Air bag issues/ recall

Recently my 2006 Tacoma SR5 with 46K on it was recalled. I had been holding off on the recall but the air bag light came on and would go on and off and then stayed on.
I made the appt. with my local Toyota dealer in Milford , MA. to do the recall and check out the air bag light.
The warranty work was completed with no problem, the airbag light diagnosis was a "spiral cable" . The service writer said the airbag would not deploy in the present condition , thus a safety hazard and I could not get an inspection sticker in the present condition.
Had to have it fixed and he said it was not covered on any warranty. He suggested before the diagnosis that "it might be a spiral cable" and then after I had it fixed he said that this didn't happen often, yet he seemed to know about the problem right away. The fix was $589.

Has anyone had this problem, is it worth calling the region Toyota complaint line ? Since this is a safety issue I figured that Toyota aught to help out with the cost. Any one have any suggestions? Thanks.

Jeff, 06 v6, SR5, 6spd, Radiant Red

 

my airbag light came on and when i took it to the dealship they told me 100 to check and no telling how much to fix it came on around 70k miles and wasnt covered by warranty. i have an 05 v6. i havent had it fixed.

 

Yes thats correct, $100 to do the diagnostic check, they waive that fee when you decide to fix it. $289.50 for the part and $282.73 for labor, plus $24 for the hazardious stuff.
No doubt Toyota should help out with the cost . I am doubtful if they will do anything for me.
If I had looked into any type of extended warranty, it would have possibly been worth it, considering the cost of the part and labor.

Not sure where your from but your screwed on a inspection sticker here in MA., as it won't pass.

The other bad thing is that they told me in an accident it would not deploy and I think you might be screwed over by your insurance company for not having a safety item fixed in a timely manner., as they would look for any excuse not to pay the claim.
Jeff, 06, V6, SR5, 6spd, Radiant Red

 

You should call corporate. See what they have to say.

 

I plan on doing that, I also plan on calling the attorney general as they deal with car problems and one or two of our local channels have reporters who will do investigative work.

Jeff , 06, V6, SR5 , 6spd, Radiant Red

 

Interested in this as well. My airbag light just kicked on yesterday. Seems to go on and off. I will be calling the dealer to see if I can get in tomorrow morning.

 

It's not a recall if you gotta pay to have it fixed.

 

07 Tacoma sr5. Spiral cable went out at 34,000 and I was 2 months over on 36 month warranty. They were going to charge me to replace until I complained. The dealer called the regional rep. and he said to do it at no charge. I'm thinking that there are to many of these things going out prematurally and that toyota definately does have a defect here. Oh, and when I asked why mine went out so quickly I was told that it was from turning the stering wheel to much.

 

I just left the Toyota dealership and it costs $450 to replace my spiral cable under my steering column. They said without getting it fixed, the sensor (guy with an airbag) on my dash would not go away and my airbag would not deploy in an accident. I think that no matter what warranty you have, Toyota should always cover this. Good luck to any of you who try to do this yourself- I just felt an airbag is not something I want to malfunction.

 

This is not a random coincidence. It happens way to much and should definitely be a recall. Had mine replaced not at the dealer but a toyota shop for $420 and they knew exactly what it was and said that they had about four within one month.

 

my airbag light has been on for about 2 months now, its fucking annoying. i would like to have my airbags go off if i get in a crash, that would be helpfull.

 

As said above its a problem that needs to be a recalled and toyota knows about it but people pay so why recall it ? Mine has been out since 50k
Sorry but i am not paying $500 to fix it.

 

+1

i ought to think they would at least make it free not "pay $500 or risk death in a crash"

 

Just because it's a safety-related item doesn't mean Toyota needs to cover it out of warranty. The airbag light comes on - it's an announciated failure, and you are not in immediate danger (contrast with an exploding fuel tank or loss of steering control).

The other Toyota recalls like the cracked propeller shaft or mis-assembled lower balljoint deal with un-announciated failures that happen without warning.

 

It's the difference between announciated and non-announciated. There is no seatbelt light if the webbing breaks or if the pretensioner mechanism stops working.

Ford recently had an airbag recall. In its case the airbag light does come on, but the failure mode is unintended airbag deployment, which is much more hazardous than an airbag that fails to work.

 

I got an email the other day from a guy who said to look at "passive restraint" system spec's , he said that should be covered for 60K....I plan on finding that and see what the dealer says. Then its a call to the attorney general for a complaint, I have also ask one of those "I-Teams" to look at the problem...

No doubt my insurance company would take a poor view should I get in a accident and knowing the airbag system was in need of fixing. MJEFF

 

The air bag light comes on when the cable breaks, thus warning you of a safety related problem. The cable is not a wear item, but is not a durable item either. It kind of falls into the same category as engine mounts; they are important, but don't fail often.
The cable is easily replaced, if you know for sure it's the problem. Get the code read, then proceed.
Disconnect the NEGATIVE cable from the battery. Have drink of choice and BS with buddy about new mods for 15-20 minutes while the air bag system runs out of power. Remove screws from behind the airbag.
While seated in the drives's seat, touch a grounded part under the dash(this will remove static electricity from you. CAREFULLY remove the airbag wile removing the yellow wire from the back. DO NOT allow anything to touch the connection on the airbag. Set the air bag OUTSIDE the vehicle away from any sharp objects, and power sources. Place it front side down.
The cable should be easily accessable now. Reassemble in reverse order taking care to discharge your static before reattaching the yellow connector.
Take your time, and save yourself some $$.

 

I called the insurance company because I am friends with him and he told me insurance would not cover the airbag if it deployed and the sensor had been on the dash and never fixed. I filed a complaint with USDOT. I understand that we as a consumer are responsbile for normal wear and tear and random things happen, but when it comes to a malfunction in a safety item, there is no reason it should cost $450 to replace. I understand $50, but to charge more than that is ridiculous. Sad thing is, the other dealership wanted $600 to do it...I can't believe $450 was a "deal"

2007, PreRUNNER, Crew Cab, 93,000 miles....NO WARRANTY

 

Its simple, anybody who had or have problem with that spiral cable needs to report it to NHTSA
http://www.nhtsa.gov/
If you dont do it nothing will happen.

 

Good idea....will do.