DIY: Fixing airbag rattling/vibration
 

this is a diy for those who are having issues with their airbag/horn assembly vibrating. there is a TSB regarding this issue but it only lists 2004 models. here are some basic steering wheel pictures and instructions to hold people over until i can get my own pictures taken.

materials you will need:

- small flat head screwdriver
- 10 mm socket
- any type of decently thick cloth material such as a shop or detailing towel
- scissors to cut the cloth/towel
- super glue


step 1 - disconnect the negative terminal from the battery. this is to prevent the airbag from deploying and to silence the horn while working on it.

step 2 - use a small flat head screwdriver and gently pry off the two caps (see figure 1)

step 3 - use a 10mm socket to remove the two bolts holding the airbag on and pull the airbag unit straight out towards you.

step 4 - with your scissors, cut out two circles slightly larger than the two holes on the top. carefully cut holes in the center of these circles for the posts on the airbag to pass through. cut another circle slightly larger than the bottom buffer. note: if your material is fairly thin, either double over the material or find something slightly thicker. (see figure 2)

step 5 - place the two circles with holes on the posts on the back of the airbag. using a very tiny amount of super glue (just enough for the material to stay immobile), attach the last circle to the location of the bottom circle of material currently attached to the steering wheel (see figure 2, bottom arrow)

step 6 - put airbag back in place on the steering wheel. be careful to line up the posts with the holes on the steering wheel.

step 7 - with your 10 mm socket, screw the bolts back in place which hold the airbag unit to the steering wheel and then snap the plastic covers back over the holes

step 8 - reconnect your battery's negative terminal.



figure 1:
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1255624265


figure 2:
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1255624265
note: the top two are circles with holes in them (where the posts go). the bottom one is just a circle of material.

Another simply DIY. Good fix for the annoyance.

Thank you! I've the exact issue, will definitely try this on the weekend.

Did this yesterday and it worked like a charm, thank you very much for the guide.