Horn Works 10% Of Time

[1995 LS 400]

I've had 2 mechanics look at it but stop digging deeper because airbag scares them. Is there a common problem here that can be solved...some simple way to get at the short?

[1990LS400]

The airbag shouldn't scare a professional mechanic. They should know to disconnect the battery and how much time to wait before working around the horn pad/airbag assembly.

Does your horn pad seem to not depress evenly and seem kind of stuck like the spring behind it has failed? That's what happened to the one on my 2000 LS400 a couple of years ago.

My mechanic found a good used horn pad/air bag assembly at a salvage company. The defective assembly was riveted and not repairable. I think he charged me about $500 for the used part. A new one was something like $2000 if I remember correctly.

I found out that my horn was intermittently working when my wife almost backed into me in a nearby shopping center where we had parked beside each other. I didn't know I could scream that loud. Her current car, purchased after that event, has a backup camera! I now have a ritual of testing my horn while driving under an overpass after each refueling.