This may be a reach but I'm hoping that someone on this forum can tell me if this will work.

I recently bought a '00 Legacy L with high miles(262k) but a terrific maintenance record. It runs and drives terrific. My wife really wanted a cd/cassette radio instead of just cassette so I bought one out of a '01 Outback LL Bean. I knew my wife would really like the steering wheel with it's wood inlays so I bought that too. They wanted $25/each. The radio went in without a hitch and works well. I took off the old steering wheel and put on the new wheel and it looked terrific. But when I went to put the air bag in it wouldn't fit. Apparently the bag for the H6 LL Bean model is a different size because my bag was too big. I called the salvage yard and they'll sell me the air bag that came with the steering wheel for $65 but can't guarantee that it will work in the '00 L model which I certainly understand. I'm wondering if anyone has ever done this swap. It might have the same connections or it might not; I just don't want to pay $65 to find out! Thanks in advance for any info!

This may be a reach but I'm hoping that someone on this forum can tell me if this will work.

I recently bought a '00 Legacy L with high miles(262k) but a terrific maintenance record. It runs and drives terrific. My wife really wanted a cd/cassette radio instead of just cassette so I bought one out of a '01 Outback LL Bean. I knew my wife would really like the steering wheel with it's wood inlays so I bought that too. They wanted $25/each. The radio went in without a hitch and works well. I took off the old steering wheel and put on the new wheel and it looked terrific. But when I went to put the air bag in it wouldn't fit. Apparently the bag for the H6 LL Bean model is a different size because my bag was too big. I called the salvage yard and they'll sell me the air bag that came with the steering wheel for $65 but can't guarantee that it will work in the '00 L model which I certainly understand. I'm wondering if anyone has ever done this swap. It might have the same connections or it might not; I just don't want to pay $65 to find out! Thanks in advance for any info!

I'd just go to the junk yard and see if that airbag will plug into a car like yours.

I guess I didn't think of that. I can disconnect it at the salvage yard and see if the connectors are the same. The salvage yard is about an hour away but I'm planning on going to Minneapolis tomorrow and I go right by the yard tomorrow so I'll stop by. I really hope it fits because the wood in the steering wheel sure looks nice!

My buddy did the same thing you are trying to do and everything worked out fine.

I put an H^ LL Bean wheel in my 99 forester and used the H^ airbag. It came out of a 2002 outback and it fit and works like a charm. Buy the setup and have a really pretty wheel.

Sorry, That was supposed to be H6 not H^. I held down the shift key for too long.

. . . it fit and works like a charm.

 

Dare I ask how you know it works like a charm?

The air bag system has a self diagnostic system built into it. If the drivers bag wasn't going to work the airbag light would be blinking or staying on to warn me of a fault in the system. I even checked with a friend who is a subaru master tech and he said that as long as the plug is the same and there are no fault lights it is good to go.

Dare I ask how you know it works like a charm?

 

Maybe he tested it?

 

Good useful info in this thread guys.

It worked terrific!!! My wife(and me) really likes the new look at feel of a top of the line steering wheel. It made me feel a lot more confident that it would work after reading that others have done the same. Thanks for the help!