We reported the airbag light in our 2009 Suzuki SX4 was on for the second time. We were off to Cerritos Suzuki again. There at the same service department stood the same advisor we'd seen for the same problem the last time. The situation felt awfully redundant.
He extended his hand and said hello, but what we heard was a line from the classic Spaceballs, "So at last we meet, for the first time, for the last time." We had hoped this was the last time we'd be in for this airbag light. But no such luck. We had to come back.
We were told the cause of the light was a faulty switch in the passenger seat cushion and a new seat cushion had to be ordered. But the problem would not affect deployment of the airbags, our primary concern. "I'll have to order the cushion and call you," our advisor began. "I ordered one for another customer 2 weeks ago and haven't seen it yet. I'd expect 2-3 weeks before yours arrives."
From the looks of things, we'll be back at the dealer in about a month with Chapter 3 of the riveting airbag blog series to follow.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 6,085 miles
carfreak8394 says:
02:13 PM, 05/25/09
Well, that's annoying.
adavis2493 says:
02:46 PM, 05/25/09
It's kind of funny how your at a Suzuki Dealer, and only 25% of the cars in the picture are Sukuki's...
nealibob says:
03:54 PM, 05/25/09
So is that the switch that deactivates the airbags based on weight, or is it something else? I just do not understand how there could be a non-essential part of the airbag system. Lousy that it takes so long to fix.
subytrojan says:
04:03 PM, 05/25/09
Early E60 5 Series BMWs went through front passenger seat mat sensors (which were embedded in the cushion) like water.
In this regard, we could say the SX4 is just like a 5 Series! j/k :o)
mlowery85 says:
04:12 PM, 05/25/09
Okay Edmunds Editors, attention please:
A LOT of people are misinformed about the SRS light, including dealers and service people. The SRS system is an all-or-nothing system, and if the light is on the system is not ready and your airbags WILL NOT deploy. I don't care what anyone from the dealership tells you. Sure, there are a lot of sensors involved with the SRS system and you would think that the loss of one wouldn't have to mean the entire system shuts down. But there are several sensors in car systems, like ABS and ESP, which work in the same way - the loss of one means the system as a whole doesn't function. Cars are not sophisticated enough (yet) to be able to distinguish between what is a serious sensor failure and what is a minor one.
I would cease to drive the SX4 and I advise all of you to do the same. It's not worth the risk.
firstwagon says:
04:50 PM, 05/25/09
"not worth the risk"???
My daily driver doesn't even have an airbag.
Is it really such a huge risk? Or is just everyone become afraid of everything.
ricerocketeer says:
06:13 PM, 05/25/09
"Cars are not sophisticated enough (yet) to be able to distinguish between what is a serious sensor failure and what is a minor one."
That's not entirely true -- the front airbags on an RSX will still deploy with the SRS light on. (The SRS light on these cars is mostly caused by failure of the passenger side sensor or swapping the seats for aftermarket ones.)
altimadude00 says:
08:19 PM, 05/25/09
My car doesn't have ABS. I guess I shouldn't be driving it. My car doesn't have side airbags either. I guess I shouldn't get t-boned either.
mustang5507 says:
09:23 PM, 05/25/09
I miss my old car! All it needs are the 16" GT wheels and side stripe! Other than that, right color, right roof, right engine lol. And no, it didn't have ABS.
stephen987 says:
04:23 AM, 05/26/09
Maybe some cars are worth braving LA traffic without an airbag. But the SX4? I understand that some of you find it an attractive little car, but is it really that good?
I wouldn't put up with something like this from Honda or Toyota, but I'd expect it from BMW or Porsche. Tell me: why would I put up with it from Suzuki?
mlowery85 says:
06:11 AM, 05/26/09
The front airbags will deploy on an RSX with the light on? Says who? It has nothing to do with what sensor fails. It has to do with the system being ready (light off) or not ready (light on). If you're saying this based on a personal experience, fine - you're an exception to a rule. If you RTFM, it's pretty clear on this issue.
The point of my post was not directed at anyone who has an older car without certain safety features. What you drive is your prerogative. I posted because Edmunds was misinformed by someone at a dealer you would think would know this sort of thing. The blog entry said the editors were concerned the airbags would not deploy in an accident while the light is on, but were told that they would still function. This is false. I wanted to let them know.
mikeolan says:
01:23 PM, 05/26/09
@firstwagon : I don't know, is car insurance worth it?
Answer: you want a car with airbags. But I don't know, your Yugo is probably all you need.
firstwagon says:
01:40 PM, 05/26/09
"But I don't know, your Yugo is probably all you need"
Actually I drive a Suburu Legacy LS.
mrefficiency says:
11:46 PM, 05/27/09
And yet wouldn't we all mortgage our children if we could have a classic car as our daily driver?
Not many safety features in those...
harleybabe6 says:
12:15 PM, 06/ 2/09
The notes about the older autos are right on, but I also get the point about my SX4 being a little, light bit of nothing, so I suppose the air bag is a tad more important. BUT, since I don't have anything else to drive, nor any other way to commute, guess I'll have to drive mine with the airbag light on and hope for the best. My car is a 2007 and the light started staying on yesterday. C'est la guerre! At least I can tell the techs what to check???? chuckle!!
Thanks folks, and for all of you other SX4 owners, this appears to be a very widespread problem across all the U.S. -- .... oh well!