In August 2003, the dealer replaced the SRS control unit when my wife’s 2000 Honda Accord was just out of warranty at 28,00 miles at a discounted
price of $630. The air bad warning light went on again in 2008 when the car had 75,000 miles. This time we had our local mechanic replace the SRS at a cost of $1142. The car has not been in any accidents. Should we take the car to the dealer, the local mechanic or just put black tape over the warning light?
I wouldn’t suggest that you use the “black tape” approach unless you are willing to operate the car without the protection of the air bag(s). The presence of that light means that one or both of the air bags will not deploy in the event of a collision, and that is not a good thing.
If you plan on keeping this car and if you want to maximize passenger safety, I really don’t think you have any choice but to have it repaired. Since neither the dealer nor that local mechanic were able to render a permanent fix, I would suggest that you seek a different place for repair this time.
The air bag worked from August 2003 to November 2008 and worked again until June 2009. I was joking about the black tape. Seems that Honda has a manufacturing defect with their SRS modules. Who should fix it?
Report this to NHTSA via their website. If there is a sufficient number of reports of this defect, they can mandate a recall for free repair. Even if you pay for the repair now, you can get reimbursed after the fact if there is a subsequent recall.