Friend of mine has bought a RRS with very very minor front end damage and has had all the work done, now only has to replace the seatbelts, steering airbag and dash airbag. Seen a few dash airbag kits on sale complete with ecu.

Any advice of swapping the top dash with airbag and also were the airbag ecu is located? Also would the airbag light go off once dash and steering airbags and airbag ecu fitted or will the car need to go to a dealer to have it reset? RRS SUPERCHARGED, 22 INCH ALLOYS, JAVA BLACK, FULLY COLOUR CODED
EVERY POSSIBLE SOFTWARE UPDATE INCLUDING - BLUTOOTH UPDATE, SATNAV ON THE MOVE, CLOCK ON DASH, 3 CLICK FLASH, GEARBOX RESET, COMPRESSOR UPDATE AND SUSPENSION LOWERED,
BLACK CODE RE-MAPPED, AUTOBIOGRAPHY'D, NEW EXIDE BATTERY, NEW DENSO ALTERNATOR

I think you will find the Restraint Control Module is under the center floor console, not sure how much you have to remove to get to it though. Quite a bit of stuff has to be removed to replace top dash and passengers air bag, but not to difficult though, just a lot of screws and clips and a few electrical multi-plugs. Need to remove some of center console as well so halfway to restraint module access.
Cheers
Col

Cheers Col

Do you know if the airbag light will go out once the replacement airbags and module are all fitted or will it need to be taken to the dealership to reset? RRS SUPERCHARGED, 22 INCH ALLOYS, JAVA BLACK, FULLY COLOUR CODED
EVERY POSSIBLE SOFTWARE UPDATE INCLUDING - BLUTOOTH UPDATE, SATNAV ON THE MOVE, CLOCK ON DASH, 3 CLICK FLASH, GEARBOX RESET, COMPRESSOR UPDATE AND SUSPENSION LOWERED,
BLACK CODE RE-MAPPED, AUTOBIOGRAPHY'D, NEW EXIDE BATTERY, NEW DENSO ALTERNATOR

Not to sure about the warning lights, but did find this in the w/shop manual.




Supplemental Restraint System - Restraints Control Module (RCM)
Removal and Installation
Removal
WARNINGS:
It is imperative that before any work is undertaken on the SRS system, the appropriate information is read
thoroughly.
Always disconnect both battery cables before beginning work on the SRS system. Disconnect the ground cable
first. Never reverse connect the battery.
NOTES:
If the restraints control module (RCM) is to be replaced then T4 must be connected and the correct procedures
adhered to, prior to battery disconnection.
If the SRS component is to be replaced, the bar code of the new unit must be recorded.

Cheers
Col

I had a ding in mine not too long ago, curtain airbags, seats and seat belt tensioners all fired. I sourced all parts second hand and had no problems. Like yourself after looking around I was worried about the ECU and the wiring loom due to all the other misguided 'advice' that's doing the rounds. So to lay it out straight:

1: The firing voltages for the airbags is tiny! The wiring loom is fine.
2: The SRS ECU stores codes yes, however these can be cleared in the usual way (When I replaced my airbags and tensioners the warning light went out on its own without having to clear the faults). Any faults that come back are still existing issues and not a frogged ECU.
3: Airbags, while they can absolutely be dangerous, aren't going to explode in your hands or if dropped. They require an electrical charge to fire.
4: Repair of the seat stitching can be done by any competent automotive upholsterer.
5: There are no laws preventing you from working on the system.
6: If there are no faults on the dash after the repair and previous codes cleared - then the system is operational, dead/damaged airbags will ALWAYS throw a fault.

The only piece of advice I would give is to disconnect the battery a couple of hours in advance. This prevents any possible surges etc. when reconnecting the new airbags. It's also worth running a wire between the positive and negative clamps to ensure all power is discharged (I left the wire there the entire time I was working on the SRS system).

My front airbags didn't fire so I can't offer any help in that regard, But as far as I'm aware you will need a full new/replacement dash. With removing all the dash though it may be worth checking the blend unit and blower for the climate control, I've read on hear about the blend unit failing on here and it's a massive pita to replace as you need to strip out the dash etc.


EDIT: Mine is an 06, whether or not the 2010 facelift included changes to the SRS system I don't know. Newer models may well require a new ECU, but the rest of my post is still correct.