My SRS-ECU is bad; please help me with suggestions.

Have a 2013 TRD Sport Tacoma. Took it in to Freeman Toyota for the standard service knowing that the airbag light has been on for a few weeks. I purchased the 100,0000 mile extended warranty when I traded in my 2011 for the 2013 so I was not too concerned about it. I was wrong. Tim in the service department told me today that the SRS-ECU (Part # 89170-04540) is bad and it is NOT covered by any warranty. Called the Ethos Group Warranty Number 972 331 1000 and Customer Service politely said I'm screwed but is emailing me a copy of the warranty. Did a search here and it does not look good. The part costs 501.75 and I need front brakes. Looking forward to 2016 being over. Apologies for the long vent. Has anyone else had this problem and found a better solution ? Black Market Air Bag parts ? LOL. Almost upgraded to the 2016 this summer but with the new Lexus engine being used I thought waiting a couple of years would be smart. ARRRRRGGGG ... Thanks for any assistance, Jesone

 

Santa Rosa?

 

Sounds like you have a third party warranty, which is likely your problem.

If you're in Santa Rosa area (I'm assuming..), call Hansel Toyota in Petaluma instead, and ask for Donna in service.

 

Thanks for the reply ! Yea this is in the Fort Worth Texas area. I did get the email with the warranty and it is a third party called Olympicare. ???? Maybe getting the extended warranty was a mistake. Hate it when that happens. Up to now Freeman Toyota has had pretty good service but there is always a catch. Here is a copy of the warranty I have. It might help out another Tacoma Forum member. I took out my specific information. Hope it attaches properly.

 

Extended warrantys suck. Good luck OP.

 

Are you over 60,000 miles? Airbags and seatbelts are covered under the factory powertrain warranty for 5 years, 60,000 miles.

http://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/owners-manuals?&GOOGLETOO_Resources_Warranties+toyota++warranty&gclid=CKDxkqX1mtECFQ8HfwodlasGqg&gclsrc=ds

Click the "more" under "new vehicle warranty".

 

Thanks landphil. My 2013 Tacoma has 53000 miles. Hmmmmm. I wonder if was the same for the 2013 as the new ones ?

 

Phone Toyota corporate and ask?? Don't take a service writer's word for it.

 

My airbag light is on as well in my 06.

I have never heard of the SRS unit going bad, most of the time they just need to be reset. There is a service available for 40$ to reset the unit, and they guarantee it to work or you get your money back:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-PRIUS-YARIS-CAMRY-SRS-AIRBAG-COMPUTER-CONTROL-RCM-SDM-ACM-MODULE-RESET-/271741162589?fits=Year:2013|Model:Tacoma&hash=item3f4509145d:g:vJEAAOSwxYxUtqWf&vxp=mtr


To pull your module is like 8 screws. (THIS IS A VERY ROUGH WALKTHROUGH) Pull up on cupholders and they pop out. Pull up on shifter bezel and it will come out. Open up console, remove bottom liner, remove those two bolts, and the two bolts thats were under the shifter bezel, and console will come out. Than the whole front surround will pop out, and the SRS module is right there with a few bolts holding it down.

From what I understand you CAN drive the car with the SRS unit removed while you send yours off to be reset, ( Will take a week or two to get back), just make sure to disconnect the battery and wait a couple hours before removing / re-installing the unit.


If you want to read the codes that are causing your light to be on (and probably led your service tech to his conclusion) you can read the lights on the dash pretty easily by doing this:

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old.../06toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/047004.pdf

And looking up your code here :

http://www.customtacos.com/tech.old.../06toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/047005.pdf




It is really simple, and will save you lots of money doing these things yourself if your not covered by warranty.

Also I ALWAYS order my parts online, I have never seen any shop come close to the prices you can find online for the same parts.

Example you said they wanted 500$ for the part here is one for 220$

https://www.cheapestfactoryparts.co...BGc5h-kzRNPOZ4jduNUUzEAtQSliKGRj_QaAiqg8P8HAQ

 

To clarify: Your service department SHOULD be able to reset the unit themselves but they often don't do what they should. They are making some good money for that part at 500$ and if they re-set the module they would miss out on that profit.

 

Thank you Excorist and Landfil ! This whole thing has seemed a little strange. Freeman Toyota's Service Department may not be the people to deal with; unfortunately. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. Sharing information like this is good for us all. Jesone

 

I spend lots of time rebuilding wrecked Toyota trucks. I spend lots of time replacing blown air bags and and getting the ECU's reset.

I'm really having a hard time believing the ECU module is bad. In almost all cases the problem is a connector or a sensor.

If you have never had a collision, the ECU is not bad.

To quickly explain how the system works...The SRS ECU does a continuity test on every start up. The ECU knows how much resistance all the sensors should have. If the number is within its allowed parameters, the ECU turns off the air bag light.

Remember, there are weight sensors under the passenger seat. If that sensor gets messed up, the air bag light will come on.

I would first off go to another dealer. A tech with more knowledge can tell you which connector or squib is causing the issue.

If in fact the ECU is bad, you can send it in to a company called Myairbags.com. I've used them several times. If you send the ECU in on a Monday, you will have it back by Friday.

You can do some preliminary work yourself. All the connectors and wiring for the SRS system is a very bright yellow. It the only color used for the air bag system in all cars. Follow these wires down and check the connectors.

In addition, make sure that the ribbon cable in the steering wheel is not damaged. There was a recall for this part, but I forget what years it involves.

One last thing, once you find the bad connector, the air bag light will go off on its own, you don't need the dealer to clear the light.

 

Thanks Koditten for the response. I may take that computer out and ship it in myself after all. Been on the phone this morning and Freeman is going to have Tom Corensy call me back. Spoke to Toyota Customer Service and Maquaga started a case file for me but told me the 6 year 60,000 mile warranty on the Powertrain (Which includes the airbag) is at the discretion of the dealership. She stated and I asked her to repeat it that the dealership and Toyota do not have to honor the Warranty that is stated. In the fine print it states it is at the Companies discretion. ??????? So all the marketing stuff about warranties is really at the discretion of Toyota. This has been an education. Hope this experience can help others researching Toyota in the future. Jesone

 

X2 on this! I had my airbag light on for months after i cleaned my truck under the seats. Turned out i didnt have the airbag connection tight. Reconnected it and it went right away. I would double check all the connections under your seat first and foremost and go from there. Couldnt hurt to double check, it worked for me

 

Just got back from Freeman Toyota and news is excellent. Landfil was correct about the airbags and it's various parts being part of the powertrain warranty. 60 months or 60,000 miles is the coverage of these parts; it's all under the restraint system. I spoke with Malorie and the Service Manager Tom Caranci; they both were great and told me to keep the loaner car and check back with them on Monday. Mr. Caranci had the diagnosis sheets with him and said they showed it is the SRS ECU. It's unusual but not unheard of. Want to thank you guys for the great information; it was invaluable. I love this website. Hopefully fellow Tacoma owners will find this thread helpful in the future. I'll update this thread on Monday. Thanks to Freeman Toyota and to Tacoma World ! Jesone

 

Great news!