Seeking airbag advice on DIY rebuild of mild accident 2011

Our 2011 with 36k miles was totalled by the other person's insurance company and I'm contemplating a buy back to fix it given the low miles and cost to upgrade to a newer car but I'm not sure what's involved with repairing/resetting the airbag system. The car needs a fender and front bumper but the reinforcements behind those panels are actually in good shape. The control arm and end links will need to be replaced but I've done that before on the other side when it was involved in a minor fender bender a couple years ago, so I'm completely comfortable with that work. I've never touched airbags in my ~30 years of auto tinkering.

It was only the driver airbag that deployed. I know I need to replace that and it seems like I should also need to have the control module reset, but is there more to do? Here is my Leaf Spy Pro code listing and a photo of the car.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9vBYPkrbhoMc2CS6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oHS4VxPFnKjiP1qDA

(There is no way to include photos in my post correct?)

I think the parts (junkyard color matching) would cost me around $1000 and I'm contemplating just straightening (rather than replacing) the bumper as we're only going to have the car a couple more years at most. I don't need it to be pristine as it's just our daily driver. The payout is around $6000 which includes around $1000 for tax and registration replacement. If I buy back the car I will get around $2000 less. The additional complication is I need to then have the car retitled here in California, which doesn't seem hard, but definitely not something I look forward to.

Any thoughts anyone has to share would be greatly appreciated!

So the LEafSpy codes indicate low 12V battery voltage. If possible, I would take a 12V charger and clear the codes via LeafSpy with the 12V charger hooked to the battery. You might be getting spurious codes because of low voltage.

A few thoughts:
1) You have USB comm errors from the BCM and TCU. These could be 12V related or indicating that some wiring harness or module has gotten damaged/destroyed. I would be concerned about these if they don't clear, as you may have *fun* electrical troubleshooting.
2) The pre-ten codes indicate that the seat belt pretensioners have fired on both sides. You basically need to replace both front seats with a car that hasn't been in an accident.
3) Your OBC (that charges the main battery) indicates a memory error. I've never seen this before--hopefully this is 12V related, but it's not a common code.
4) Your brake system reports issues. These are commonly caused by low 12V.
5) You have low pressure in the tires. I'm sure this is your biggest concern.

In short, I would NOT want to buy this car (except as a parts car) unless I could clear the charger, brake, and BCM codes with a good 12V source. If I could clear all these, it looks like the car is basically in the condition you described. If not, each of those components could run you up to $2000 for the parts alone. If you bought a salvage car or junkyard parts, obviously, less.

You said driver airbag deployed. Was it just the airbag in the steering wheel, or did it deploy side airbags too? From your picture, it looks like they didn't. There's a side airbag in the seat AND a curtain airbag for the window. If either of these deployed, it's additional parts to replace.

Looks to me to have a factory safe car, you'd need to replace both front seats and/or seatbelt pretensioners (junkyards won't sell you used seatbelts alone) and a new airbag or new steering wheel. It might be easier to just buy a whole steering wheel and bolt it on.

I've never done such a repair, but I've heard Nissan would have to program the computer to the airbags. They may or may not refuse to do this if you do the work yourself.

Finally, you mentioned California. I know that California has serious penalties for installing damaged or disabling vehicle safety restraint systems (seat belts and airbags), even if you're the owner & operator. When I looked, it was something like $5000 and 90 days in jail, or something equivalent. As long as you're installing working vehicle safety parts, this doesn't apply, but I believe (am not a lawyer) it would be against state law for you to leave the airbag nonfunctional.

Btw, what was the SOH on the battery? If the battery was replaced under warranty (and is 11 or 12 bars), you could probably sell it alone for $2500. Is repairing the car even worth dealing with?

Airbag module, possibly the clockspring, module reset or replacement, and the crash sensor behind the front bumper. This would need to be done properly or the replacement airbag won’t deploy in an accident and you’ll have airbag light on the dash. I’m not exactly sure the procedure but I had a shop do the same thing with my Nissan 350Z years back. I also had to replace the passenger dashboard bag module but it all cost me $3400. I read somewhere you could send your airbag module in for reset but I’m not sure if that is the only thing that needs done. I also had to replace the seatbelt pretensioners but I did that myself so it didn’t cost much.

With $7K from insurance I’d almost want to just go buy a newer used Leaf rather than deal with this. I know you have low miles but how much longer are you really expecting to get out of the battery pack that is almost 10 years old?

Good luck wish I had more useful info for you.

Thanks so much for the info. I have the battery on a charger as of last night so I'll try to reinstall tonight and clear the codes. Only the steering wheel airbag deployed.

I found this US company that not only claims they can reset the airbag module, but also repair seat belts.

https://www.safetyrestore.com/airbag-module-reset-service/13299-srs-airbag-module-reset.html

Your point about the longevity of the 10 year old car/batteries (which are original) is well taken. I have a 26 mile daily commute so this car is pretty perfect for now. Still, I'll weigh out the math once I have a handle on the airbag work. I don't want a restoration project

The suspension pieces cost me around $300 previously for the other side, $65 for a wheel, $125 fender, $300 airbag, and then an alignment in addition to any other sensors or costs with the airbag/electronics. If I can get it done in a weekend for a $1000, it might make sense but if it ends up being a lot more time or money, then maybe not.

I will report back!

The seatbelt tensioners are in the body beside each seat,not in the seat so there should be no need to replace the seats. I strongly considered buying back my 2011 and converting it to a little flat-bed pickup, but the insurance company storage yard trashed the interior and the front of the car. They may have also caused damage underneath by moving it around on a large forklift (caused damage to front bumper, etc.). Therefore, check for additional damage while in storage if it is not in your possession.

Edited to add: Disable air bag system and be very careful working in the interior if you buy it back. Since the crash sensor was triggered, it may be more prone to inadvertent discharge of the other air bags if the system is not properly disabled while working on it (carefully follow instructions in service manual to disable). Many of the DTCs shown by Leaf Spy Pro are commonly triggered by low 12V battery. You should be able to clear the airbag module using Leaf Spy after replacing the crash sensor(s) and seatbelt tensioners.

The car has been secure in my driveway since the accident so no new damage. Tonight I was able to reset all the codes except for some airbag related and drive the car back and forth a couple feet in my driveway. Here's my latest remaining codes:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F5b82q6HKWfowPdf6

How do I know I know if the clockspring needs replacement? I wonder if a complete used steering column with airbag might be a more economical choice if I need to replace both airbag and clockspring.

Thanks all

MikeyPSF said:

The car has been secure in my driveway since the accident so no new damage. Tonight I was able to reset all the codes except for some airbag related and drive the car back and forth a couple feet in my driveway. Here's my latest remaining codes:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F5b82q6HKWfowPdf6

How do I know I know if the clockspring needs replacement? I wonder if a complete used steering column with airbag might be a more economical choice if I need to replace both airbag and clockspring.

Thanks all

Click to expand...

Those codes are great!

Looks like you just need to replace the airbag and seatbelt related parts. Otherwise the car is in perfect working order.

I just wanted to post back to say thanks for all the advice I received here. In the end my wife expressed a strong preference that we move on to an undamaged Leaf. I felt pretty good that it was going to be a not too difficult fix but the batteries were getting a bit tired, car pool sticker expired, and we've been battling grabby brakes. So in the interest of marital harmony we took the buyout from the other person's insurance company and this weekend we picked up a 2013 Leaf SL. A bit more mileage than our 2011 but the battery is in really good shape (75%+ SOH), heated seats for my wife, blue color which I like, and a purple carpool sticker which is good until Jan 2023. Ended up paying a little more than book but the carpool sticker was the factor that drove that decision. I cross the Bay Bridge every day and being able to use the bus lane in the morning saves me 15 to 20 minutes most days, plus $4 which will more than compensate for the above book value price tag.

Today was the first day commuting with it and I have to say the 2013 seems to do a much better job of estimating miles remaining on the current charge. Perhaps the increased B mode regeneration helps keep consumption down, but it seemed like I used half the power I would in our 2011.

Thanks again and I hope this thread will be of use to someone else starting on a repair one day.

-Mike

Good luck with the newer Leaf hopefully it serves you better.

Excellent thread. I was looking at a salvage 2013 with 78% SOH according to Leafspy. All looked good till i was able to inspect and side airbags were deployed - I ran away from this one after reading this thread.