Q. I have two Honda Accords and I am concerned about the airbags. Every so often I call the dealer to see if they are recalled and am told they are not. Additionally, should I replace them due to age regardless of the recall potential?
A. There was a time when we thought the usable life of a vehicle airbag was going to be about 10 years. In fact, I remember reading that Honda and Volvo both stated that airbags should be inspected and even replaced at 10 years of age. Other manufacturers such as Mercedes Benz concluded that airbags should last the life f the vehicle. The airbag system goes through a self-diagnostic each time the car is started. If it were my car and the airbag or SRS warning light is behaving normally, the system is okay. Still, it is a good idea with any vehicle to always check for vehicle recalls. You can go to www.nhtsa.com/recalls and check to see if there are recall that affect the safety of your vehicle.
Q. After several Infiniti models and a BMW 330i, I leased a 2019 Genesis G70 which I really like. The problem I’m having is with the GPS. While I’m driving will often flip through different addresses where I’ve never been, in Oceanside the map will suddenly show addresses in Bronx. I Contacted Genesis which had me do a reset which didn’t resolve issue. Next, I contacted the service manager who sent me a SD card which I installed. The completed update took about 20 minutes. Still after all this there is no change in how the system operates. It still flips through different addresses at times. Recently I used GPS for directions, while map started flipping through different areas the GPS audio correctly told me where to turn. What do you think of this car, and can you offer any Advice?
A. First the Genesis G70 is a great sports sedan and one that I always enjoy driving and find it easy to recommend. There was an extensive update to the GPS system The campaign number is 19-01-044G and it updates the navigation system software as well as the maps When I looked up the instructions, I was surprised to see it was 11 pages long. Perhaps the service department only sent you a partial update. I would return to the dealer and have them perform the update and if needed have a Genesis field technical engineer evaluate the GPS system.
Q. I have a problem on my 2011 chevy equinox. Since 2018 I have had an intermittent problem with the service air bag light coming on. It has been supposedly fixed two times due to a sensor failure. The last two times to the dealership they first told me it was “high resistance” in both front side airbags. I wrote to GM headquarters and didn’t get much resolution other than they got the dealership to reexamine the car again. Now they tell me it is only the driver’s side air bag. I questioned them on the discrepancy of the two different diagnosis and didn’t really get a reasonable explanation. So, at this point I haven’t had it fixed as the price for the first estimate was $2200 and the latest is $1400. Where do you go next?
A. At 10 years old there certainly could be poor connections that are causing higher than normal electrical resistance in the airbag wiring. Unfortunately, except for recalls the airbag and related components are only covered by the vehicles basic bumper to bumper warranty which has long expired. There was a Special Coverage Adjustment number 14710 that will illuminate the airbag light due to high resistance in the side airbag. GM increased the coverage to 10 years or 120,000 miles from the first day of service. Depending on the actual age and mileage the issue may still be repaired under this service campaign.
Q. We purchased a used Hyundai Elantra in late June of this year with 27,000 miles on it. It now has 30,000 on it and I started thinking about when I should change the oil. I contacted the dealership to find out when they changed the oil and what they used but they never responded. The owner’s manual says to change the oil every 7500 miles under normal driving conditions which is what we do (looks like 5W 20 is best). If this was your car, when would you change the oil? What kind of oil (conventional, synthetic blend or full synthetic) would you use and how often would you change it?
A. Over the past 20 years I have become a big believer in the benefits of synthetic oil for nearly every engine. In my experience synthetic oil allows engines to run cooler, quicker startups in cold weather and in general lubricate better. If this was my car, I would use synthetic oil and change it twice per year and use a quality (preferably Hyundai) oil filter.
Q. I just recently purchased a used Toyota Corolla, it is almost 20 years old and runs great and gets great mileage, at least until I ran out of gas. The gas gauge was still on full, I should have known that the gauge was stuck but was hoping for the best. My question is how do I get this fixed and any ideas about cost?
A. The gas gauge in the Corolla is pretty simple and relatively easy to diagnose. Start with disconnecting the fuel gauge connector at the tank, the dash gauge should go to empty. If it doesn’t go to empty, there is a wiring problem. It has been my experience over the years if the problem is not a poor ground at the tank or an obvious wiring issue, the sender unit in the fuel tank is faulty. The factory sending unit is about $175 and once the fuel tank is removed it only takes about 30 minutes to take out the old sending unit and install the new one. Draining and removing the fuel tank will take about three hours of labor.
— John Paul, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Traffic Safety, AAA Northeast
