Additional airbags on the Lancer X

After I installed the dynamic electronic stability control system on Mitsubishi Lancer 10, I wondered, what about to continue the way toward safety and install the maximum quantity of air bags on my Lancer X, particularly as the upgrade process itself is not so difficult.

 

 

For easy reference, this instruction is represented in 2 versions: text and video at the end.

 

In depends on equipment, there are 2,5 and 7 air bags could be installed on Lancer X. If you have 2 or 5 installed air bags on your car, then you can install the maximum quantity of air bags - 7 pieces without any problems.

 

On the car with 2 air bags there will be installed:

 

1. SRS Air Bag unit for 2 air bags p8635A073.

2. Driver's seat and passenger air bag.

3. Front crash sensor. By the way, I changed these sensors in the article about elimination of Airbag System Service Required error on Mitsubishi Lancer X, as they oxidize during the time.

4. Pretensioners of driver's seat and passenger belts.

 

If you decide to install 5 air bags for your car or for example there is an equipment with 5 airbags out from the factory, then in the former case you have to additionally buy and in the latter case you will have installed the following:

 

1. SRS Air Bag unit for 5 air bags p8635A122.

2. Knee air bag for the driver 7030A037XA.

3. Front driver's and passenger seats with side air bags (SRS Air Bag) and weight sensor.

4. Molding for knee air bag 8002A395XA.

5. Bolts for knee air bag (4 pcs.) MS240125 fastening.

6. Side crash sensors (2 pcs.) 8651A001.

7. Nuts for crash sensor (2 pcs.) MU000310 fastening.

8. Emergency signaling unit with function of passenger air bag and unbuckled passenger belt disconnection.

9. Passenger air bag 8610A054 circuit breaker.

10. Bracket for passenger air bag 8610A045 circuit breaker fastening (it is unnecessary, one can fasten on the glove box upper part).

11. Screws for fastening the circuit breaker to the bracket (3 pcs.) MF453039 (they are unnecessary if you equip without the bracket).

12. Screws for bracket fastening (2 pcs.) - MB409437

 

Activating in ETACS unit will be necessary only if you have the 2 air bags installed and you have decided to equip Lancer X with 5 or 7 air bags. To do that, you need to activate the following point:

 

My car is equipped with 5 air bags out of the factory, and for full equipment I need only two curtain air bags. All necessary set for installation I bought second-handed in there are the following:

 

1. SRS Air Bag unit for 7 air bags p8635A060.

2. Left and right curtain air bag 7030A081 and 7030A082.

3. Bolts for curtains fastening 6x16 — 16-20 pcs. MS240187.

4. Plastic front stops 7200A295 and 7200A296 (or do not buy and short-cut the standard).

5. Propellant charges bracket (the rare thing, I fastened without them).

6. Moldings with SRS writing are not necessary, they differ only with SRS writing

   - Left molding of the front rack 7210A055HA.

   - Right molding of the front rack 7210A056HA.

   - Left molding of the rear rack 7212A027HA.

   - Right molding of the rear rack 7212A028HA.

 

To install the air bags (curtains), it is necessary to remove the ceiling facing, for that purpose unscrew all fastenings, handles, ceiling lamp, visors, moldings, blind plug and bolts, which hold the ceiling facing.

 

And there is the first surprise here, on the front racks shall be installed plastic stops for ceiling facing, however they are absent. One can short-cut exactly these plastic stops to not spend money for their shorten version 7200A295 and 7200A296. 

 

But thankfully, the seller, from which I bought the air bags, put these stops in the set. I short-cut and fastened them on the front racks.

 

Unscrew and remove the big plastic stops on the middle racks, we do not need them anymore.

 

Next take curtain air bags and fasten them in the standard places with the bolts.

 

Propellant charges of given air bags shall be fastened to the car's body on the special brackets, which are welded out from the factory for the equipment with 7 air bags. I could not to find these brackets separately, that is why I will fasten the propellant charges with help of aluminum rivets. There is the light load here, that is why it is quite sufficient.

 

I drill the hole under the near log buss of the propellant charge and fasten with riveter.

 

But I failed to drill the far holes, as there are a little space. That is why I made the small plate, one edge of which was fastened on the far log buss of the propellant charge, and the other edge of the plate was combined with the standard hole on the car's body and riveted. To sum up, instead 4 non-standard holes on the car's body, I drilled only 2. Now the propellant charges are fastened very reliable.

 

Near them will be the connectors for curtain air bags, but we do not connect them yet. Connect them after SRS unit changing.

 

Next, it is necessary to change the SRS Air Bag unit for 5 air bags, on new with support of7 air bags for Lancer X.

 

The unit itself is located in the lower part under the torpedo and fastened with 3 bolts on the car's body. It is installed approximately at the same place, where I installed the g-sensor in the article about electronic stability control system.

 

Shift the central tunnel and remove the side moldings. Unscrew the old unit, unlatch the connectors and install the new SRS Air Bag unit for 7 air bags.

 

Now we can connect the connectors of side curtain air bags and start the car. The unit shall be identified without any errors. But if there are any errors, check all connectors of SRS unit and air bags once again, sometimes they are latched not tight.

 

To sum up, at given moment, I have the maximum quantity of installed air bags on my Lancer X - 7 pcs. It gives me the more confidence in my car towards the safety.

 

 

As a bonus, in the end of the video instruction I activated the driver's seat air bag, you can visually watch how fast it operates on Mitsubishi Lancer 10.