Expert: Mp2 - 8/27/2009

Question
my 1990 miata air bag warning light is flashng 6 times then a pause and again and again. what does this mean.

Answer
If it is consistently sequencing and flashing 6 times this would indicate a poor connection at the clock spring assembly.  I must stress that only qualified technicians attempt to repair and SRS system as accidental deployment can lead to serious injury or death.  The air bag module is an explosive device.  To test this you would need to drain the system of all reserve power and disconnect the battery back up unit.  A technician using a grounding strap would need to disarm the system before testing.

In my experience, clock springs seldom if ever fail.  How many miles?, How long has it been flashing?  Has it been consistent the entire time or has it stopped or flashed another sequence (say 4 then 6).

My advice is to continue driving the vehicle and monitor the sequence over a 10 day period to see if it is consistent before moving to repair.  Your system is a multi sensor system with built in redundancies so accidental deployment while driving is not likely, three components of the system must concur before deployment is possible in a crash.

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