SRS Light ?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Seminole, FL
86 190E 2.3 16V, 93 400E, 98 S500
SRS Light ?
Just bought a 90 300CE. I've learned that the SRS light stays on most of the time. As I will be flying into Joplin, MO to pick up the car, I was hoping someone may have an answer on why the light is on. Driving 1500 miles back to Florida will be much better not having the light in my face.
Car has 98K on it.
Help is appreciated.
jayare
Car has 98K on it.
Help is appreciated.
jayare
Almost a Member!
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
1995 E320 Cabriolet
You need to check for the computer code. Maybe be sensor or wiring problems or your air bags are expired. I think most mercedes air bag is only have a 15 years life. And your car is more than 15 years old!
Last edited by EKL; Nov 30, 2005 at 02:20 AM.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
1995 E320 Cabriolet
Per an online friend of my "The air bags are inflated with a solid propellent generator that operates identically to a solid rocket motor... in fact these air bag generators are built by well known defense contractors that build missile motors. An electrical charge triggered by automobile impact causes the generators to 'burn' extremely fast and produce a large amount of nitrogen gas that inflate the bag.
The issue is that there is a huge liability issue for car manufacturers related to airbags. Consumers expect safety systems to work reliably and perfectly all the time no matter how old. Now, the propellent cracks, weeps and generally becomes unstable after a number of years. The military has a regular maintenance program that inpects/maintains rocket motors of all types. The worst effects seem to result from external heat and vibration. When the propellent (sodium azide) ages, it doesn't slow down, it speeds up. The flame path works into all the cracks exposing even more surface area to burn. In worst case scenarios, the motor explodes rather than burns... Not a good thing when your face is the closest thing!
MB willl relieve you of $2400 per bag when replacement time comes along.
There was a service bulletin 91/48 that extended the airbag lifetime to 15 years on all vehicles built before 1992, which is probably a conservative number. All vehicles built after that model year should have the 15 year sticker.
Lexus/Toyota states that airbag replacement is not necessary if the airbag light on your dashboard is not on. They give no airbag life. Is MB being too careful? Maybe. Maybe not.
But wait, ther is more...
A study by the University of Arizona digs a little deeper on the airbag issue and the implications of aging propellents in the system, which concerns all of us:
Sodium azide (NaN3) is a well known carcinogenic, teratogenic compound used in broad-spectrum biocides, explosives detonators, airline safety chutes etc. It looks like common table salt but it kills everything from bacteria and fungi to mammals, including humans. It is as powerful a poison as sodium cyanide. Eating as little as 50 milligrams (less than 2/1000 of an ounce) of sodium azide can lead to collapse and a coma like stat within 5 minutes as blood prassure plummets and heart rate skyrockets. Ingest a few grams and death occurs within 40 minutes.
Soduim azide tablets are stacked like small hockey pucks in two inch diameter inside airbags. The driver side airbag can is about 1.5 inches long and holds about 50 grams of the stuff. The passenger side airbag can is about 6 inches long and holds about 200 grams to inflate a bag big enough to fill the fron seat passenger area. On impact, en electromechanical trigger heats the sodium azide to explosively decompose, forming notrogen gas - the main constituent of the air we breathe and metallic sodium. Additives like silica or iron oxide sometimes are used to scavenge the metallic sodium, which could cause burns.
Students working on this project are funded through the Arizona/NASA Space Grant Program. Contact: Eric A. Betterton, University of Arizona, betteratmo.arizona.edu
So, for all of us hoi polloi, basically, old airbags not only run the risk of malfunctioned explosive deployment, but also potential leaking of sodium azide into the cabin."
Something to think about, isn't it?
The issue is that there is a huge liability issue for car manufacturers related to airbags. Consumers expect safety systems to work reliably and perfectly all the time no matter how old. Now, the propellent cracks, weeps and generally becomes unstable after a number of years. The military has a regular maintenance program that inpects/maintains rocket motors of all types. The worst effects seem to result from external heat and vibration. When the propellent (sodium azide) ages, it doesn't slow down, it speeds up. The flame path works into all the cracks exposing even more surface area to burn. In worst case scenarios, the motor explodes rather than burns... Not a good thing when your face is the closest thing!
MB willl relieve you of $2400 per bag when replacement time comes along.
There was a service bulletin 91/48 that extended the airbag lifetime to 15 years on all vehicles built before 1992, which is probably a conservative number. All vehicles built after that model year should have the 15 year sticker.
Lexus/Toyota states that airbag replacement is not necessary if the airbag light on your dashboard is not on. They give no airbag life. Is MB being too careful? Maybe. Maybe not.
But wait, ther is more...
A study by the University of Arizona digs a little deeper on the airbag issue and the implications of aging propellents in the system, which concerns all of us:
Sodium azide (NaN3) is a well known carcinogenic, teratogenic compound used in broad-spectrum biocides, explosives detonators, airline safety chutes etc. It looks like common table salt but it kills everything from bacteria and fungi to mammals, including humans. It is as powerful a poison as sodium cyanide. Eating as little as 50 milligrams (less than 2/1000 of an ounce) of sodium azide can lead to collapse and a coma like stat within 5 minutes as blood prassure plummets and heart rate skyrockets. Ingest a few grams and death occurs within 40 minutes.
Soduim azide tablets are stacked like small hockey pucks in two inch diameter inside airbags. The driver side airbag can is about 1.5 inches long and holds about 50 grams of the stuff. The passenger side airbag can is about 6 inches long and holds about 200 grams to inflate a bag big enough to fill the fron seat passenger area. On impact, en electromechanical trigger heats the sodium azide to explosively decompose, forming notrogen gas - the main constituent of the air we breathe and metallic sodium. Additives like silica or iron oxide sometimes are used to scavenge the metallic sodium, which could cause burns.
Students working on this project are funded through the Arizona/NASA Space Grant Program. Contact: Eric A. Betterton, University of Arizona, betteratmo.arizona.edu
So, for all of us hoi polloi, basically, old airbags not only run the risk of malfunctioned explosive deployment, but also potential leaking of sodium azide into the cabin."
Something to think about, isn't it?
Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 123
Likes: 0
From: Modesto, CA
1992 400E (86 300E, 98 S420) - Retired
Originally Posted by EKL
Per an online friend of my "The air bags are inflated with a solid propellent generator that operates identically to a solid rocket motor... in fact these air bag generators are built by well known defense contractors that build missile motors. An electrical charge triggered by automobile impact causes the generators to 'burn' extremely fast and produce a large amount of nitrogen gas that inflate the bag.
The issue is that there is a huge liability issue for car manufacturers related to airbags. Consumers expect safety systems to work reliably and perfectly all the time no matter how old. Now, the propellent cracks, weeps and generally becomes unstable after a number of years. The military has a regular maintenance program that inpects/maintains rocket motors of all types. The worst effects seem to result from external heat and vibration. When the propellent (sodium azide) ages, it doesn't slow down, it speeds up. The flame path works into all the cracks exposing even more surface area to burn. In worst case scenarios, the motor explodes rather than burns... Not a good thing when your face is the closest thing!
MB willl relieve you of $2400 per bag when replacement time comes along.
There was a service bulletin 91/48 that extended the airbag lifetime to 15 years on all vehicles built before 1992, which is probably a conservative number. All vehicles built after that model year should have the 15 year sticker.
Lexus/Toyota states that airbag replacement is not necessary if the airbag light on your dashboard is not on. They give no airbag life. Is MB being too careful? Maybe. Maybe not.
But wait, ther is more...
A study by the University of Arizona digs a little deeper on the airbag issue and the implications of aging propellents in the system, which concerns all of us:
Sodium azide (NaN3) is a well known carcinogenic, teratogenic compound used in broad-spectrum biocides, explosives detonators, airline safety chutes etc. It looks like common table salt but it kills everything from bacteria and fungi to mammals, including humans. It is as powerful a poison as sodium cyanide. Eating as little as 50 milligrams (less than 2/1000 of an ounce) of sodium azide can lead to collapse and a coma like stat within 5 minutes as blood prassure plummets and heart rate skyrockets. Ingest a few grams and death occurs within 40 minutes.
Soduim azide tablets are stacked like small hockey pucks in two inch diameter inside airbags. The driver side airbag can is about 1.5 inches long and holds about 50 grams of the stuff. The passenger side airbag can is about 6 inches long and holds about 200 grams to inflate a bag big enough to fill the fron seat passenger area. On impact, en electromechanical trigger heats the sodium azide to explosively decompose, forming notrogen gas - the main constituent of the air we breathe and metallic sodium. Additives like silica or iron oxide sometimes are used to scavenge the metallic sodium, which could cause burns.
Students working on this project are funded through the Arizona/NASA Space Grant Program. Contact: Eric A. Betterton, University of Arizona, betteratmo.arizona.edu
So, for all of us hoi polloi, basically, old airbags not only run the risk of malfunctioned explosive deployment, but also potential leaking of sodium azide into the cabin."
Something to think about, isn't it?
The issue is that there is a huge liability issue for car manufacturers related to airbags. Consumers expect safety systems to work reliably and perfectly all the time no matter how old. Now, the propellent cracks, weeps and generally becomes unstable after a number of years. The military has a regular maintenance program that inpects/maintains rocket motors of all types. The worst effects seem to result from external heat and vibration. When the propellent (sodium azide) ages, it doesn't slow down, it speeds up. The flame path works into all the cracks exposing even more surface area to burn. In worst case scenarios, the motor explodes rather than burns... Not a good thing when your face is the closest thing!
MB willl relieve you of $2400 per bag when replacement time comes along.
There was a service bulletin 91/48 that extended the airbag lifetime to 15 years on all vehicles built before 1992, which is probably a conservative number. All vehicles built after that model year should have the 15 year sticker.
Lexus/Toyota states that airbag replacement is not necessary if the airbag light on your dashboard is not on. They give no airbag life. Is MB being too careful? Maybe. Maybe not.
But wait, ther is more...
A study by the University of Arizona digs a little deeper on the airbag issue and the implications of aging propellents in the system, which concerns all of us:
Sodium azide (NaN3) is a well known carcinogenic, teratogenic compound used in broad-spectrum biocides, explosives detonators, airline safety chutes etc. It looks like common table salt but it kills everything from bacteria and fungi to mammals, including humans. It is as powerful a poison as sodium cyanide. Eating as little as 50 milligrams (less than 2/1000 of an ounce) of sodium azide can lead to collapse and a coma like stat within 5 minutes as blood prassure plummets and heart rate skyrockets. Ingest a few grams and death occurs within 40 minutes.
Soduim azide tablets are stacked like small hockey pucks in two inch diameter inside airbags. The driver side airbag can is about 1.5 inches long and holds about 50 grams of the stuff. The passenger side airbag can is about 6 inches long and holds about 200 grams to inflate a bag big enough to fill the fron seat passenger area. On impact, en electromechanical trigger heats the sodium azide to explosively decompose, forming notrogen gas - the main constituent of the air we breathe and metallic sodium. Additives like silica or iron oxide sometimes are used to scavenge the metallic sodium, which could cause burns.
Students working on this project are funded through the Arizona/NASA Space Grant Program. Contact: Eric A. Betterton, University of Arizona, betteratmo.arizona.edu
So, for all of us hoi polloi, basically, old airbags not only run the risk of malfunctioned explosive deployment, but also potential leaking of sodium azide into the cabin."
Something to think about, isn't it?
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 882
Likes: 2
From: Sherman Oaks
2004 C240, 2015 GL350 Bluetec
most likely it is the contact ring betweent he steering wheel and the column.
This ring is what makes contact tot he wiring inside the steering wheel.
That would be the cheapest part to replace. imagine how many times the wheel is turned. and imagine a contact plate. it will get worn over time and stop making contact.
Whent he car is turned on it checks the systems and if it detects the airbag is disconnected it will turn on the airbag warning light (SRS Light).
It is also possible that it is a problem with the seat belt buckles, which are also tied into this system I believe, at least it is on most other cars.
So to start I would inspect and or replace the contact ring on the steering wheel.
Then I would have the buckles inspected and or replaced if they are part of the issue. otherwise it could be an issue witht he seatbelts, the part they are attached to that rolls them up. I believe this is also part of the airbag system, and if this has malfunctioned, the belts will not lock properly after an accident.
One other thing is that it is possible this car was in an accident where the airbags deployed, and the car was rebuilt, but the parts necessary to be replaced after an accident were not.
Alon
This ring is what makes contact tot he wiring inside the steering wheel.
That would be the cheapest part to replace. imagine how many times the wheel is turned. and imagine a contact plate. it will get worn over time and stop making contact.
Whent he car is turned on it checks the systems and if it detects the airbag is disconnected it will turn on the airbag warning light (SRS Light).
It is also possible that it is a problem with the seat belt buckles, which are also tied into this system I believe, at least it is on most other cars.
So to start I would inspect and or replace the contact ring on the steering wheel.
Then I would have the buckles inspected and or replaced if they are part of the issue. otherwise it could be an issue witht he seatbelts, the part they are attached to that rolls them up. I believe this is also part of the airbag system, and if this has malfunctioned, the belts will not lock properly after an accident.
One other thing is that it is possible this car was in an accident where the airbags deployed, and the car was rebuilt, but the parts necessary to be replaced after an accident were not.
Alon
Trending Topics
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes Teases Updated EQS With Steer-By-Wire and a Yoke
Verdad Gallardo
8 Mercedes Models With Poor Reliability Records
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Seminole, FL
86 190E 2.3 16V, 93 400E, 98 S500
Carfax on the vehicle checks out. 2 owners, no accidents etc, etc. I'll look into the horn ring and various belt locations. Worst case will be to put black tape on it for the drive back to Florida.
Thanks for all the good input.
Jayare
Thanks for all the good input.
Jayare
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 806
Likes: 2
From: Edmonds... good bye SD
my 190e is just now (as of 2 weeks ago) illuminating the SRS light. Although it only stays lit for about 1-3 seconds at a time, and its totally random. Although 1990 + 15 = 2005... is this light on a timer perhaps?
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
1995 E320 cabriolet
hello, the last part is exactly my situation. My vehicle was in an accident, passenger airbag deployed, subsequently removed. Everything else is functional, but the seatbelts are stuck/don’t operate very well. The SRS light is permanently on. I don’t have a desire to put a new airbag in, is there a way to get the airbag light to turn off? Maybe like a spoof device to connect to the wire? Currently just have an open cavity where airbag used to be. Thank you.
most likely it is the contact ring betweent he steering wheel and the column.
This ring is what makes contact tot he wiring inside the steering wheel.
That would be the cheapest part to replace. imagine how many times the wheel is turned. and imagine a contact plate. it will get worn over time and stop making contact.
Whent he car is turned on it checks the systems and if it detects the airbag is disconnected it will turn on the airbag warning light (SRS Light).
It is also possible that it is a problem with the seat belt buckles, which are also tied into this system I believe, at least it is on most other cars.
So to start I would inspect and or replace the contact ring on the steering wheel.
Then I would have the buckles inspected and or replaced if they are part of the issue. otherwise it could be an issue witht he seatbelts, the part they are attached to that rolls them up. I believe this is also part of the airbag system, and if this has malfunctioned, the belts will not lock properly after an accident.
One other thing is that it is possible this car was in an accident where the airbags deployed, and the car was rebuilt, but the parts necessary to be replaced after an accident were not.
Alon
This ring is what makes contact tot he wiring inside the steering wheel.
That would be the cheapest part to replace. imagine how many times the wheel is turned. and imagine a contact plate. it will get worn over time and stop making contact.
Whent he car is turned on it checks the systems and if it detects the airbag is disconnected it will turn on the airbag warning light (SRS Light).
It is also possible that it is a problem with the seat belt buckles, which are also tied into this system I believe, at least it is on most other cars.
So to start I would inspect and or replace the contact ring on the steering wheel.
Then I would have the buckles inspected and or replaced if they are part of the issue. otherwise it could be an issue witht he seatbelts, the part they are attached to that rolls them up. I believe this is also part of the airbag system, and if this has malfunctioned, the belts will not lock properly after an accident.
One other thing is that it is possible this car was in an accident where the airbags deployed, and the car was rebuilt, but the parts necessary to be replaced after an accident were not.
Alon
