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Any Car Mavens Out There?


Gar1eth
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I have a new for me 2011 Kia Soul Plus. It’s a replacement car as I was in a wreck the last week of December.

 

So about a week after I got it, I noticed when I was driving that the airbag light came on-not the passenger one but the one under my speedometer. When I got home, I turned off the car and turned the motor back on. I went for a few mile drive, and it never came back on. Everything was both hunky and dory until it did this a few more times. Then last week it started staying on. I know I have to get it looked at. I just hope it’s nothing too expensive.

 

Gkan

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This is a warranty item. This condition could mean that there is a problem with the airbag assembly/system. Do not waste any time on this. Please take the vehicle to a KIA dealer for service and repair. This matter may be under a factory or USDOT mandated recall and the previous owner may not have taken the car to a KIA dealer for service. The dealer can trace this recall or the car's service and repair history by placing the VIN into the data base to see what has been done and what needs to be done. To me, this is a major issue and should be addressed as soon as possible for safety reasons. One question that needs to be addressed is to determine if the car's airbag was deployed in a wreck at some point in its history and was the replacement airbag a fresh and new one or was it pulled from a salvage/used vehicle and installed in your vehicle.

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This is a warranty item. This condition could mean that there is a problem with the airbag assembly/system. Do not waste any time on this. Please take the vehicle to a KIA dealer for service and repair. This matter may be under a factory or USDOT mandated recall and the previous owner may not have taken the car to a KIA dealer for service. The dealer can trace this recall or the car's service and repair history by placing the VIN into the data base to see what has been done and what needs to be done. To me, this is a major issue and should be addressed as soon as possible for safety reasons. One question that needs to be addressed is to determine if the car's airbag was deployed in a wreck at some point in its history and was the replacement airbag a fresh and new one or was it pulled from a salvage/used vehicle and installed in your vehicle.

 

 

Unfortunately from what I can tell, Kia’s warranties don’t apply to subsequent owners. Plus it’s a 2011. It’s out of warranty. Carfax noted a rear end cosmetic collision. There is nothing on Carfax to indicate the air bags ever deployed. There is a recall out for something called a Stop Lamp Switch which can cause the brake lights not to work and the cruise control to not disengage. I’m planning to get that fixed in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, my brake lights work and I’m not using the cruise control.

 

I understand your point about getting it looked at as soon as possible,-and I appreciate the advice. But frankly I don’t have the money right now. Hopefully I will by the end of the month.

 

Gman

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I have a new for me 2011 Kia Soul Plus. It’s a replacement car as I was in a wreck the last week of December.

 

So about a week after I got it, I noticed when I was driving that the airbag light came on-not the passenger one but the one under my speedometer. When I got home, I turned off the car and turned the motor back on. I went for a few mile drive, and it never came back on. Everything was both hunky and dory until it did this a few more times. Then last week it started staying on. I know I have to get it looked at. I just hope it’s nothing too expensive.

 

Gkan

 

Following is a link to a posting that specifically addresses your airbag light problem. It's a little lengthy but you can scroll easily to the titles of interest to you. I hope you find something that will help you.

https://www.youcanic.com/guide/kia-airbag-light-problem

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Following is a link to a posting that specifically addresses your airbag light problem. It's a little lengthy but you can scroll easily to the titles of interest to you. I hope you find something that will help you.

https://www.youcanic.com/guide/kia-airbag-light-problem

 

Thanks. It seems to be an informative site.

 

IF Takata is the manufacturer of the airbag in your automobile, you need to determine if it is covered by a recall. You can do this through the KIA dealer. In the meantime, if you drive your automobile, be sure to buckle up your seatbelt and keep it tight around you.

 

As far as I can tell, Kia, or st least this model is not under the Takata recall. My last car was. It was a Nissan Versa. But Nissan said they didn’t have the parts to fix it. And when I went looking, I was initially looking for a Nissan Versa. When I went by the local Nissan place, they said Nissan had sent a directive not allowing dealers to sell old Versas because of the airbag problem. I think they said if they took one in trade in, they sent it off to auction.

 

Gman

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Thanks. It seems to be an informative site.

 

 

 

As far as I can tell, Kia, or st least this model is not under the Takata recall. My last car was. It was a Nissan Versa. But Nissan said they didn’t have the parts to fix it. And when I went looking, I was initially looking for a Nissan Versa. When I went by the local Nissan place, they said Nissan had sent a directive not allowing dealers to sell old Versas because of the airbag problem. I think they said if they took one in trade in, they sent it off to auction.

 

Gman

 

Since its a safety/airbag issue the dealer may make necessary repairs at no cost. You might try calling the manufacturer directly and asking. Even though the car is out of warranty for you I'd be surprised if any dealer or manufacturer wants to expose themselves to litigation if a crash occurred and the airbag didn't work. Winning a lawsuit is one thing but the bad publicity is something they want to avoid. I've never had an auto repair that wasn't quoted in advance so I could decide whether the cost was acceptable or not - in some (maybe all) states that's a law.

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Right now I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it for me to buy an OBD II reader that reads airbag codes- not all do. They are the more expensive ones. AutoZone and O’Reilly carry them. Unfortunately the ones they use for their free checks don’t read airbag codes.

 

Gman

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Any neighborhood garage mechanics in your housing development that you can bribe with a 6-pack? Or that might direct you to someone who could do a scan? If not some local independent auto mechanic would likely do a code scan inexpensively. Or maybe someplace like Firestone Auto Service or PEP Boys. Seems like about every week I have a couple of auto coupon related deals in the junk mail envelope that comes to my mailbox.

 

FWIW Kia Soul is generally a pretty reliable, low maintenance vehicle. And for future reference I think it has a timing belt - vice timing chain - ensure you replace it per manufacturer schedule.

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Any neighborhood garage mechanics in your housing development that you can bribe with a 6-pack? Or that might direct you to someone who could do a scan? If not some local independent auto mechanic would likely do a code scan inexpensively. Or maybe someplace like Firestone Auto Service or PEP Boys. Seems like about every week I have a couple of auto coupon related deals in the junk mail envelope that comes to my mailbox.

 

FWIW Kia Soul is generally a pretty reliable, low maintenance vehicle. And for future reference I think it has a timing belt - vice timing chain - ensure you replace it per manufacturer schedule.

 

 

Unfortunately no hunky mechanics in the neighborhood.:( There aren’t any un-hunky ones either.

 

I’ll take a look at the auto places. But most of them charge for a diagnostic scan in my neck of the woods.

 

Gman

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For each of my cars I have been able to buy an inexpensive OBD-II to USB cable and find some comprehensive dealer scanning software online. I've never spent more than $40 for the setup, and being able to scan codes on my own (as well as do some programming) has been very useful. There will be a Kia owners' forum somewhere with relevant info if this is feasible for Kia vehicles.

 

If you're lucky the airbag light will have been tripped because the cable connecting the occupancy sensor mat in one of the front seats has been disconnected or frayed. This is a pretty common problem on a wide variety of cars. If you are less lucky the problem with be with a crush or impact sensor, the ABS module itself, the steering wheel slip ring, or one of the 'bags (least likely).

 

I bought an '01 Ford Focus from a friend a few years ago. It had failed its MOT (state inspection) because the airbag light was on. A £10 OBD-II cable, some Ford scanning software and a £35 used SRS module later and the car was roadworthy again. A dealer would have charged at least £700 for the work using new parts, though.

 

On a more serious note, airbags can be rather dangerous, and it's not unknown for faults to cause them to deploy/discharge unexpectedly. However you choose to have the problem diagnosed, do it soon.

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