009

I was under the impression that seat belts and SRS were covered beyond the normal warranty. You might have to take this up the chain to Honda regional; they might tell your dealer to replace it for free.

Dom.five

· #6 · Oct 18, 2009

ramblerdan said:
I was under the impression that seat belts and SRS were covered beyond the normal warranty. You might have to take this up the chain to Honda regional; they might tell your dealer to replace it for free.

Paul,

What was your source for that information? I have been going through all of my warranty information, and on the internet for the last 3 hours trying to find that.

I have no issues with it. I was just thinking that it would be nice to add to our FAQ database.

Thanks

Dom

wipeout97

· #7 · Oct 19, 2009

The sad thing is only seat belts are covered after warranty as a safety warranty. This warranty is for the life of the car if I am not mistaken as it poses a serious risk to consumers and not to mention avoiding a lawsuit. I do not believe the SRS is covered by an additional warranty as I've been in your shoes and could not make anything happen even going through corp (this was 3 years ago). What I can tell you is if there diag is correct I would consider using a local garage who can find an intact unit from a junk yard. This can save you up to 75% (if you buy from a good junk yard) vs. the price of a new one from Honda.

I hope you get things worked out

ramblerdan

· #8 · Oct 19, 2009

Dom.five said:
What was your source for that information?

No official source, just chatter here.

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 19, 2009

UPDATE:Functioning again

Drove the E for a few days, and tried the jumper reset trick again. Luckily the code cleared instantly. Guess it was the battery after all. Being that the battery was still at 70-80%, im surprised it had such an effect on the srs. Just giving a heads up to all so no one ends up getting ripped at the dealer. Thanks again for your advice

wipeout97

· #10 · Oct 20, 2009

Weird things happen in any car with a goofed up battery. I had an instance in my old TL where the windshield wipers and speedo cluster wouldn't work infrequently. I could replicate the problem but after swapping batteries the issue went away for 2+ years till I sold the car.

Glad you got it fixed and in the end you learned something too

.

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 22, 2009

SRS light on again

Dealer said I had a code 7-2 meaning the srs unit is bad/ or my battery was low. I replaced the battery and had the light turn off for a few days. Now it is back on again, but I cannot figure what the cause is. Now on the occasion I can get the light to turn off, it flickers before staying on. Is it safe to assume the SRS unit is not faulty since I had no light on for a few days? Does anyone know of common shorts or bad grounds, or harness trouble spots, etc?

wipeout97

· #12 · Oct 22, 2009

Most of the time the SRS unit itself will not go bad but instead a sensor will. The SRS system is designed to disable if any sensor fails. Since you are not under warranty I would consider a third party garage unless you have unlimited funds then consider the dealership. I have a PDF on the SRS system I can e-mail you. It will allow you to jumper a connection and count the number of times the light blinks to determine which part the car is diagnosing as bad. The SRS system is not hard to repair but you must be extremely careful when dealing with airbags. Certain wrong moves on your part can cause the airbag to deploy. If you are not familiar with the SRS system consider letting the pro's handle it or follow each direction of the instructions to a "T" taking absolutely no shortcuts.

I hope the PDF can help you.

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ramblerdan

· #13 · Oct 23, 2009

wipeout97 said:
Certain wrong moves on your part can cause the airbag to deploy. If you are not familiar with the SRS system consider letting the pro's handle it or follow each direction of the instructions to a "T" taking absolutely no shortcuts.

Thank you, Wipeout97.

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · #14 · Oct 31, 2009

How to replace SRS unit

I need to change the srs unit out. A Chiltons manual I read says I simply need to disconnect harnesses at the sensors, tensioners, airbags, and of course have the battery disconnected for at least a few minutes prior and during. The unit itself is only held in with a few torx screws.

The manual states removing a lot of trim to disconnect harnesses before disconnecting the 3 connectors from the actual srs units. These seem like a lot of extra steps. I want to be cautious (airbags are expensive), but with no power to the system, I would think a quick swap of the srs unit would be safe. Basically if I spend extra time disconnecting at the sensors, tensioners etc, is that any different from going straight to the source and just unplugging the 3 connectors from the unpowered srs unit?

If im an idiot and totally missing something, please let me know. I just dont see how an unpowered srs unit would fire an airbag, or tensioner etc. Maybe these are simple precautions, but maybe not. Any advice would surely be appreciated.

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lizzurd

· #15 · Oct 31, 2009 (Edited)

EX5spd said:
I need to change the srs unit out. A Chiltons manual I read says I simply need to disconnect harnesses at the sensors, tensioners, airbags, and of course have the battery disconnected for at least a few minutes prior and during. The unit itself is only held in with a few torx screws.

The manual states removing a lot of trim to disconnect harnesses before disconnecting the 3 connectors from the actual srs units. These seem like a lot of extra steps. I want to be cautious (airbags are expensive), but with no power to the system, I would think a quick swap of the srs unit would be safe. Basically if I spend extra time disconnecting at the sensors, tensioners etc, is that any different from going straight to the source and just unplugging the 3 connectors from the unpowered srs unit?

If im an idiot and totally missing something, please let me know. I just dont see how an unpowered srs unit would fire an airbag, or tensioner etc. Maybe these are simple precautions, but maybe not. Any advice would surely be appreciated.

Two words......Static Electricity.

Play it safe. Take the extra time to follow the steps properly. SRS equipment is not the area where you wan't to take unneccessary short cuts.

Is saving 5 or ten minutes worth risking serious injury or death?

Edit: I merged your two threads together and will echo what Wipeout97 stated.

If you are not familiar with the SRS system consider letting the pro's handle it or follow each direction of the instructions to a "T" taking absolutely no shortcuts.

EX5spd

Discussion Starter · #16 · Nov 25, 2009

Thanks for advice-FIXED

Thanks for advice everyone. I replaced the srs unit the other night. flawlessly easy and quick. People had me nervous, but its a job anyone can do plus I saved over a grand for an hours work -not bad! I even cut some corners, but thats another story!

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