This is also super useful if you have a car that you want to have an aftermarket non-airbag steering wheel in but don't want the ugly light in the cluster.
There's this guy named Christian Rose who bought a 535i and rebuilt it for his own use. He felt there was no need for curtain airbag and decide to use a resistor to clear the light. I see no problem doing this even for sellers of rebuilt cars as long as it is disclosed to the buyer
Seong Hong He actually listed the call on Craigslist I called him and he told me he only replaced the Driver air bag and nothing deployed!!! He tried to pull a fast one!
Yeah, if the car is being built for racing or personal use, it shouldn't come as a surprise to potential buyers that it's missing airbags or other safety stuff.
Or like the pizza car, its a single seater so there is absolutely no reason for having any of the passenger airbags. Its the same with the BMW E49 3-series, the passenger seat that indicates if its occupied all break and you have to replace the entire seat. this also runs on the airbag system so your light is on. Stick a 10 dollar module in it and the computer thinks its always occupied, the only really small downside of it is that in an crash the passenger airbag also will deploy.
Then just couple the bulb with another one that's supposed to light up initially, but go out after a few seconds under normal circumstances (like the battery light, the oil level/pressure light or the abs light)
Wouldn't twisting that resistor round like that cause the legs to short together bypassing the resistor and effectively just making it like you just put a piece of wire between the 2 pins.... :S
Also, in many places it is illegal to drive a airbag equipped car without airbags and if you do decide to drive because who will know and you get into an accident even if not your fault, your or their insurer most likely wont pay out
Grayfox the insurance will pay out, so long as you were not the one who performed, or authorized, the modification, and you had no prior knowledge of it.
I've seen an odd one. The ABS computer was fried really good and was not reacting to anything. But the light comes on for a few seconds and then it shuts off like normal. And found in the dash a tiny 555 timer chip assembly that does that auto light on for a few seconds than off. It's a twist of a capacitor that charges a bit at power on and as it discharges will fade the led away.. but this made timing gives away pretty fast as the time while it's on can vary a lot, but with an actual timer circuit set to factory time.. it's spotless.
or actually someone that is smart and doesn't think that using explosives in a safety system is a good idea. (trust me it isn't) this is also why racing series have used roll cages, harnesses and other static systems to protect their drivers to greater effect.
If they are so dangerous why does everyone use them? You would think at least one company like Mercedes would go out of their way and create a better system then advertise why the old way is dangerous compared to theirs aka they get more people buying their products.
uh they have, hell NASCAR, Recaro, Sparco and other manufacturers and racing series have, but due to practicality and stagnant outdated pile of shit regulatory reasons, they haven't been implemented. Have you seen a wreck in nascar? have you seen the worst wrecks in most autosports? These drivers walk away from stuff that would kill them in a normal car. normal cars are unsafe compared to the safety systems in a race car. if you were smart you would throw out those airbags and go to something a bit more intrusive and more effective.
On a car like 2018 or something less than 6 mos old theres just a high chance the bag is STOLEN vs not working. So thats the real issue especially with cars like HONDAS. Them bags are def. stolen.
When I was growin up , we walked backwards up hill against the wind in the snow and we didn't complain. I miss the good old days when we got to smash our faces into the dashboard and the steering wheel and did not have to worry about some damn sissy air bag codes xD
Some people just want their car to pass inspection in their Nazi state so they like go to work and sh!t without having to turn to armed robbery to pay a car dealer thousand of bucks to do it "right"...Safety first now! No amount of financial suffering compares with being less safe....we must be in maximum compliance at all times
In a very limited scenario, a dummy load resistor could help diagnosing troubles. But I can imagine that this is a really illegal thing to do as a permanent fix. Sam thanks for this demonstration.
In my prior post I explained how to defeat the test circuit, now comes why you still may have a problem. All those connections are weather-tight and also have a tamper tab that breaks if you replace the air bag. The problem arises when moisture gets into that circuit. Say you're in Florida and it's a hot, humid day when you pull it apart, then you put it back together that night. You now have moisture which will cause corrosion on those joints. The computer is looking for a 1/10th of a volt change and if it thinks there is a problem, it disables the system. The airbags may not go off if the system thinks there is a problem.... which, even on a reputable repair, may make the system inoperable. You SHOULD have a light in that situation, but I had that very trouble with a vehicle and it did not have a failure light.... repairing these cars is totally cool, I do it all the time, but you need to know what you are buying and why it's cheaper... after all, everyone should spend 50 cents on the dollar if they get the same car. It's not the same car as new.
Once the car has been in an accident there will be a crashed data stored on the airbag module which NO diagnostic tool can erase nor resistor can fix, the module needs to be replaced or reset with "special tool" to write a virgin file info to the module
yes i agree, new module, rewrite the software per the vin# and only then is that data archived. the resistor trick is good for wire integrity. i think after a couple of key cycles the/a code will return with the resistor in place.
A diagnostic tool won't do the trick, but a module replacement or reflash will clear the airbag light for a fraction of the tag. Unless you disassemble some trims while buying a car, there's no way to notice some airbags are missing.
thanks for the info. I got into a Hyundai elantra which had been wrecked, and the airbags didn't blow, but the seat belt did, and I was told it would cost $1000 to fix that. I gave up and junked it losing about $1500 rather than spend another $1000. I should be allowed to drive without that 'special' part, just as I should be allowed to drive an older car in which such things are not required. A friend of mine wrecked when his airbag 'deployed' in normal driving, but the government didn't pay his bills.
There were a couple of more problems I had to fix, but the big one was the thousand dollars the 'state' said I needed for the passenger seat. I also knew that something about that 'safety' system was bad because the seat had 'fired' and the air bag had not deployed, and I knew nothing about that system, and did not know how to pursue that information I needed. Also I was so upset that the 'state' required me to have that system on the car that it was upsetting me, and I would rather take the beating (financially) than continue to be upset by the 'state', and I feared the airbag going off when it shouldn't, because it didn't go off when it should have.
When I bought my Mercedes everything was ok but later a srs light came on and my mechanic found out that the driver side underneath the seat had a resistor
Rei Mullalli doesnt suprise me. They probably did it for the pretensioner. They can blow for no reason. That and sometimes the code comes and goes on them, and adding a resistor in line helps keep it off. Had to do it in my ford, the connector was just loose, but a new connector was $50 and the resistor actually helped tighten the connector.
Rei Mullalli and i can say, even though that resistor was there, the pretensioner still fired on the seatbelt. Not always end of the world with jerryrigging.
Just for clarity, the seat belt devices are pre-tensioners, which tighten the belt in an accident. They are one time use, and are triggered only in an accident bad enough to set off one or more airbags. If a shop did as described here, the seat belt would still "seem" to work (ie it would lock up if you tugged hard on the webbing), but it would be missing the pre-tensioner, which is important in more severe accidents...and you'd never know.
Cool, now I can go turn that pesky light off that's been on my dash since I wrecked it ..... Thanks for the info , never thought of it ... Was just going to unplug the light ....
It actually is not in all vehicles ...some have gotten quite clever at making certain safety features more and more difficult to bypass ...they can for instance require a chip instead of a more rudimentary sensors that only report a resistance value a chip might looks at a sensor umpteen times a second sending code to the computer ...sure no matter how they rig it someone can still engineer a bypass ....but it won't be a 5cent resistor! It will instead be a $49 "dongle" that no reputable store wants to carry "for liability" and even the places that do sell will have you okay a disclaimer "for closed course vehicles only" of some crap...the newer the vehicle the worse stuff like that will get....But hey at least you can Apple Carplay a back up camera, active headlights, active cruise control etc etc...they make it too damn nice to want to go back to any simplicity
A great tip if you are using a car with srs as the donor vehicle for a kit car in uk. Saves the headache of deleting srs from loom/control modules etc.
Sam what size resistor did you use? Gm vehicles are very sensitive too resistor size, I’m looking for this on my personal vehicle only.. it’s NOT being used on public roads.
As a technician in a high production collision repair shop, it's driving me nuts how long this car is taking you to reassemble. Lol I love your videos though!
@@TonyAlvestad but someone can replace the airbag modular so when you go to check for codes nothing shows up. Is there another way too know if the airbags work properly?
@@TonyAlvestad no because people can reset or replace the modular or even put in resistors or take off the light bulb etc. The light is not enough indication if you are not the first owner of the vehicle and that it has had accident
I can see someone getting into an accident with a safety mechanism removed and suing the repair shop. Very bad practice and the repair shop would be culpable for injuries. If you knowingly defeated airbags and a passenger was injured in an accident in your car you would be liable for any injury or damages. DONT DO IT!
no... you wouldn't. the person who ran into you would, oh wait, if it is your fault anyway you would be liable. don't drive shitily kids, you'll get sued.
There was a law suit involving a body shop and State farm insurance. Vehicle was bought used. www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/13917-couple-injured-in-honda-fit-case-awarded-42-million.html
Stee Vee Zee nice it shows its not impossible to prove, but i would still think its a hard case to beat under different circumstances. The body shop came forward and was defending the repairs made instead of denying they made them.
Today I learned about seatbelt technology did not know that thanks Sam I just learned something!! Never thought about it another part that has to be replaced wow
Seems like they could add some additional security/protection with a few more cents in components by pumping back a heartbeat to the SRS system, but I guess when you need something to work fairly consistently every time than simple is better in this case. Wow though...
Being in the electronics repair trade myself, this could easily be accomplished; however, you are correct in the fact that the issues with digital systems most of the time surmount those of a simple analog system in terms of reliability.
When i was tought how to diagnose airbag systems in my auto tech program this actually it tought to techs if there shop doesnt have the 1 or 2 grand to drop in a airbag tester most shop will use this trick to diagnose the system cheap
My car comes with 12 airbags. Front driver side and passenger side, both front pillars, both front seats, both rear pillars and side cushions (almost forgot the side pillars, like seriously, how many airbags does a car need???). I've been thinking about getting rid of some to reduce weight and make some extra cash because I know they are worth their weight in gold. I literally had planned to see if I could use resistors to fool the car. Happy to know that it actually works lmao
Full explanation. When the car is turned on, the computers power up and send a 5 volt signal to all the various sensors in a car. They are looking for 2 things - open circuit (broken wire, deployed air bag, etc) or a return that is at least 1/10th of a volt less then the 5v. The idea is it prevents that very scenario where someone simply shorts the system with a paper clip. That works with many different lights - on one car I had, I wanted the locking differentials to work no matter what the computer said... so I ran wire for a switch then soldered in a resistor so the computer would think "ah, there's a load there so all must be well." No dash lights, no problems.
This actually happened to a friend, the car he had bought a year or so ago hit a patch of spilled diesel on a hill, spun out and went into a stone wall, no airbags went off, turned out it was a Cat. D writeoff and "repaired", frame was damaged, airbags deployed and replaced with resistors, and when the car crashed with him driving, he had no safety equipment work aside from the standard seatbelt lock-up feature (pull quickly on the belt and they lock up temporarily), the garage he bought it from is presently being sued...
Here's hoping your friend quite literally takes them to the cleaners. Their hack could well have gotten your friend killed. The only "legitimate" way to do such a hack is if every buyer, driver, and passenger of that vehicle is notified of all the missing safety equipment prior to each use (ideally disclosing such with a permanent label on the instrument cluster and elsewhere) and that they are assuming a greatly elevated risk in case of accident (I know not how to ensure passengers are reliably aware..which is why such is really a bad idea unless it is only temporary while the parts are on order).
Figuring out the resistor size isn't difficult. You put in a potentiometer (an adjustable resistor, like you find in old-school stereos for volume control, before we used rotary encoders) and adjust it until the light goes off (might have to cycle the ignition periodically, some systems only do diagnostics once at power-up). Then take it out and measure it. Or alternatively, measure one of the working lines: Measure the current passing through the line and the voltage drop across it, and plug it into ohms law. The reason for the resistor is to guard against open/short circuits, not to protect against this sort of scam. It essentially has a divider bridge of two resistors, and an open-circuit of short-circuit gives you a voltage that is out of bounds, while the right resistor gives you something in the middle.
Yeah, when you twisted the wire to tighten the first resistor you put in... you bypassed the resistor. Now you just have a short circuit between the two contacts.
Great video. I did (way back) repair-build cars as a hobby. I remember not having seatbelts or safety glass. So its always interesting to see how the new safety features are built into vehicles. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. From a subscriber in England.
Ok but when, in the video, do you program the SRS module? I don't think that Airbag light turn off only erasing the faulty codes, you have to reprogram the SRS module.
You know, what you showed us is to help diagnose the SRS in most or all cars if there is a fault. Just don't be a tool and leave them in. Find the fault, replace the part, and make the light go away.
Just wondering what kind of resistor can one use ?🤔 no mention of it in the video or in any comments 🤔 😕. I'm in the final stages of completing my track car conversion for weekends and I'm still thinking how can I get around the airbag light especially with all the original seats removed . Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I did this once to my car to pass inspection. I spun off the road into a field and flipped the car on its side which deployed the side airbag and busted my mirror off but did literally nothing else. Airbag was a lot of money so I just stuck a resistor on it
Thanks for giving the detailed video. I purchased a Salvaged 2019 Traverse.THe jerk had a fake receipt showing he paid a lot of money replacing the airbags. He had actually replaced a few...but low and behold a year or so in the air bag light came one. Come to find out he had done the resistor trick on the L & R air bag side curtains one of them had gone bad triggering the code error...jerk took zero responsibility ..he blamed it on the alleged "air bag" company that was conveniently out of business.
@@r.k862 You can take it to and airbag repair shop or technician. It cost @ $200 to have my guy inspect mine and tell me where there were issues ..depending on the vehicle it can cost more...
The charges will still blow if you are not wearing a seat belt, but the belt itself won't lockup. An easy way to tell if the belt was extended and worn in a crash.
This really raises concern for me for when I got hit in my Cadillac STS-V. My car went head on into a cement barrier at highway speeds and then got t boned. No airbags ever went off... funny thing is when I bought the car the airbag light was on and as part of the agreement the dealership would fix the issue. They "fixed" the issue and I never saw the light on again. Samcrac, if you remember I sent you pictures of my accident so you saw the severity of the wreck. Airbags should have went off.
very informative ... shocking that the airbag system is that simple to fool .... 2 followup questions imagine a case where a knee airbag is harvested/stolen from your car does the SRS computer detects that there is a disconnect of the airbag and reconnect (of the resistor) and trigger a code if the ignition is NOT turned on when the theft occurs ? also what happens if the resistor gets loose and falls off the connector while driving : does the airbag light goes on immediately (with a code ) or will it stay off and only appear the next time the car is turned on (in other words is the integrity /presence of the "airbag" checked continuously while the car is being driven or is it just happening during the startup when you turn the ignition on ?} again thank you this is very helpful ...
Thanks for the info. Using it for a good cause though. Seen this in a few videos now. Using this to remove my front passenger seat. Turning my car into a solo camper.
Fixer 1 Did you consider that he is also telling a lot of people who might get scammed about a potential problem. It's harder to scam some one who is aware of the scam. Information wants to be free!
It works! I can finally flip one car I've been sittin on cause of this exact problem. Light off =outta sight outta mind=sold vehicle. Used car is as is sale buyer beware. Thanks sam,ill foward this vid!
Fixer 1 Obscurity is not security. You ultimately defeat these sorts of scams precisely be making them well known, even to the average Joe wherever possible, such that everyone (or at least many) knows to look out for the issue and shops then have reason to fear they will be found out if they engage in such behavior with any regularity. By "keeping the secret" you ensure that only those of us with a background in electronics, the service manual, or a detailed knowledge of the pyrotechnic mechanisms and what is being "tested" (the loop impedance) by the SRS computer remain familiar with scams like this, and we are a much smaller subset of the car buying public. The more people who know to look out for such scams the less likely the average Joe is to be scammed in the first place.
Also people like me are looking. I have a POS truck i bought for $900 i am not selling it. I just need an inspection sticker.for my truck that i own abd use. The entire dash panel that conceals the airbag is gone. I have a portable radio jammed in the hole. Everyone knows there is not an airbag there. Inspector says i got to make the light go out. Ive considered removing the bulb but id like for it to still come on for a few seconds when you turn the key ya know.......i could remove the bulb but then next year theyll tell me i got to fix it......so im not too interested in doing anything to make negative progress doing things id have to take out next year
There have been a few cases on the media in which cars were sold with removed airbags, new buyer had crash with no deployment, and they sued the sellers for big money.
Or they could just remove the W5W bulb from behind the airbag light in the instrument cluster, preventing it from ever lighting up. Or they could just couple said bulb with the battery light bulb, making also the airbag light light up initially, but going dark after the car has been started. Etc.
+idiot Nice from you, that you've signed your message. The fact you missed, that 99% of car buyers don't have a scan tool, and that because of that the bulb method can fool them in same proportion, is really just a plus.
i'm one of those people that would rather have the airbags shunted with a resistor then replaced. but then again that is with a roll cage and 4 point harnesses installed on top of that so... and yes that is much safer then airbags that kill.
There is also do another thing you can do. You can take the airbag module, and resoder some of the chips in the airbag control module. That way the light will never come on again
well, what if you don't want a seat airbag? "like installing after market seats." I would rather install a resistor for that airbag then to have an airbag light and all of the good airbags don't go off in a collision. So it is safer to install a resistor in some cases.
I’m pretty sure the Crown Victoria I have has resistors in it but I’m not sure what the look for, I hit a stump pretty hard last year enough to turn the flashers on and my air bags never deployed, on top of that I can hit the passenger side airbag department and it feels as if nothing is in it, can press it all the way in.
Thanks Samcrac for sharing this info you should do a recap video of all the things to look out for. pretty sure you'll get a million of views. Thanks so much your awesome
If the airbag controller is not communicating with the car on the passenger side, is there any way to hide that? Just need to pass the MOT in the UK as I only use the car as a local run around, don't have passengers with me.
This is why I do stuff myself, in Guatemala they bring this crashed cars to "fix them" and they sell them really cheap with "No lights". I've found cars that even have the dash lights unplugged so people without OBD scanners don't know what the fuck is happening.
Great video Am replacing blown airbags side curtain steering wheel and drivers knee plus reprogramming Control module and seatbelts.. Do I need to replace sensors? and if I do how do I find out which ones? Chevrolet Bolt damage ft. left and small right rear fender Thanks so much Jim
Couple questions. Did you work on the resistors and Airbag with the battery unplugged? Also wouldn't you need to reset the srs module to get the light to come off? Weather you did it by replacing the Airbags or putting resistors in place?
You'd think that manufacturers would use a small circuit in each safety system which generates a VIN-specific security code that the main computer reads to verify that the actual part is installed and not some janky hack. I mean, it's potentially fatal what these dirtbags do. The car makers can prevent this with only a few bucks worth of electronics per type safety component. You really gotta be a special type of f'd up to do take the safety equipment out of a car like that. Wow...this is good information to know!
I was told by a co worker that the impact sensors on his 11 Tahoe need to have vin number programmed into sensor to get lite to go out. Cost him a couple hundred to get it programmed at dealer. Must be how they insure parts are replaced rather than by passed.
I don't have airbags or shoulder straps, so I wouldn't even need resistors, just for the asshole who hit me's insurance company to pay for body repairs, which is sometimes easy with a plunger and some bond-o. Any mechanical repairs I may be able to do myself if I have the tools.
Samcrac There are actual apps that give options to turn off the airbags in certain locations. I have an app for the 2013-2016 Ddge Darts to where I can turn off certain airbags like Seats if I wanted to run a racing bucket.... I can also turn them completely off if im on the track as well.... guess what... no light on the dashboard. most FCA cars work on this app as well.
Love this video! I have a question I have a 2019 Ford ecosport and both front knee airbags deployed. I sent the module and seatbelts to get replaced.I bought the airbags from a junkyard and installed everything back. The airbag light is still on and my innova 5410 can’t even connect to the car. The fordpass app gave an alert that the RCM has detected a fault with the driver knee airbag circuit. Is there anything that I could do to clear this? Thanks please let me know
I bought a salvaged vehicle to ship overseas. Only the driver knee airbag was deployed. If I connect an emulator or resistor to that airbag, will the other airbags work? The car is not being sold to anyone and airbags is not a safety requirement in that country.
Someone had a friend who was looking at a truck and asked me if it was okay to send me some pics of the truck to answer some questions for him. Well I am looking at the pics and he was asking me why the dash above the glove box had a split in it almost like a long cut. As soon as I saw that picture I told the guy that the airbags had been deployed, even though no air bag remnants were sticking out of the slit, so I said to him there should be an airbag light on. Later he takes a pic of the dash no air bag light on, I told him ask the seller if the guy had replaced the air bag, he told me seller didnt replace anything, told him to run away because there were multiple airbags deployed and someone tinkered with it.... find another truck, this will cost a fortune to fix
Most interesting. Two questions: what value resister are you using? And since it was in an accident, wouldn't the airbag module have to be sent off and reset, since that can't be done with a scan tool? Thanks, Tom
By the way, when you twist the resistor and the leads touch, the resistor is shorted and 0 ohms, not the 1k, 2k, 5k ohms or whatever you chose.
Samsung Galaxy S7 that’s my point exactly, the metal leads of the resistor will he fractions of one ohm or close enough to zero.
thank you sir.
that was bugging me too, wondered if someone else noticed
Yup, useless after he twist it.
I think he twisted them just enough where they weren't touching. Kind of hard to tell from the angle.
This is also super useful if you have a car that you want to have an aftermarket non-airbag steering wheel in but don't want the ugly light in the cluster.
Probably why most people would be coming to this video other than his subscribers
There's this guy named Christian Rose who bought a 535i and rebuilt it for his own use. He felt there was no need for curtain airbag and decide to use a resistor to clear the light. I see no problem doing this even for sellers of rebuilt cars as long as it is disclosed to the buyer
Seong Hong He actually listed the call on Craigslist I called him and he told me he only replaced the Driver air bag and nothing deployed!!! He tried to pull a fast one!
Yeah, if the car is being built for racing or personal use, it shouldn't come as a surprise to potential buyers that it's missing airbags or other safety stuff.
Or like the pizza car, its a single seater so there is absolutely no reason for having any of the passenger airbags.
Its the same with the BMW E49 3-series, the passenger seat that indicates if its occupied all break and you have to replace the entire seat. this also runs on the airbag system so your light is on. Stick a 10 dollar module in it and the computer thinks its always occupied, the only really small downside of it is that in an crash the passenger airbag also will deploy.
You could do it even cheaper by putting black tape over the light
it wouldnt come on as a tell tale on igntion switch on, could tell straight away
Sajeev Studios haha 😂
Then just couple the bulb with another one that's supposed to light up initially, but go out after a few seconds under normal circumstances (like the battery light, the oil level/pressure light or the abs light)
Just sharpie over it or remove bulb. Problem fixed and you now have one free bulb.
You have never took apart modern clocks, have you? They generally don't have bulbs any more, they use LEDs which are a lot harder to remove
3 ohms or 3.3 ohms works.. I use them to install aftermarket steering wheels.
1/4watt? 1/2watt? does it matter?
Wouldn't twisting that resistor round like that cause the legs to short together bypassing the resistor and effectively just making it like you just put a piece of wire between the 2 pins.... :S
yes but I didn't touch them when I twisted it, should've made that more clear
Great idea when you replace your cars OEM steering wheel with an aftermarket racing one
You can get aftermarket steering wheels with airbags.
Where can I buy them from?
The good companies like momo will make ones with airbags holes.
You just need to insert your cars airbag into it or some crap.
Also, in many places it is illegal to drive a airbag equipped car without airbags and if you do decide to drive because who will know and you get into an accident even if not your fault, your or their insurer most likely wont pay out
Grayfox the insurance will pay out, so long as you were not the one who performed, or authorized, the modification, and you had no prior knowledge of it.
I've seen an odd one. The ABS computer was fried really good and was not reacting to anything. But the light comes on for a few seconds and then it shuts off like normal. And found in the dash a tiny 555 timer chip assembly that does that auto light on for a few seconds than off.
It's a twist of a capacitor that charges a bit at power on and as it discharges will fade the led away.. but this made timing gives away pretty fast as the time while it's on can vary a lot, but with an actual timer circuit set to factory time.. it's spotless.
Clever scammer!
You have to be a real POS to put a resister in to turn an airbag light off. Does not surprise me though.
or actually someone that is smart and doesn't think that using explosives in a safety system is a good idea. (trust me it isn't) this is also why racing series have used roll cages, harnesses and other static systems to protect their drivers to greater effect.
So are you saying that all the research, development and laws revolving around airbags all around the world simply should not be because reasons?
If they are so dangerous why does everyone use them? You would think at least one company like Mercedes would go out of their way and create a better system then advertise why the old way is dangerous compared to theirs aka they get more people buying their products.
uh they have, hell NASCAR, Recaro, Sparco and other manufacturers and racing series have, but due to practicality and stagnant outdated pile of shit regulatory reasons, they haven't been implemented. Have you seen a wreck in nascar? have you seen the worst wrecks in most autosports? These drivers walk away from stuff that would kill them in a normal car. normal cars are unsafe compared to the safety systems in a race car. if you were smart you would throw out those airbags and go to something a bit more intrusive and more effective.
I need to do this in my converted Transit van so the giant side airbags don’t blow the wooden cabinets I’ve built into the cargo area.
I wouldn't trust a used airbag off ebay.
MilkCap why? They are built to such a high standard that insurance companies allow body shops to use them
On a car like 2018 or something less than 6 mos old theres just a high chance the bag is STOLEN vs not working. So thats the real issue especially with cars like HONDAS. Them bags are def. stolen.
The car you're driving has a used airbag in it. Every car on the road has a used airbag in it.
+WILLIS CURRY that's an awful stupid statement ....
When I was growin up , we walked backwards up hill against the wind in the snow and we didn't complain. I miss the good old days when we got to smash our faces into the dashboard and the steering wheel and did not have to worry about some damn sissy air bag codes xD
0_o
I've driven a few cars long before airbags coming out and have bitten the steering wheel a couple times from wrecks.
Interesting. Very informative. I guess scammers are getting around passing inspection with this trick the same way.
Some people just want their car to pass inspection in their Nazi state so they like go to work and sh!t without having to turn to armed robbery to pay a car dealer thousand of bucks to do it "right"...Safety first now! No amount of financial suffering compares with being less safe....we must be in maximum compliance at all times
At around 4:30 you legitimately turned into Kermit.
AND FINDING OUT
Good laughs, good laughs :,)
I just fell out of my couch!
i would give it a thumbs up but the number is too perfect for this quality of discovery.
In a very limited scenario, a dummy load resistor could help diagnosing troubles. But I can imagine that this is a really illegal thing to do as a permanent fix. Sam thanks for this demonstration.
Great PSA on what to look for in rebuilds.
In my prior post I explained how to defeat the test circuit, now comes why you still may have a problem. All those connections are weather-tight and also have a tamper tab that breaks if you replace the air bag. The problem arises when moisture gets into that circuit. Say you're in Florida and it's a hot, humid day when you pull it apart, then you put it back together that night. You now have moisture which will cause corrosion on those joints. The computer is looking for a 1/10th of a volt change and if it thinks there is a problem, it disables the system. The airbags may not go off if the system thinks there is a problem.... which, even on a reputable repair, may make the system inoperable. You SHOULD have a light in that situation, but I had that very trouble with a vehicle and it did not have a failure light.... repairing these cars is totally cool, I do it all the time, but you need to know what you are buying and why it's cheaper... after all, everyone should spend 50 cents on the dollar if they get the same car. It's not the same car as new.
Once the car has been in an accident there will be a crashed data stored on the airbag module which NO diagnostic tool can erase nor resistor can fix, the module needs to be replaced or reset with "special tool" to write a virgin file info to the module
Bruno Oliveira
I had some Ford software. It would clear those codes. It’s not hard if you know what to send to the module.
yes i agree, new module, rewrite the software per the vin# and only then is that data archived. the resistor trick is good for wire integrity. i think after a couple of key cycles the/a code will return with the resistor in place.
A diagnostic tool won't do the trick, but a module replacement or reflash will clear the airbag light for a fraction of the tag. Unless you disassemble some trims while buying a car, there's no way to notice some airbags are missing.
I think he replaced the airbag module or reset the original before make this video
kekkoz10 he probably use the module from the flood car.
thanks for the info. I got into a Hyundai elantra which had been wrecked, and the airbags didn't blow, but the seat belt did, and I was told it would cost $1000 to fix that. I gave up and junked it losing about $1500 rather than spend another $1000. I should be allowed to drive without that 'special' part, just as I should be allowed to drive an older car in which such things are not required. A friend of mine wrecked when his airbag 'deployed' in normal driving, but the government didn't pay his bills.
And you didn't just keep the car why ???
There were a couple of more problems I had to fix, but the big one was the thousand dollars the 'state' said I needed for the passenger seat. I also knew that something about that 'safety' system was bad because the seat had 'fired' and the air bag had not deployed, and I knew nothing about that system, and did not know how to pursue that information I needed. Also I was so upset that the 'state' required me to have that system on the car that it was upsetting me, and I would rather take the beating (financially) than continue to be upset by the 'state', and I feared the airbag going off when it shouldn't, because it didn't go off when it should have.
YAY MONETIZATION!!
When I bought my Mercedes everything was ok but later a srs light came on and my mechanic found out that the driver side underneath the seat had a resistor
Rei Mullalli doesnt suprise me. They probably did it for the pretensioner. They can blow for no reason. That and sometimes the code comes and goes on them, and adding a resistor in line helps keep it off. Had to do it in my ford, the connector was just loose, but a new connector was $50 and the resistor actually helped tighten the connector.
Charles Small. thank you!
Rei Mullalli and i can say, even though that resistor was there, the pretensioner still fired on the seatbelt. Not always end of the world with jerryrigging.
This NOT me. I never made this comment above. How can someone do this (using my name?)
Larry Ciarrocchi but no one is using your name
Just for clarity, the seat belt devices are pre-tensioners, which tighten the belt in an accident. They are one time use, and are triggered only in an accident bad enough to set off one or more airbags. If a shop did as described here, the seat belt would still "seem" to work (ie it would lock up if you tugged hard on the webbing), but it would be missing the pre-tensioner, which is important in more severe accidents...and you'd never know.
Cool, now I can go turn that pesky light off that's been on my dash since I wrecked it ..... Thanks for the info , never thought of it ... Was just going to unplug the light ....
I had no idea it was that easy to bypass the sensors. Thanks for the video.
It actually is not in all vehicles ...some have gotten quite clever at making certain safety features more and more difficult to bypass ...they can for instance require a chip instead of a more rudimentary sensors that only report a resistance value a chip might looks at a sensor umpteen times a second sending code to the computer ...sure no matter how they rig it someone can still engineer a bypass ....but it won't be a 5cent resistor! It will instead be a $49 "dongle" that no reputable store wants to carry "for liability" and even the places that do sell will have you okay a disclaimer "for closed course vehicles only" of some crap...the newer the vehicle the worse stuff like that will get....But hey at least you can Apple Carplay a back up camera, active headlights, active cruise control etc etc...they make it too damn nice to want to go back to any simplicity
A great tip if you are using a car with srs as the donor vehicle for a kit car in uk. Saves the headache of deleting srs from loom/control modules etc.
Sam what size resistor did you use? Gm vehicles are very sensitive too resistor size, I’m looking for this on my personal vehicle only.. it’s NOT being used on public roads.
As a technician in a high production collision repair shop, it's driving me nuts how long this car is taking you to reassemble. Lol I love your videos though!
Hi, if I want to know if my airbags are working properly where do I go to get them checked? I want to avoid dealers because they charge a lot
Any mechanic with a decent scan tool can diagnose airbag issues and pinpoint what the cause of the light is.
@@TonyAlvestad but someone can replace the airbag modular so when you go to check for codes nothing shows up. Is there another way too know if the airbags work properly?
@@r.k862 from my understanding as long as the light on the dash is gone that means everything is functioning and good to go.
@@TonyAlvestad no because people can reset or replace the modular or even put in resistors or take off the light bulb etc. The light is not enough indication if you are not the first owner of the vehicle and that it has had accident
I can see someone getting into an accident with a safety mechanism removed and suing the repair shop. Very bad practice and the repair shop would be culpable for injuries. If you knowingly defeated airbags and a passenger was injured in an accident in your car you would be liable for any injury or damages. DONT DO IT!
no... you wouldn't. the person who ran into you would, oh wait, if it is your fault anyway you would be liable. don't drive shitily kids, you'll get sued.
Hard to prove who tampered with it. Especially if its an older car with mulitple previous owners. Thats why the shops can get away with it.
There was a law suit involving a body shop and State farm insurance. Vehicle was bought used.
www.autobodynews.com/index.php/industry-news/item/13917-couple-injured-in-honda-fit-case-awarded-42-million.html
Stee Vee Zee nice it shows its not impossible to prove, but i would still think its a hard case to beat under different circumstances. The body shop came forward and was defending the repairs made instead of denying they made them.
Nothing like making me paranoid about buying any kind of used car.
Today I learned about seatbelt technology did not know that thanks Sam I just learned something!! Never thought about it another part that has to be replaced wow
Seems like they could add some additional security/protection with a few more cents in components by pumping back a heartbeat to the SRS system, but I guess when you need something to work fairly consistently every time than simple is better in this case. Wow though...
Being in the electronics repair trade myself, this could easily be accomplished; however, you are correct in the fact that the issues with digital systems most of the time surmount those of a simple analog system in terms of reliability.
When i was tought how to diagnose airbag systems in my auto tech program this actually it tought to techs if there shop doesnt have the 1 or 2 grand to drop in a airbag tester most shop will use this trick to diagnose the system cheap
My car comes with 12 airbags. Front driver side and passenger side, both front pillars, both front seats, both rear pillars and side cushions (almost forgot the side pillars, like seriously, how many airbags does a car need???). I've been thinking about getting rid of some to reduce weight and make some extra cash because I know they are worth their weight in gold. I literally had planned to see if I could use resistors to fool the car. Happy to know that it actually works lmao
Full explanation. When the car is turned on, the computers power up and send a 5 volt signal to all the various sensors in a car. They are looking for 2 things - open circuit (broken wire, deployed air bag, etc) or a return that is at least 1/10th of a volt less then the 5v. The idea is it prevents that very scenario where someone simply shorts the system with a paper clip. That works with many different lights - on one car I had, I wanted the locking differentials to work no matter what the computer said... so I ran wire for a switch then soldered in a resistor so the computer would think "ah, there's a load there so all must be well." No dash lights, no problems.
This actually happened to a friend, the car he had bought a year or so ago hit a patch of spilled diesel on a hill, spun out and went into a stone wall, no airbags went off, turned out it was a Cat. D writeoff and "repaired", frame was damaged, airbags deployed and replaced with resistors, and when the car crashed with him driving, he had no safety equipment work aside from the standard seatbelt lock-up feature (pull quickly on the belt and they lock up temporarily), the garage he bought it from is presently being sued...
GOOD!
Here's hoping your friend quite literally takes them to the cleaners. Their hack could well have gotten your friend killed.
The only "legitimate" way to do such a hack is if every buyer, driver, and passenger of that vehicle is notified of all the missing safety equipment prior to each use (ideally disclosing such with a permanent label on the instrument cluster and elsewhere) and that they are assuming a greatly elevated risk in case of accident (I know not how to ensure passengers are reliably aware..which is why such is really a bad idea unless it is only temporary while the parts are on order).
Figuring out the resistor size isn't difficult. You put in a potentiometer (an adjustable resistor, like you find in old-school stereos for volume control, before we used rotary encoders) and adjust it until the light goes off (might have to cycle the ignition periodically, some systems only do diagnostics once at power-up). Then take it out and measure it. Or alternatively, measure one of the working lines: Measure the current passing through the line and the voltage drop across it, and plug it into ohms law.
The reason for the resistor is to guard against open/short circuits, not to protect against this sort of scam. It essentially has a divider bridge of two resistors, and an open-circuit of short-circuit gives you a voltage that is out of bounds, while the right resistor gives you something in the middle.
Yeah, when you twisted the wire to tighten the first resistor you put in... you bypassed the resistor. Now you just have a short circuit between the two contacts.
A Chevy Spark starts at $13,050, and it has 10 standard airbags. Those must make up a significant chunk of the car's value.
I have used a resistor to turn off the daytime running lights. Liquid tape has worked well for me to keep the resistor in.
Great video. I did (way back) repair-build cars as a hobby. I remember not having seatbelts or safety glass. So its always interesting to see how the new safety features are built into vehicles.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. From a subscriber in England.
Ok but when, in the video, do you program the SRS module? I don't think that Airbag light turn off only erasing the faulty codes, you have to reprogram the SRS module.
You know, what you showed us is to help diagnose the SRS in most or all cars if there is a fault. Just don't be a tool and leave them in. Find the fault, replace the part, and make the light go away.
I have an old truck that I want to do this in. What value does the resistor need to be? I am not selling the truck, just want to shut off the light.
Just wondering what kind of resistor can one use ?🤔 no mention of it in the video or in any comments 🤔 😕.
I'm in the final stages of completing my track car conversion for weekends and I'm still thinking how can I get around the airbag light especially with all the original seats removed . Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
So errr, do you have a part number for the specific resister? I’m asking for a friend.
Sam has the most comfy yt channel
I did this once to my car to pass inspection. I spun off the road into a field and flipped the car on its side which deployed the side airbag and busted my mirror off but did literally nothing else. Airbag was a lot of money so I just stuck a resistor on it
I'm really hoping i'll be able to do this. Did you need to get the SRS module reset or anything like that?
Thanks for giving the detailed video. I purchased a Salvaged 2019 Traverse.THe jerk had a fake receipt showing he paid a lot of money replacing the airbags. He had actually replaced a few...but low and behold a year or so in the air bag light came one. Come to find out he had done the resistor trick on the L & R air bag side curtains one of them had gone bad triggering the code error...jerk took zero responsibility ..he blamed it on the alleged "air bag" company that was conveniently out of business.
If i want to buy a car how can I inspect that the airbags didn't go off before?
@@r.k862 You can take it to and airbag repair shop or technician. It cost @ $200 to have my guy inspect mine and tell me where there were issues ..depending on the vehicle it can cost more...
@@TomcoAV thank you. If I want to have only the drivers airbag checked and to fix somethings how much do I have to pay maximum roughly?
Who needs airbags anyway, weren't in vehicles when I started driving, just a false sense of security.
Gotta love government mandated safety equipment
I removed my rear seats and rear air bags for a car audio build .This is a good fix ty.
Pretty common to be honest. A lot of people seem do this for after market steering wheels or for seat occupancy sensors.
A lot of those shady dealers that run their cars through CoPart's auctions will be pissed about this video, but I say fuk um.
I learned the hard way never buy a copart vehicle that wasnt legitimately in accident
The charges will still blow if you are not wearing a seat belt, but the belt itself won't lockup. An easy way to tell if the belt was extended and worn in a crash.
This really raises concern for me for when I got hit in my Cadillac STS-V. My car went head on into a cement barrier at highway speeds and then got t boned. No airbags ever went off... funny thing is when I bought the car the airbag light was on and as part of the agreement the dealership would fix the issue. They "fixed" the issue and I never saw the light on again. Samcrac, if you remember I sent you pictures of my accident so you saw the severity of the wreck. Airbags should have went off.
Yes I did see the photos. It would be interesting to go back and look what might've been there.
very informative ... shocking that the airbag system is that simple to fool .... 2 followup questions imagine a case where a knee airbag is harvested/stolen from your car does the SRS computer detects that there is a disconnect of the airbag and reconnect (of the resistor) and trigger a code if the ignition is NOT turned on when the theft occurs ? also what happens if the resistor gets loose and falls off the connector while driving : does the airbag light goes on immediately (with a code ) or will it stay off and only appear the next time the car is turned on (in other words is the integrity /presence of the "airbag" checked continuously while the car is being driven or is it just happening during the startup when you turn the ignition on ?}
again thank you this is very helpful ...
Thanks for the info. Using it for a good cause though. Seen this in a few videos now. Using this to remove my front passenger seat. Turning my car into a solo camper.
Sam did you ever consider you are telling some less than honest people this airbag delete resistor scam?
I don't think this is a big secret and someone with ill intentions will find this info regardless
Fixer 1
Did you consider that he is also telling a lot of people who might get scammed about a potential problem. It's harder to scam some one who is aware of the scam. Information wants to be free!
It works! I can finally flip one car I've been sittin on cause of this exact problem. Light off =outta sight outta mind=sold vehicle. Used car is as is sale buyer beware. Thanks sam,ill foward this vid!
Fixer 1 Obscurity is not security. You ultimately defeat these sorts of scams precisely be making them well known, even to the average Joe wherever possible, such that everyone (or at least many) knows to look out for the issue and shops then have reason to fear they will be found out if they engage in such behavior with any regularity. By "keeping the secret" you ensure that only those of us with a background in electronics, the service manual, or a detailed knowledge of the pyrotechnic mechanisms and what is being "tested" (the loop impedance) by the SRS computer remain familiar with scams like this, and we are a much smaller subset of the car buying public. The more people who know to look out for such scams the less likely the average Joe is to be scammed in the first place.
Also people like me are looking. I have a POS truck i bought for $900 i am not selling it. I just need an inspection sticker.for my truck that i own abd use. The entire dash panel that conceals the airbag is gone. I have a portable radio jammed in the hole. Everyone knows there is not an airbag there. Inspector says i got to make the light go out. Ive considered removing the bulb but id like for it to still come on for a few seconds when you turn the key ya know.......i could remove the bulb but then next year theyll tell me i got to fix it......so im not too interested in doing anything to make negative progress doing things id have to take out next year
How many ohm's resistor is this? Can we use it on every car?
2 ohms works on many
There have been a few cases on the media in which cars were sold with removed airbags, new buyer had crash with no deployment, and they sued the sellers for big money.
I watched the whole weird game ad just for you man
Or they could just remove the W5W bulb from behind the airbag light in the instrument cluster, preventing it from ever lighting up. Or they could just couple said bulb with the battery light bulb, making also the airbag light light up initially, but going dark after the car has been started. Etc.
taking the bulb out won't trick the scan tool though idiot
+idiot Nice from you, that you've signed your message. The fact you missed, that 99% of car buyers don't have a scan tool, and that because of that the bulb method can fool them in same proportion, is really just a plus.
Most modern cars also report faults in the infotainment system so removing a bulb won't do sh!t.
How would I figure out what resistor I need for a 2000 Toyota Tundra ?
I’ve got a 15 gmc z71. The side air bags deployed. Which sensors would have to b crossed over
VERY informative and like all folks watching we too are consumers of repair shops, thanks for the airbag scam 101.
Alright Sam bout time you showed me something I didn't know ...Had no idea the seat belts has charges in them to help restrain. Thanks man
What size resistor was used color code
What type of resitors did you use how much ohms??
i'm one of those people that would rather have the airbags shunted with a resistor then replaced. but then again that is with a roll cage and 4 point harnesses installed on top of that so... and yes that is much safer then airbags that kill.
Do I need to clear the codes after putting resistor?
There is also do another thing you can do. You can take the airbag module, and resoder some of the chips in the airbag control module. That way the light will never come on again
well, what if you don't want a seat airbag? "like installing after market seats." I would rather install a resistor for that airbag then to have an airbag light and all of the good airbags don't go off in a collision. So it is safer to install a resistor in some cases.
Wow dude, that's totally crazy. I heard about Scammers removing the SRS bulb from the cluster, but never using resistors to bypass it
I’m pretty sure the Crown Victoria I have has resistors in it but I’m not sure what the look for, I hit a stump pretty hard last year enough to turn the flashers on and my air bags never deployed, on top of that I can hit the passenger side airbag department and it feels as if nothing is in it, can press it all the way in.
newer cars tend to have checks in place for this, its not supposed to work anymore, but it still does.
Did you install the good SRS module from other car? Or had the original reflashed?
Thanks I’ve been trying to scam people for awhile now. All I need is resistors
I'm all set. I already have some. FeelsGoodMan
I'm going to assume you already have the car...
In New York you must use new air bag an seat belts , or get then repaired by an approved shop .
Great video. Great job breaking this down to something simple
By twisting the resistor you're making a short, the resistance if you measured it would be 0.0, if you don't believe me throw a meter on it
Thanks Samcrac for sharing this info you should do a recap video of all the things to look out for. pretty sure you'll get a million of views. Thanks so much your awesome
If the airbag controller is not communicating with the car on the passenger side, is there any way to hide that? Just need to pass the MOT in the UK as I only use the car as a local run around, don't have passengers with me.
I believe you can use them resistors to replace the one in a air mas sensor and save quite a bit
how big resistor needs to be in, to by pass??
2 ohm works on many
Air bags sometimes have to be disabled due to various reasons, although this is usualy disclosed. Disabled drivers...
In what instance would an airbag be disabled for a disabled individual?
Patiently waiting for the DXP.
What is the ohms for the resistor to use?
I bought a 05 jeep grand cherokee and it has resisters under both front seats. What should I do?
Call a lawyer, hope the shop you bought the car from has enough assets for you to make a nice payday.
you should go buy a couple of racing seats and install those. OH and a roll cage. they are safer then airbags.
Some one could of disabled the seatbelt fasten warning. Some people really dont like seat belts.
I’d go back and check to see if they really are resiters. If they are, don’t worry about it. Only a resistor will actually work.
P Martin funny guy, why would you waste your time commenting?
This is why I do stuff myself, in Guatemala they bring this crashed cars to "fix them" and they sell them really cheap with "No lights". I've found cars that even have the dash lights unplugged so people without OBD scanners don't know what the fuck is happening.
That's evil.
MilkCap well considering they sell you a 2016 mazda 3 with ~6k mi for less than $9k usd. What can you expect?
Great video Am replacing blown airbags side curtain steering wheel and drivers knee plus reprogramming Control module and seatbelts.. Do I need to replace sensors? and if I do how do I find out which ones? Chevrolet Bolt damage ft. left and small right rear fender Thanks so much Jim
Couple questions. Did you work on the resistors and Airbag with the battery unplugged? Also wouldn't you need to reset the srs module to get the light to come off? Weather you did it by replacing the Airbags or putting resistors in place?
You'd think that manufacturers would use a small circuit in each safety system which generates a VIN-specific security code that the main computer reads to verify that the actual part is installed and not some janky hack. I mean, it's potentially fatal what these dirtbags do. The car makers can prevent this with only a few bucks worth of electronics per type safety component. You really gotta be a special type of f'd up to do take the safety equipment out of a car like that. Wow...this is good information to know!
I was told by a co worker that the impact sensors on his 11 Tahoe need to have vin number programmed into sensor to get lite to go out. Cost him a couple hundred to get it programmed at dealer. Must be how they insure parts are replaced rather than by passed.
I don't have airbags or shoulder straps, so I wouldn't even need resistors, just for the asshole who hit me's insurance company to pay for body repairs, which is sometimes easy with a plunger and some bond-o. Any mechanical repairs I may be able to do myself if I have the tools.
looking good mr. crac! you clean up very well.
in my xterra you just turn the key at the right times and wait long enough and it makes the light go away permanantly. i even passed inspection
Samcrac There are actual apps that give options to turn off the airbags in certain locations. I have an app for the 2013-2016 Ddge Darts to where I can turn off certain airbags like Seats if I wanted to run a racing bucket.... I can also turn them completely off if im on the track as well.... guess what... no light on the dashboard. most FCA cars work on this app as well.
tellus
Love this video! I have a question I have a 2019 Ford ecosport and both front knee airbags deployed. I sent the module and seatbelts to get replaced.I bought the airbags from a junkyard and installed everything back. The airbag light is still on and my innova 5410 can’t even connect to the car. The fordpass app gave an alert that the RCM has detected a fault with the driver knee airbag circuit. Is there anything that I could do to clear this? Thanks please let me know
I bought a salvaged vehicle to ship overseas. Only the driver knee airbag was deployed. If I connect an emulator or resistor to that airbag, will the other airbags work? The car is not being sold to anyone and airbags is not a safety requirement in that country.
Someone had a friend who was looking at a truck and asked me if it was okay to send me some pics of the truck to answer some questions for him. Well I am looking at the pics and he was asking me why the dash above the glove box had a split in it almost like a long cut. As soon as I saw that picture I told the guy that the airbags had been deployed, even though no air bag remnants were sticking out of the slit, so I said to him there should be an airbag light on. Later he takes a pic of the dash no air bag light on, I told him ask the seller if the guy had replaced the air bag, he told me seller didnt replace anything, told him to run away because there were multiple airbags deployed and someone tinkered with it.... find another truck, this will cost a fortune to fix
If you have air bags on and is running aftermarket seats with these resistors on, will the air bags deploy with an accident?
What resistors you used ? 3ohms or 3.3 ohms ?
Most interesting. Two questions: what value resister are you using? And since it was in an accident, wouldn't the airbag module have to be sent off and reset, since that can't be done with a scan tool? Thanks, Tom
Keep up the legitness Samcrac!