1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata

In 2010, the air bag control module went out on my vehicle. There were no replacement units available, and I was forced to disconnect the system to prevent the dangerous possibility of a malfunction. I also had to build a dummy unit to turn the air bag status light on and off on the dashboard so that the vehicle would pass inspection. Several years later, I was able to buy what might have been the last new-old-stock control module in North America, and I was able to restore the functionality of the airbag system. However, even this module is old, and I do not know how long it will last. Manufacturers should be required to stock replacement parts for critical safety equipment for as long as their vehicles are on the road. Failing that, there should be some sort of exemption from state requirements that such safety equipment pass inspection if it is unserviceable (although this would be an inferior solution).

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WILL FLASH IN A CODE OF 5-1 OR 5-2, MEANING "SYSTEM DOWN FUSE OPEN" (51) OR "DAMAGED BACKUP BATTERY" (52). THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT MODULES, AFTER RESEARCHING FORMS I FOUND THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL TRY AND FIX IT THEMSELVES. IMPROPER REPAIR OF THIS COULD CAUSE IMPROPER DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS AND LEAVING IT ALONE WILL ALSO CAUSE IMPROPER DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS. AFTER SEEING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SUCH A VITAL SAFETY FEATURE. IT IS ALMOST A DIRECT NECESSITY THAT THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT MODULE IS RECALLED ASAP. THIS EVENT OCCURS UPON START UP OF THE VEHICLE.

AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE HAS NOT BEEN MADE AVAILABLE BY MAZDA. THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE INSPECTED AND/OR REPLACED EVERY 10 YEARS OR WHEN GO BAD TO ENSURE AIRBAG SYSTEM CONTINUES TO WORK. KNOWN FOR GOING BAD AFTER ABOUT 10-15 YEARS DUE TO INTERNAL AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE BATTERY GOING DEAD, OR CONTROL MODULE GOING BAD, THESE ARE BLUE IN COLOR AND FOUND UNDER DASH AREA USUALLY ON CENTRAL FIRE WALL. SINCE MAZDA HAS NOT CONTINUED TO MAKE THE SRS CONTROL MODULES AVAILABLE FOR 89-2005 CARS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP AIRBAG SRS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. STILL OVER 400,000 OF THESE CARS ON ROAD NOW MAJORITY HAVE NO WAY TO KEEP SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM WORKING PROPERLY. MAZDA SHOULD BE MANUFACTURING OR AT LEAST FIXING THESE MODULES AS SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM IS SAFETY ITEM. SRS AIRBAG LIGHT WILL FLASH WHEN THESE GO BAD AND AIRBAG SYSTEM WILL NO LONGER WORK.

TAKATA RECALL (?) AIR BAG FAULT INDICATOR FLASHES CONTINUOUSLY. REPLACEMENT PART (CONTROL MODULE) IS NOT AVAILABLE, AND THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AMONG ALL EARLY MIATA'S. MIATA BLOGGERS RECOMMEND "SNIPPING THE RED WIRE LEADING INTO THE MODULE (LOCATED NEAR STEERING COLUMN) TO ELIMINATE THE ANNOYING FLASHING LIGHT. NO WAY. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE AIR BAGS ON THESE CARS ARE INOPERABLE. ITS A FIRST GENERATION MIATA WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

IN MARCH 2015 I STARTING RECEIVING A SERIES OF FLASHES ON THE AIRBAG LIGHT IN MY 1994 MIATA, WHICH INDICATED A PROBLEM. I TOOK MY CAR INTO BOB KING MAZDA IN WINSTON-SALEM, NC TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. I WAS TOLD THAT MY CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY ORDERED THE PART AND REPLACED IT. I PICKED THE CAR UP AND WAS TOLD THAT AFTER REPLACING THE CLOCKSPRING, THAT THEY GOTTEN ANOTHER FAILURE CODE AND THIS TIME IT WAS THE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE THAT WAS NOT WORKING. THEY SPECULATED THAT THE CLOCKSPRING PROBLEM MAY HAVE SHORTED IT OUT. I WAS WAS TOLD THAT THIS PART WAS "DISCONTINUED" AND IT WAS NOTED ON MY SHOP WORK ORDER. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS INTERNET SEARCHES TO TRY TO FIND A USED ONE. ONE AFTER MARKET SOURCE SAID THEY HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR SOME FOR QUITE AWHILE AND HAD MANY PEOPLE CONTACTING THEM TO OBTAIN ONE. I SPENT NEARLY $700 TO HAVE THE CLOCKSPRING REPAIRED ONLY TO STILL HAVE NON-FUNCTIONING AIR BAGS. THE DEALER WAS ABSOLUTELY NO HELP TO ME IN TRYING TO OBTAIN THE PART I NEED. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER CAN SIMPLY "DISCONTINUE" A KEY SAFETY PART TO ONE OF THEIR VEHICLES. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING IT NOW AND WITHOUT THE AIRBAGS WORKING I FEEL THAT THE VALUE OF MY CAR HAS BEEN VERY NEGATIVELY AFFECTED. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SITUATION NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND ANY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE MADE WHOLE.

A/B LIGHTS 5 TIMES THEN ONCE INDICATING FAILURE OF AIR BAG MODULE. I CONTACTED A DEALER AND THEN CONTACTED CORPORATE. THE MODULE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. THE AIR BAGS ARE INOPERATIVE WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING MODULE. THE SAFETY BELTS MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED. ALL 1994 MIATAS SHOULD BE RECALLED TO REPLACE THE MODULE AND IF NECESSARY THE AIR BAGS AND SAFETY BELTS. THE VIN CONTAINS AN O; IT MAY BE A NUMBER (ZERO) OR A LETTER. *TR