Automotive · Tier C

Airbag control module (ACM/SDM/RCM)

Run the part number through a reset-service site. If it comes back resettable and the car wasn't in a deployment, it's a $60 core. If the vehicle was airbag-deployed, the crash data is burned in and it's a dollar of board.

Au 0.010–0.030 g per unitAg 0.05–0.2 g per unit

eBay typical$2–6per lb

Refiner pays$3per lb

Metal in it$5.70per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Small aluminium or plastic box about 3×4×1 inches with one to three yellow-locking connectors, mounted on the transmission tunnel under the centre console, under a front seat, or behind the radio. Usually marked with an orientation arrow — FRONT →.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	0.010–0.030 g per unit	gold-flashed pins; older units have an Au/Pd/Ag thick-film hybrid
Silver	0.05–0.2 g per unit

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $5.70 per pound of contained metal — Gold 0.04 g = $5.22, Silver 0.25 g = $0.48. A refiner paying $3 returns about 53% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Cold

Battery negative off, then wait 10–30 minutes. SRS modules hold a backup capacitor that can still fire squibs after the battery is disconnected. Then press the CPA lock, release the latch and unplug the yellow connectors. 10 mm socket or T30.

Hazards

💥 Pyrotechnics — airbag inflators & pyro-fuses

NEVER open, cut, heat, drill, drop, shred or sell an inflator. There is no recoverable metal in one — the initiator's gold is measured in micrograms. Deploy-in-place by a trained handler, or hand it to the OEM collection stream.

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

NEVER dry sweep or use compressed air on a scrapping bench. HEPA-vac or wet-wipe only.

Before you scrap it

Core item — $25–250 against $1.50 as scrap, 20–100×. Reset houses buy them all day.

The common trap

Worth about $1.50 of metal. The whole value is the part number and whether it's resettable.

Questions

How much gold is in airbag control module (acm/sdm/rcm)?

Gold: 0.010–0.030 g per unit. Silver: 0.05–0.2 g per unit. At current spot that is about $5.70 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify airbag control module (acm/sdm/rcm)?

Run the part number through a reset-service site. If it comes back resettable and the car wasn't in a deployment, it's a $60 core. If the vehicle was airbag-deployed, the crash data is burned in and it's a dollar of board.

How do you remove airbag control module (acm/sdm/rcm) safely?

Battery negative off, then wait 10–30 minutes. SRS modules hold a backup capacitor that can still fire squibs after the battery is disconnected. Then press the CPA lock, release the latch and unplug the yellow connectors. 10 mm socket or T30.

Is airbag control module (acm/sdm/rcm) worth more working than as scrap?

Core item — $25–250 against $1.50 as scrap, 20–100×. Reset houses buy them all day.

Related in Automotive

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