Light comes on because the control module is looking for the air bag which is not equipped on the steering wheel I just installed. Is there a way to mimic the signal? I tried to jump the brushes on the column but it just blew the fuse. The simple method is to remove the bulb but I would like to retain the indication that confirms the Seat Restraint system is working.

I believe it is againist federal law to remove an airbag from a vehicle that has it installed unless it is for non-street use or get a waiver to disconnect it for medical reasons(ie a frail grandmotherly type).

Actually this wheel was an option a buyer could order when the car was new so...

Do aftermarket wheel suppliers state a waiver?

Doubt it applies to 15+ year old cars but if anyone knows for sure speak up...

Not quite sure about the law on removing an airbag, but I do know that if the airbag is deployed in an accident that you are not required to replace it. It is illegal, however, to fix the steering wheel or dash so it looks like there is an airbag when in fact there is no longer one there.

Also, since the seatbelt that goes with an airbag equiped vehicle is made to give way to let the airbag absorb the impact, and now you don't have an airbag, you might want to change the seatbelt to a non-airbag type. It might be possible to use the original airbag style belt if you remove the stitching to get rid of the loop that is sewn into the end of the belt.

And anyway, why should the government be able to tell you what you must do about your own safety? In my opinion, your only obligation would be to state that there is no airbag to any one you sell the car to later or to reinstall it before you sell it. Of course, the law may not be so logical.

Andrew

Call an MBZ dealer and see if they can help.
CCLINAIRBAGDELETE

In any state that requires a safety inspection I would think the airbag if equipped would have to be there. As for not replacing the bag after an accident I wouldn't trust a shop that would do it. You could face problems when you go to sell it. There are Federal safety laws on all cars. Thats why VW stopped importing the beetle into the US because of safety standards and emisson requirements. The waiver is only for medical conditions and only passenger side but 2nd gen are supposed to solve that problem. Airbags were standard on many luxury cars before required.

AFIK, if your car was equipped with an airbag when it was first sold, your insurance company can tell from the VIN. If you are injured and the airbag should have deployed to protect you, you can kiss any settlement from them goodbye. In fact, they might just come after you for the difference in premiums and fraud, nice guys that they are ............ The Cap'n.

The legalities or safety of airbag or no airbag are another subject, I just wanted to know how the airbag signal could be duplicated...

This wheel was an option that dealers sold back in the '80's. I also have a Porsche Design non-airbag wheel from that era that was an option on 928's. Didn't 928's have standard airbags too?

Airbags are recommended to be replaced after 10 years for this model. Few if any replace them so I doubt many are guaranteed to deploy.

Do Momo and others only sell their non-airbag aftermarket steering wheels to non-airbag cars?

Legalities aside, as you wish. Just because they sold it doesn't mean it could be used on a particular car. It's possible that airbags were optional on the car you have, or the wheel was designed for cars sold in other markets. I work on airbag cars here at the shop all the time, and I know of no way to bypass the light while making it function. In fact, I don't WANT to know. The SRS module runs a self test sequence before it shuts the light off, and (for all I know) it may require some sort of complex feedback before it does so.

Good luck, The Cap'n

Thanks Cap'n, that's why I just want to defeat the airbag signal and keep confirmation that the restraint system is operational. Others remove the bulb altogether.

I mulled a long time about removing the airbag. They weren't standard until the 90's and cannot be retrofitted in older cars. This model had one, then later ones had two, and new cars have multiple airbags. If I were overly concerned about them I wouldn't drive a pre 90's cars of a 914 for that matter...

Felix

The airbag control module looks at the resistance of the circuit. A resistor somewhere between 2.2 and 4.7 ohms (not K ohms) across the wires instead of the airbag ignitor will prolly keep the light off. You will most likely need to reset the light with a scan tool as most airbag systems do not reset by themselves when the problem goes away. And don't try to measure the resistance of your airbag with a DMM, the current flow through the meter may be enough to set off the airbag.

Just because a dealer sells an option doesn't make it right. A dealer can sell a supercharger and install it but they may neglect to tell it voids your warranty even though it's made for your vehicle. If an airbag comes [/B]from the factory[B] it is a required safety device from that point. Airbags and the seatbelts in such a case are engineered to work together. Dealerships may have sold that as an option, but they may have been trying to get whatever money they could. More on airbags from NHTSA can be found hereairbags