Stuck in Mud-> Water in Cab->Airbag Light On

Hey all,

Well got stuck in the mud in my new Taco (2011 PreRunner TRD Sport) at the Socal Hungry bear meet last weekend. Water went up to about top wheel height so since it took a while to get pulled out, water found its way into the cab :-/ Water rose inside a couple inches, about to where the bottom of the lumbar support knob height. More pics....

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/so...05-trail-run-hungry-valley-12-11-10-a-13.html

"Luckily" I went to a detailer once I got into town and they were able to suck out most of the water and shampoo the carpets. Went back the next day for a moisture clean up (under the carpet insulation). Its very dry and clean, but still planning on taking out the carpet and doing some extra cleanup for moisture and dirt.

Also planning on changing the rear diff fluid. Detailers also stripped my seat mounts (bastards!), which I fixed with a tap and die on the threads and bolts.

Some concerns I have are that the Airbag light has been on ever since. Fuses are OK, tried disconnecting the battery... I'm assuming theres an issue either in the front lower corners of the cab (where there are a lot of electrical connections) or under the seats. Any ideas?

Any other concerns I should be aware of to check?

I plan on removing the interior for futher cleanup within the next couple days, which I'm planning on cleaning all the electrical I can.

If I can't figure it out, Ill take it to the stealership. I hope to have it super clean in this case tho, can't tell them I sunk my new truck with 4000 miles on it

I'll post pics of it clean as soon as I get a chance. Thx

 

Why did you do that? Should have used an old taco.

Start with the passenger seat for that airbag issue. Better yet, let the dealer handle it since you have it under warranty. Have one dealer clean it, then go to another one for the airbag lite issue.

 

Just think about the stories you'll have in 15 years and 250K miles, "Remember that time when I just bought this truck and filled it with water?"

 

The airbag ecu is located under the cup holder at the center console or at the rear of the shift lever assembly. I don't quite remember since it's been awhile since I've been in there. Regardless, it's it's near the gear shifter assembly. Find the box with yellow harness clips going to it. Take it apart and see if water got in it. If it did then you will need a new one. I had the same problem and had to replace mine.

 

WTF were you thinking?

 

I just assume that you had a gun to your head and forcefully went on that mud hole.
Glad you are OK now.
take care
vbibi

 

IF THEY HAD YOUR SEATS OUT THEY MAY HAVE FORGOT TO RECONNECT THE SENSOR THAT TURNS ON THE PASS SIDE AIRBAG. LOOK UNDER PASS SIDE SEAT.

 

Did u at least say "Watch This" before you went in?
Seriously though if something did get shorted out because of the water it would most likely be an insurance claim rather than a warranty fix. I doubt Toyota would cover a water damage related claim. I would def. take the carpet back out and let everything dry out for a day or two.

 

X2

 

You have start with "hold my beer" first.

 

you drove a prerunner into THAT? lmfao

 

The airbag sensor wires are encased in yellow harnesses- make sure they are all connected. Also, you may have water inside the connector housings. Once water gets into one of these it takes quite a while to dry on its own. Contact cleaner can displace water inside a connector, but it is brutal on plastics and fabric, so be careful of overspray. If you go to the dealer, they may be able to put a reader on the airbag system and diagnose whether a single connector is the problem, or the ECU itself.

 

That's good.

Well we all make mistakes right... I remember when my 1999 Tacoma was brand new, me and my crew where in the hills of Omak, WA at our family cabin, late, snowing... driving my new Taco in 1 foot of snow at 2am on dirt roads... right into a tree! I feel your pain pal.

 

HAHA...
if you haven't been in a similar situation....
You shouldn't drive a Tacoma....
lol

 

This and in a prerunner with the those stock Dunflops. You must shit money.

 

Haha, I did get a bad reading from a stick Add in a little peer and self pressure and vooala, a "funny story". Sadly theres no money coming out of my toilet

The Airbag light has been on since I was pulled out, so the problem was there before the detailing.

Thanks for the advice guys, I will be taking out the carpet and trying to clean as well as I can today, unless something fixes from cleaning/drying I'm planning on goin to the dealer and playing dumb Gonna try to have it clean enough to not raise suspicions....

AMEN...haha. I used to have an '04 Scion xB from new and I blew the engine at 50k miles. Water got into my engine from my cold air intake....rebuilt engine under warranty haha....just another check on the list i guess


OH ALSO, A NEW DISCOVERY OF AN ISSUE. From a cold start, my starter does not turn over first try. Second attempt is always successful but a few times already it wont in the first try after not being run for several hours. Ideas?

 

If only you had got a 4x4

 

I have to admire that you had the balls to do that!

 

I wouldn't even do that with 4x4. Too much shit that can get messed up.

 

This.