Hi all,
I understand that Dodge trucks/vans were fitted with driver airbags in 1993, and with dual airbags in 1998.
I am considering purchasing a very nice 2001 Ram Van (3500) which has the "airbag light" issue (light staying on).
The mechanic feels it's the "energy reserve module" under the dash that's faulty, rendering the airbags inoperable.
The replacement part is no longer available new from Dodge Chrysler (Discontinued).
The truck would fail safety inspection to not have the airbags functional.
So one is left to hunt around for a (hopefully) working used part.

Should I pass on this van because of this issue, since it's hard for me to be fully confident that the airbags will work, even if a used part turns off the airbag light? And if the used part fails down the road, is it even safe to drive such a vehicle without airbags?

Any other electrical gremlins that could make life miserable with such a van (ECM module, for example)?

Thanks.

 

A common issue is a bad clockspring, resulting in an airbag light for a loss of signal to the driver's airbag in the steering wheel pad. Determining the airbag code would be a bonus here.

 

I drive vehicles without airbags on a daily basis. Matter of what you're willing to accept, I suppose. As for it failing to pass inspection, well, that's another matter that I'm not at liberty to discus.

As for other electrical issues, I wouldn't assume that other components are bad (although I'm not saying they certainly aren't).

I wouldn't assume the ECM is bad at all unless it was the very last thing I looked at. Often when they're failing, the vehicle will run like crud. If it runs great I wouldn't even consider the ECM. You can go back to 1990 and they still have ECM's so if you're trying to avoid the ECM ever being a culprit you'll have to go pretty far back.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. Interesting perspective on the ECM etc., I appreciate your insights.
The vehicle is very nice overall but priced a bit high because of cosmetic condition, and I didn't want to be saddled with an air bag issue, especially since the solution depends on essentially finding and putting a junkyard part in there, which wouldn't inspire me with great confidence in the SRS. If I were to try to sell the vehicle in a couple of years, I'd be the one scrambling to pass inspection for that issue. Spoke to my indie Toyota mechanic who said he doesn't have a serious issue with putting a working used part for that purpose, as long as it passes the ignition test of the air bag system and light stays off.