Air Bag Precautions

CAUTION: When battery is disconnected, vehicle computer and memory systems may lose memory data. Driveability problems may exist until computer systems have completed a relearn cycle. See COMPUTER RELEARN article in this Section before disconnecting battery.

The following precautions must be observed when working on vehicles equipped with Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR) air bag systems.

Before performing any instrument panel testing, diagnosis or repair, disable SIR system by disconnecting negative battery cable and Yellow 2-pin connector at base of steering column.
Wait 20 minutes before making SIR repairs to enable SIR system Diagnostic Energy Reserve Module (DERM) to power down. DERM retains enough voltage to deploy air bag for a short time after battery voltage is disconnected.
To avoid accidental air bag deployment, avoid any Yellow SIR wiring harnesses when trouble shooting, repairing or replacing instrument panel components. All SIR wiring harnesses are color-coded Yellow.