Hello , love your channel , I have 1999 Buick Lasbre and the air bag light went off at 86K miles . I took my car to mechanic and they said "well nothing shows up on there scan tool". I asked if this issue could be fixed with scan tool at dealership . Mechanic's place said "dealership's scan machine wouldn't work either cause my cars is to old". None of other lights on dashboard stay on and is this an issue I have to live with while I own this car . Thanking you in advance , Gary(han)
That light means there's a problem in the SRS system somewhere. A GM dealer can hookup a scan tool to your car and easily find the problem, it's OBD II and the airbag system is tied into the OBD II monitoring system. I wouldn't take it to a dealer, they'll charge you a fortune. Find a competent, independent mechanic, Scotty's showed problems like this before. I don't think he recommends repairing them because airbag systems are quite expensive to fix, and have no real impact on the car's drivability, only safety in a crash, and the contribution is debatable at this point. The airbag's 22 years old if it's never been wrecked, it's an aged explosive device, who knows if it has issues beyond what the light indicates. I'd wear a seatbelt and live with the light if it's not something simple.
Yes good point 22 year old air bag could be much worse . Better having it disactivated . I will (as always) were wear my seat belt and drive careful. Thank you that very good answer ,I appreciate your time and words.
You need to find a better mechanic. A Tech2 or fancy scan tool like Scotty uses would have no problem scanning for codes in that car. The current GM dealer scan tool is different, however most dealers would still have the older stuff around. Too bad most of them would rob their own grandmothers blind - you want to stay away from them and find a good independent mechanic.
I do second the idea though that it's probably not a good idea to have an an armed and active decades-old explosive device staring you in the face. Having that system inactive could actually be a good thing.
Your right the mechanic wasn't helpful in fixing my car . But your answer is helpful and I agree having that system inactive could actually be a good thing vs a decades-old explosive devise in front of me .
If you don’t already own an OBD2 scan tool, consider investing in a BlueDriver tool for DIY repairs.
It should be able to read & clear airbag codes in GM products, however you can contact the company directly to check if it’ll support your vehicle.
At $120, it might even be cheaper than what the dealership charges to scan your vehicle..
Thank You very much I will look into that device !
No worries. Here’s Scotty’s opinion -
https://youtu.be/keFaPcp_E6o
All the best!