What is wrong with airbag!? Unless deployed they never usually need replaced.

 

It was deployed. The seat airbag has a plastic cover. When the airbag deploys, it cracks open the seam that goes around the side facing circumference of the cover, splitting it open, which then opens up the space for the airbag to inflate at the passenger's elbow/hip area. What I want to do is cut off/remove the cover from the replacement airbag and use the original cover (which is the correct color) and glue it in place on the replacement airbag module. Since this is unorthodox, I'd like to make sure I don't glue it so strongly that the airbag wouldn't deploy correctly. I guess I can try to use a weak glue in just a few dots around the circumference of the back side (inward seat facing side) to just barely hold it in place. Just not sure what kind of glue would be appropriate. Plain ol' white glue?

 

Why couldn't you just paint the junkyard module's cover that you get?

I doubt if a coat of paint would reduce the airbag's deployment effectiveness.
And once installed, it shouldn't be subject to wear (unless you are careless with the seatbelt buckle).

 

It's a textured, but still rather smooth plastic. In my experience paints don't stick well to something like that, plus I'm unaware of an exact color-matched paint for interior trim that comes in a spray can that also adheres well to plastic without eventually flaking or scratching off.

A coat of paint still wouldn't secure the cover onto the module. It would need to be glued or secured in some way to the module. I think it best to provide a photo (which perhaps I should have done in the first post). Here it is:

Before deployment, the cover is physically part of the module casing that is inside the seat. It has thin seams on three sides which are designed to be broken by the impact of the deploying airbag. The side on the left of the picture (towards the rear of the car) stays intact and acts like a hinge so the cover opens like a door when the seams on the three sides split open to allow the bag to deploy.

You can see here in the first photo below that I put yellow arrows pointing to parts of the seam where the plastic cover was originally a monolithic piece with the module casing. In the second photo below you can see the seam in the middle of the photo going from top to bottom. It's these seams that tear open when the bag is deployed, "opening" the door for the bag to exit:

 

With the force they go off with not much will be able to stop that.
Don't think may if any salvage yards sell air bags any longer. Maybe liability?

 

With the force they go off with not much will be able to stop that.
Don't think may if any salvage yards sell air bags any longer. Maybe liability?

Around me anyways

 

I just found the airbag in the right color online for $45 with free shipping. With the entrance fee and gas to get to the junkyard, it would cost me about $36, plus almost two hours roundtrip driving, so an extra $9 isn't bad. The local junkyard much closer to my home would be the same $45, but in the wrong color, so I'm satisfied.

Thanks to Theman5 and Carbuff2 for trying to help!

 

Don't forget any discounts or ebates that might be available too!!

Rakuten (formally ebates) LINK

 

Don't forget any discounts or ebates that might be available too!!

Rakuten (formally ebates) LINK

Interesting, I will check it out. I searched for rebates for the online junkyard from which I ordered, but couldn't find one. Since the closest junkyard to me was also $45 (and it was the wrong color and it was 40 minutes each way) I went with the online purchase and don't have to go anywhere.

 

I cancelled the airbag order. The website didn't explain that this was for local pickup in NJ. I called them and they acknowledged that their website needs to be changed because other customers had the same problem I did. They wanted $100 to ship because it's HazMat and they have to use a special reinforced box, etc. They already refunded my money, so all is fine except I still don't have an airbag and I'm back to the drawing board.

For some reason I can find a black airbag but not an ivory one, so I'm considering getting a black one from the junkyard and cutting the cover off and gluing the "ivory" colored cover on as minimally as possible. Any reason why this wouldn't work?

 

Would think marking box ORMD would suffice as it doesn’t seem to be a hazmat item. IE: gun powder vs Ammo. Powder is considered hazmat , but ammo is not. Just mark the box as ORMD which is required for stuff like paint and things.

 

That would be fine if I was mailing it, but this is a company that would be mailing it to me and they don't want to be liable if the airbag deployed during shipping for whatever bizarre reason, so they only want to ship it the "official", "safe" way, with a special box and handling, so they want $100 for that, so it's a "no go" for me.

And you're right about the ORM-D shipping, but this company just won't do anything like that (or they just want a lot of money to ship it that way). Here is info on how to ship an airbag: How Do I Ship a Car Air Bag?

Ivory paint available?
you have seat covers ? They should cover the airbag area so color not seen anyway.

I don't know if that exact color is available and I doubt it would look right and even if it did, it would start to peel off or scratch/rub off after a while. No, there aren't any seat covers on these seats and I think seat covers are not supposed to cover airbags anyway.

What I really need some confirmation on is if it sounds doable to just cut the black cover off a replacement airbag and lightly glue the original cover onto the replacement module in such a way as not to prevent the cover from splitting open at the sides if the airbag was deployed. Does it make sense that some kind of low-strength glue applied just barely enough to secure the cover on would do the trick? Or is it crazy/hazardous to do that and should I keep searching for the airbag and hope somebody online will just ship it with standard shipping to me?

 

Ivory paint available?
you have seat covers ? They should cover the airbag area so color not seen anyway.

 

I think it is doable. Seat covers marked for airbags are made for that application. Most front seat covers should be air bag compatible and labeled as such. There would be a right and left side, instead of fits either side

 

Doable meaning using a bit of low-strength glue? I don't want to do seat covers.

 

Maybe ??

 

I will check it out, thanks.

 

Looks like they ship ?

 

I had clicked on airbags. You might need to select interior and then seats ?? Calling then best option it might seem

 

LKQ is really expensive because they'd have to transfer the whole seat to a location close to me and they want a lot of money to do that. I offered to go pick it up at their Houston, TX llocation which is about 2 or 2 1/2 hours from me, but they don't allow pickup. I'll keep looking or if I have to. I'll find a black one and glue in the ivory beige cover I have.

 

well bummer. Guess they don't want to sell it.

Wouldn't you be picking it up at the location near you? What about a location near the Houston one?

 

The location near me is very close, but they would have to transfer it from their Houston location and they want to charge big bucks for that. They won't let me go to Houston to pick it up either.

 

So any cheaper to transfer to a location near Houston to pickup there?

Your seats leather or cloth ?

 

So any cheaper to transfer to a location near Houston to pickup there?

I'll inquire, but I think just the act of transfering it (the whole seat) is what costs so much, not necessarily the distance. Some junkyards (especially the kind that are not self-service) don't want to sell just the airbag or any other part of the seat by itself. They want to sell the entire seat assembly.

Your seats leather or cloth ?

Cloth "Ivory" beige interior. Only had that color on the 2005 and 2006.

 

I found a whole seat an hour away from me using car-part.com. I realized that most places won't want to sell the airbag by itself, and buying the whole seat is the thing to do if you can't find one at a self-pick yard. The photo of it on the website was a perfectly clean seat for which they wanted 65$. When I got there and they pulled it and brought it to me, I saw that it was filthy and missing the cover for the seat belt. I complained to them about it and they lowered the price to $46! Airbag is not deployed and intact, so this will work and I won't have to perform reconstructive surgery on a black airbag module. Some photos of the filthy seat (the other angle, which you can't see is also filthy) and a close up of the airbag module:

 

That is great! All good thing come to those who wait!!
Does it have the SRS sensors in the seat. I have an airbag light on and think it was passenger sense.

 

That is great! All good thing come to those who wait!!
Does it have the SRS sensors in the seat. I have an airbag light on and think it was passenger sense.

Sorry, was busy yesterday removing and installing the seat airbag (and yard stuff) and I don't normally do car stuff on Sundays. Yes, there is a sensor. Where it is depends on the year. One 2005 CR-V I saw at the junkyard that had the black airbag module had a sensor (or whatever it was) inside the bottom center of the seatback. Out of curiosity, I tried to remove it and wound up cutting myself and having to go to urgent care (that's a whole other saga). Anyway, on this 2006, there was no such device at that location, rather there was a Takata device (black, rectangular shaped box) under the front bottom of the seat, close to where the wires connect. I assume this is the sensor? Dunno. Not sure why the 2005 had something at the bottom center of the seatback and the 2006 didn't.

If your CR-V has the device at the bottom center of the seatback, be very careful with the sheet metal cover. If you pull on it to yank it off, it could cut you severely, which is what happened to me a few weeks ago. The sheet metal cover has metal clips or prongs that hook onto it on the side facing the inside of the seat. Use a screwdriver to pry it off instead of pulling on it.

Some photos of replacing this seat airbag module:

To remove the airbag, you have to partially remove the cloth fabric at the back of the seat. This view is from the back seat. There's a 10 mm nut that secures the airbag to the seat. You gain access to it from here. It's already removed here, but it's located just between the foam rubber and the seatback cushion/springs. A 10 mm deep socket worked best. Then you pull the top of the module out (pivoting) then pull the moudle up and out.

This first photo below is from the passenger seat footwell area. That yellow corrugated cable is what connects to the airbag module. You can't see the connectors in the photo, but there are three connectors under the center of the seat cushion front foot area. The connector closest to the door of the three is the connector for the airbag. You have to slide a spring-loaded piece and then pull the connector out of its socket. The yellow cable is zip tied in a couple of spots as you can see here, so you have to cut those ties off and replace them after you get the new cable inserted. It goes from the back of the seat through a fabric channel and to the front. Takes a while to fish the old one out and lead the new one through. The black Takata box device is there, but you can't see it in the photo. Second photo below is after installing the replacement airbag module in the seat:

Took the airbag apart and cut open the bag to see what it looks like inside. You can see the cylinder, which is the inflator (Honda calls it the "hybrid gas generator"):

 

Oh wow , must have been a severe cut!!

I will read the srs codes again and take some pictures on this 2005 passenger seat. The wiring under there is a mess possibly from the previous owner.
I was thinking it was some sort of weight detector so a min weight required to arm the circuit. Don’t want bags going off unnecessarily if no one in the seat.

 

Oh wow , must have been a severe cut!!

I will read the srs codes again and take some pictures on this 2005 passenger seat. The wiring under there is a mess possibly from the previous owner.
I was thinking it was some sort of weight detector so a min weight required to arm the circuit. Don’t want bags going off unnecessarily if no one in the seat.

I think it is weight sensing.

 

As mentioned ship it 'legally'!! I would not as you are possibly implying ship it illegally. Ammo maybe 'hazmat', but can easily be shipped legally like spray cans.
He found one local to him so this is a non issue.

 

Got it! Just checking. We don't want nobody thinkin' we recommend any type o' circumvention, eh? He is still illegally installing it himself, but that there is his very own lookout.

 

Nope, and in my later years of life I don't need any problems either.

 

I've done some asking around and as far as I can tell it is not illegal in Texas for a car owner to DIY his own airbag repair.

Additionally, although it is no longer relevant now since I wound up not needing shipping, and in case anyone missed it from post #15, here below is a link about how to ship airbags:

How Do I Ship a Car Air Bag?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) and other shipping services have special regulations for the transportation of hazardous materials. While this includes obvious hazards such as acid, weaponry and explosives, these guidelines also regulate the shipment of airbags. Airbags are considered to...

itstillruns.com

 

Only certified persons/businesses are allowed to install airbags and do the mandatory function testing required after installation.
Unauthorized persons (persons without certified training) who do so are guilty of airbag fraud and subject to both criminal and civil penalties.

Tex. Transportation Code §547.614. RESTRICTIONS ON AIRBAGS.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:
(1) installs or purports to install an airbag in a vehicle; and
(2) does not install an airbag that meets all applicable federal safety regulations for an
airbag installed in a vehicle of that make, model, and year.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.

Also, a vehicle must not be certified as inspected with an active airbag warning code or light on.

Any questions?

 

Interesting, but from what I'm reading there, a1 and a2 have to be both performed, not just either or. I see the word "and" at the end of a1, so if I'm using an airbag that is OE and is in pefect condition how does that violate what is listed there?

The airbag codes would be reset after the repair, so there won't be any codes. I send the SRS module in to a place that does that. They charge about $45.

 

Was does the place do for $45 ?

Did you find something different about airbag laws then Kloker did ? I agree with you as both 1 and 2 are required (as well as knowledge to such) . Must have been typing as you posted.

 

That's a lot of info, so it's difficult to address each issue. Sorry you had to work for a company that made you drive a truck with problems. Seems like you have a personal situation because of that, though. This is my car (well, my daughter's car) and I'm not forcing anyone to drive it. It's not a business and there's no counterfeit or dummy parts and we're not selling it to someone and being dishonest about anything.

Yes, I understand the danger aspect, but my current focus is: "Is it illegal to DIY airbags on your own car?". I see no reason why the side curtain and seat airbags I'm installing wouldn't work. They are the exact same airbags from the exact same make/model car. They aren't damaged or compromised and haven't been deployed, of course. They are and will be installed the same way they were in there and I will use the proper safety precautions. When it comes time to have the annual inspection, the car is just taken to the regular inspection station. I don't see how if the SRS is fixed properly that it would be a problem with inspection. Plug in the computer, it shows everything online in the SRS module with no codes, then it should be fine. I'm not being negligent in how I'm installing them. I'm not skipping any hardware or bolts/screws or changing/modifying the function of them. If there's a problem, the SRS module will throw a new code.

I contacted the Texas State Law Library, and this was the response I received (all the bold text). The way I interpret this is that no, it's not illegal to DIY:

"Thank you for your question. Please note that as a librarian I can provide information on a legal topic, but I cannot provide legal advice or determine how the law applies to your situation.

Like you, I was not able to find a Texas law that regulates the installation of airbags aside from the law that prohibits "counterfeit airbags" or airbags that have been modified so that they do not meet all applicable safety standards. If you’d like to read it, that law can be found here:
TRANSPORTATION CODE CHAPTER 547. VEHICLE EQUIPMENT

I also checked to see if the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) issues licenses for mechanics who replace airbags, but it does not appear that they do.
Programs Licensed and Regulated by TDLR

On the NHTSA’s website they recommend getting airbags replaced “at an authorized repair center.” However, I was not able to find any information to indicate that the NHTSA or any other federal agency issues licenses or certifications for this type of procedure.
Air Bags

In my research I did find several websites for organizations that offer certifications in airbag replacement, but as I said, I was not able to find any evidence to suggest that such a certification is required by law.

If you would like to get an opinion from an attorney about your situation, you could write in to FreeLegalAnswers.org. This website allows you to e-mail your question to a volunteer attorney who will write back to you with advice. If you need to, you can even upload documents for an attorney to review.
Texas

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know if you need anything else!"


Katherine Hoffman
Reference and Collection Development Librarian
Texas State Law Library
(512) 463-1722
Toll-free: 1-844-829-2843
https://www.sll.texas.gov/


So, I think this is a murky situation where you have a particular understanding of the law and I have a different one. Like the US Constitution, two people can read the exact same sentence or section/article and come up with two seemingly valid but opposite/different interpretations. I'm no law expert, but I just find it hard to believe that I can't legally fix my own car. I still have not seen any actual proof of that. Perhaps after finishing the car, it could be evaluated by an SRS professional and they could give it a clean bill of health if they find nothing wrong. Maybe that wouldn't cost too much, but I'm thinking it's not even necessary if I don't get any SRS trouble codes when I'm done.

 

That is nice the library did all that research for you! So NO certification or licensing for airbags!! Makes sense to me as here in FL it is usually non-issues. Not even a state inspection anymore.
Local LKQs won't sell bags, but it is confusing that their corporate will sell to you ?? I guess they make more $$ that way.
So if your car came with a radio and speakers that radio and speakers are needed for inspection ?? Think not ?? But that creates a slippery slop requiring some factory installed stuff for inspection and not all!!

The 2005 has the same color your 2006 has. I took a picture under the passenger seat of the wiring mess.. Still need to see the SRS code being thrown for the passenger seat. I worked on a 2001 KIa Optima that had SRS and engine light on for over 15 years for a friend of mine. Found some TSBs on wiring needing to be tie wrapped better under the passenger seat. Tied up cables, reseated connectors (battery disconnected) and clode cleared and hasn't been back. The Engine light was multiple codes requiring EGR work and valve , Carbon canister replacement from salvage yard (carbon pellets came out and were clogging breather tube for gas tank. She had to always fill the tank slowly and only could fill like halfway and the third issue was a recall done back in the early 2000s the 'technician' installed a check valve to gas tank purge backwards !! Nice .........

 

That is nice the library did all that research for you! So NO certification or licensing for airbags!! Makes sense to me as here in FL it is usually non-issues. Not even a state inspection anymore.
Local LKQs won't sell bags, but it is confusing that their corporate will sell to you ?? I guess they make more $$ that way.
So if your car came with a radio and speakers that radio and speakers are needed for inspection ?? Think not ?? But that creates a slippery slop requiring some factory installed stuff for inspection and not all!!

The 2005 has the same color your 2006 has. I took a picture under the passenger seat of the wiring mess.. Still need to see the SRS code being thrown for the passenger seat. I worked on a 2001 KIa Optima that had SRS and engine light on for over 15 years for a friend of mine. Found some TSBs on wiring needing to be tie wrapped better under the passenger seat. Tied up cables, reseated connectors (battery disconnected) and clode cleared and hasn't been back. The Engine light was multiple codes requiring EGR work and valve , Carbon canister replacement from salvage yard (carbon pellets came out and were clogging breather tube for gas tank. She had to always fill the tank slowly and only could fill like halfway and the third issue was a recall done back in the early 2000s the 'technician' installed a check valve to gas tank purge backwards !! Nice .........

It seems so, but on the other hand just because the state law librarian didn't find anything, that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. Perhaps Kloker has access to some other piece of information that we can consider. He was personally involved in a situation, so he knows a thing or two about how things go down with airbag inspections. I don't care to be right; I care to know the truth even if it means I'm wrong. So far I see no evidence showing that what I'm doing is illegal. Risky, yes, but that's not the issue. It may very well be risky for me to do this, as he has pointed out. That's my choice though, in weighing the pros and cons. A problem with the law is that it can be so cloudy or full of loopholes.

I understand the radio/speakers comparison, but those are not safety features, so probably an apples/oranges thing. It does seem odd that there might be requirements that a car equipped with airbags that aren't currently working won't be legally allowed to be operated (or to pass inspection?) but my '87 mini-pickup which never had airbags is totally fine to drive and pass inspection. Of course with the case of my pickup, since there never were airbags there's no danger of an airbag deploying when it's not supposed to because some yahoo (not me?!) installed it incorrectly. So, I try to appreciate both sides of the coin.

I can go to an LKQ self-pick yard and purchase just an airbag if I want, so I'm not sure why they have a discrepancy other than the LKQ self-pick yards are a different divsion of LKQ and therefore have different protocols.

How odd that simply tying the cables would resolved the problem you had. I would never have thought that it could do anything other than keep the wires from rubbing against something. Were any of those wires functioning as a type of antenna or signal receiver/transmitter? Shielded wires?

Sometimes when technicians make mistakes, it may be because of the pressure they are under by the pezzonovante of the dealership or shop to make the repairs quickly. They simply don't have the luxury to spend time doing research and so repairs can sometimes be performed incorrectly even by a pro. I had to replace a noisy wheel bearing on this CR-V and noticed that it was installed backwards by the shop.

 

To be sure, there is a legal risk. To quote my attorney, you can skirt the law if you want to, but the risk you run may involve you winding up wearing a skirt. Okay, thank you sir, got it! The safety risk is serious and immediate. My son was USMC EOD in Iraq, two tours, and he won't even tolerate discussion of this. When I see the look in his eyes, that's all I need to know.

This may be a popular topic for the young, who are invisible, bulletproof, and ten feet tall, but for us older folks, we already know how hard the asphalt is, and the wall, too.

So will inoperable systems like lane departure warning, backup cameras, blind zone warning, hands-free phone or collision avoidance radar cause a vehicle to fail inspection?

In Texas, if it throws an error code or warning light on the dash, you will not pass inspection until it is cleared. So no license plates. If it does not, you should be okay. Some of the things you listed might be issues, some are definitely not. In the inspection bay, being in Texas is kind of like Kalifornia. The inspector is a god, and you are scum, best seen and not heard. They are not all like that, but some are that and so much more. Older and more experienced ones usually have some common sense. The younger, inexperienced ones - the less they know the worse they are.