Grande airbag failure: how big is the risk?

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

Hi all,

There is alot of useful info on PP on what you can do to upgrade the suspension on a grande, but I'm trying to gauge the general opinion on what you SHOULD do. Mine is 11 years old petrol grande with original airbags & front coils, previous owner put in Bilsteins (which have now done >150000km). It all looks sound and in good order according to my 4wd mechanic (the car has had an easy life so far) but I am heading off on an extended outback trip next year and am wondering if should leave the suspension alone or take some preventative action to avoid problems. We don't plan any serious offroading, just 1000's of km of corrugations with a moderately heavy load and towing a trailer. Also have a steel bullbar, dual battery, no winch (but considering getting one).

I've read lots about airbag failure but how big actually is the risk? Is it enough to be worth spending serious money now as insurance against disaster halfway up the Tanami?

And if so, do you recommend (1) replace airbags with toyota originals? (2) replace airbags with ones from airbagman? (3) replace airbags with coils? I don't necessarily need lift as I'm happy enough with the 50mm lift at a touch of a button that you get with the grande. Also dont want a firm ride as one of the kids is in the rear fold down seat, but a more stable ride (less sway/body roll) would be nice.

Thanks in advance,
YNSUP

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

G'day YNSUP. Your Grande will be 12 yrs old when you head off on what sounds like a great trip tackling some pretty harsh terrain. The OEM airbags are probably at the end of their life and (as you've probably read) begin to perish. I would definitely replace them prior to your big trip. Which ones? If you're not looking at doing any extreme articulating of suspension, stick with the OEM which is also the cheaper option if you purchase through the likes of Amayama. Whilst the Airbagman jobbies are more suited to a lifted vehicle and are a heavier duty bellow, the OEM do have a stone guard or shroud to protect them from projectiles under the vehicle. I upgraded to Airbagman a good 3 yrs ago and haven't looked back but I have my Grande sitting fairly high at the rear (840 bottom of rim to guard) and the taller bellows seem to cope well with the punishment it gets from me where the type of driving you do may be fine for the OEM. Good luck in your decision..


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[Hobes Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobes]

Replaced my airbag and tems front shocks from partsouq website, comprehensive website and the airbags are obviously Toyota and clip in with no modification etc, I installed new front springs, tems shocks and rear airbags in one day, there are instructions on this website to do both and I still have retained all the wonderful adjustments of the grande. The airbag replacement took the longest as I have huge meat paws and could barely reach into the tight areas. If you do not go for ridiculous rear height via shimming your rear sensor or put long travel rear shocks one airbags will be fine. Partsouq is a great resource if you are a smart shopper and want to keep it standard.

[red hilux Member Find all posts View Profile Close red hilux]

another thing to watch for is the air compressor, make sure its turned off if the bag blows.

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

Thanks all - just the kind of of advice I was after. Sounds like replacing the OEM bags is the minimum I should do.

another thing to watch for is the air compressor, make sure its turned off if the bag blows.

Where do I find the air compressor and is it obvious how to turn it on/off? Thanks

[Guest Close Guest]

Under left rear. It will shut down automatically if a bag goes. But this can lead to a long delay trying to get it working again.
Otherwise you can pull the compressor relay/fuse in engine bay fuse box.

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

Under left rear. It will shut down automatically if a bag goes. But this can lead to a long delay trying to get it working again.
Otherwise you can pull the compressor relay/fuse in engine bay fuse box.

Awesome, thanks

[red hilux Member Find all posts View Profile Close red hilux]

It will shut down automatically if a bag goes..

my friends one didnt, it ran til it blew up

[Guest Close Guest]

Sounds odd. Suspension computer should automatically time it out after 2 mins of running.

[red hilux Member Find all posts View Profile Close red hilux]

cost him new bags and a compressor

[Guest Close Guest]

The compressor on mine shut down after my airbag blew. Now have Grande specific coils fitted.

[Guest Close Guest]

I've also read the workshop manual in relation to above scenario and it states the compressor will shut down.

[PRO050 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close PRO050]

My right hand air bag blew almost 10 years to the day, I had a pair of new Toyota bags ($440 pair delivered) ready to go. The compressor shut down within minutes and started straight up after the bags were replaced.

[Yo no soy un pajero Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Yo no soy un pajero]

My right hand air bag blew almost 10 years to the day, I had a pair of new Toyota bags ($440 pair delivered) ready to go. The compressor shut down within minutes and started straight up after the bags were replaced.

Where did you get the Toyota bags? I put in a price enquiry to Amayama and they said:

The requested parts are out of stock and will only be
produced again depending on demand.
Production is still possible, but can be cancelled at
any time. Production dates and delivery times are
not confirmed.
Production and delivery is usually within 2 - 3 months.
If the production run is cancelled a full refund will be
made.

cheers
YNSUP

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Wow! That's not good news... Toyota dropping the ball yet again. There are a lot of Grande's and Lexus GX460's out there that will be requiring replacement bags at sometime. I wonder how many orders are required to do a run?


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