I recently purchased a 2000 E320 with 69k on it. I drove it off the lot with the SRS lit thinking "who needs airbags anyway" and with the assurance of the salesmen that it "was no big deal".

Anyway I took it into a highly recommended independent Mercedes/European car mechanic and he ran the diagnostics on the car.

Turns out their were 10 code faults all having to do with the SRS and all seeming to say something about either open/shorts or bad grounds and the like.

The mechanic went over the entire car thinking it must have been in a collision or something and said that other than the light and perhaps some new front break pads the car appeared to be in excelent shape. He said he could find no evidence of body damage etc.

I also had gone over the car very thoroughly looking for damage and could find none.

So my question is what is the likely hood of all the airbags beeing bad? Isnt it more likely the 10 code faults are due to a bad control module or something like that? The mechanic said if I had to replace all the airbags it would be 14k and that I should take it to a dealer.

Other than this bloody SRS light the car appears to be in great shape and drives well so Id like to keep the thing but on the other hand I dont want the airbags exploding an us either.

Anybody have tips on how I should proceed. Can I replace the control module myself?

thanks

If it were me, I'd ask the salesman to prove that it's no big deal!!!

if the light is on none of the airbags can go off.did you have the codes cleared and have they all returned?this problem could have been caused by a faulty battery when car was started[low voltage before alternator kicks in.seen this before with these era cars.just because the car will start doesn't mean good battery.david poole european performance dallas tx.

When the SRS lamp is illuminated then the safety aspects of this system may have undesirable results during an accident. Personally, I believe the only credible people who can honestly say the airbags "will not go off when the SRS light is on" are the engineers and the lawyers. In the US I would think that the attorneys had a lot of influence on the engineering team with respect to functionality and liability. The big legal IF,

IFthe SRS light is on and the vehicle is involved in an accident then who is liable IF the airbags do not deploy?

If your SRS system has numerous DTC’s then I would like to suggest clearing the codes and see which ones return. To have a number of different codes suggest to me that the battery was dead and someone decided to jump start the car. Chances are pretty good that a number of the DTC’s were generated during the process. I might also suggest having the version coding double checked to ensure that the software settings are correct. Seems unusual to have that many codes unless the settings are incorrect OR the SRS control unit is faulty.

My .02 being served sunny side up all the way from San Francisco!

Jump starting the car won't result in ten SRS fault codes. If however, the SRS control module was replaced, and incorrectly version coded (or not coded at all), you may have several fault codes. Your "highly recommended" mechanic should have known this. Take the car to a dealer , and have it diagnosed properly.

Thanks all for the replies. I do agree - I should have not taken the SRS light so lightly.

In anycase it does seem improbable that 10 different airbags are bad with basically the same error. Seems more likely a faulty control module or something else - low voltage or misprogrammed control module as per some of the suggestions.

The problem with taking it to a Benz dealer for service is I dont know if Id trust them anymore than my "higly recommended" mechanic. Wish I had my own diagnostic tool. I saw one for about $99 and another for a couple grand. My guess is to do this right the one for a couple grand would be required in which case its out of the question for me. Has anyone had any experience with these less expensive diagnostic tools?

Also - regarding clearing the codes? I asked the mechanic to do it but he said he couldnt (liability issues). Is there anyway for me to clear the codes. I imagine the Benz dealership wont do it for the same reason.

thanks again

Bite the bullet and take it to the dealer. SRS is no big deal to diagnose with SDS. If it turns out to be a programming issue they'll know it right away. One thing is certain, though. It won't fix itself!!! Good luck

You don't have a location listed - you don't live near the Gulf Coast by any chance do you? Possible flood damage with the multiple shorts, etc.... Did you get an independent Carfax report (not one supplied by the salesman)?

My .02, probably not worth that.

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1998 E320 4-Matic Wagon

I don't "buy" the liability issue. If the car is in a wreck now the airbags won't work anyways with the light on (in theory anyways, that's what they tell the factory techs to believe). They should be able to tell if the codes are current or stored (old). Lots of times you still get the warning light on the old codes, just so you're sure to get the system checked out. Can you ask the previous tech if the codes were current or stored?
If they were stored, see if you can convince him to clear the codes?
I wouldn't be as concerned about the bags deploying for no reason, just the opposite, the bags save lives and you want to make sure they will work. The seat belt is MORE important than the bags though.
If nothing else is getting you anywhere, maybe ask the dealer to read and erase codes, or ask for a printout of the fault codes, you should then be able to determine if the codes are current or stored. I don't think anything will erase a SRS code, have to be cleared with the computer.
Gilly

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To me it seems silly not to take your car to a dealer to get it properly diagnosed.

At this point, God forbid you should get in an accident, you don't even know if your airbags will go off.

You're playing with your life all for a $100 diagnostic fee.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".