air bags!?!

I have a 99 taurus that was involved in a pretty minor sideswipe at a low speed. Son #1 glanced off a light pole in an alley. (No, he wasn't texting but he also wasn't paying attention) Minor damage, my body guy found a fender and fixed the body work for 200 bucks. Mechanic took care of the busted tie rod and control arm for about the same. The pole survived with a scratch. But now the air bag light is stuck on. It flashes code 1-9. (Bag light flashes once, pauses, then nine quick flashes) It repeats this code like three times and then stays on.

I really don't want to take this car to a dealer. I'm scared they'll want to do new "everything" for a grand total of 1000 or more dollars. Total damages were under the limit for reporting, and we're pretty much self-insured on the car with just liability insurance...it's probably worth 1500 dollars.

My research tells me 1-9 means "CRASH DATA RECORDED" Is it possible to pull this RCM and replace it with a used one? If so, is it under the center console? I see a couple on ebay for 15 bucks a piece...claim to be pulled from airbag working/non deployment junkyard dogs...

I am not even sure I want those bags working considering my wife is barely 5 feet tall and has to sit real close to the wheel. But it's a major annoyance to see the light on. Also, if I ever was in a serious freeway type accident, probably be good to have.

any advice, send my way. THANKS!

The 1998 Factory Service Manual indicates that this code means "Crash Data Memory Full" and suggests that this code will be set when the airbags have been deployed. It doesn't sound like, according to your post, that the airbags did in fact deploy. If you have access to a professional scan tool that can access the SRS system, it sounds like you should be able to just reset the code. That might cost you more than $15, but it may also save you money in the long run in the event the new ECS module doesn't play well with your current system.

The service manual also indicates that the orientation of the ECS is critical and to inspect the center tunnel for damage. Any damage needs to be repaired prior to replacing the ECS.

Of course, there are all sorts of warnings and procedures that need to be followed when dealing with the airbag system. I'm not going to reprint them here or suggest you do any of this work yourself.

-Rod

The 1998 Factory Service Manual indicates that this code means "Crash Data Memory Full" and suggests that this code will be set when the airbags have been deployed. It doesn't sound like, according to your post, that the airbags did in fact deploy. If you have access to a professional scan tool that can access the SRS system, it sounds like you should be able to just reset the code. That might cost you more than $15, but it may also save you money in the long run in the event the new ECS module doesn't play well with your current system.

The service manual also indicates that the orientation of the ECS is critical and to inspect the center tunnel for damage. Any damage needs to be repaired prior to replacing the ECS.

Of course, there are all sorts of warnings and procedures that need to be followed when dealing with the airbag system. I'm not going to reprint them here or suggest you do any of this work yourself.

-Rod

Thanks for the pointers, Rod. Nope, airbags did not deploy--thank God! He wasn't hurt at all, probably going 10 mph...but may well have been hurt had they gone off.
I probably won't be doing any of it myself! I was hoping my regular mechanic could take his OBD II tool and reset the codes. I wouldn't even mind paying 100 or 150 bucks to have it all good. So--you are saying if the scan tool can access the SRS system, it can reset it? I was told over the phone any code stored on the RCM was a "hard fault" and would require new RCM...this coming from the dealer, of course...

The service manual doesn't explicitly say that the codes can be cleared, but it kind of indicates that. The service manual does consistently refer to the module as the ECS though rather than the Restraints Control Module (RCM). Keep in mind though that I am using a 1998 Factory Service Manual. I don't expect much changed for 1999, but I cannot confirm that. Also keep in mind that I have never (thankfully) experienced such a code and the dealer likely has.

-Rod