Air Bag, Driver: Installation: Installation
To avoid serious or fatal injury on vehicles equipped with airbags, disable the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) before attempting any steering wheel, steering column, airbag, seat belt tensioner, impact sensor or instrument panel component diagnosis or service. Disconnect and isolate the battery negative (ground) cable, then wait two minutes for the system capacitor to discharge before performing further diagnosis or service. This is the only sure way to disable the SRS. Failure to take the proper precautions could result in accidental airbag deployment.
To avoid serious or fatal injury, use extreme care to prevent any foreign material from entering the Driver AirBag (DAB), or becoming entrapped between the DAB cushion and the DAB trim cover. Failure to observe this warning could result in occupant injuries upon airbag deployment.
To avoid serious or fatal injury, the driver airbag trim cover must never be painted. Replacement airbags are serviced with trim covers in the original colors. Paint may change the way in which the material of the trim cover responds to an airbag deployment. Failure to observe this warning could result in occupant injuries upon airbag deployment.
The following procedure is for replacement of an ineffective or damaged Driver AirBag (DAB). If the airbag is ineffective or damaged, but not deployed, review the recommended procedures for Handling Non-Deployed Supplemental Restraints. Refer to HANDLING NON-DEPLOYED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINTS, STANDARD PROCEDURE . If the DAB has been deployed, review the recommended procedures for Service After A Supplemental Restraint Deployment before removing the airbag from the vehicle. Refer to SERVICE AFTER A SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT DEPLOYMENT, STANDARD PROCEDURE .
- Position the Driver AirBag (DAB) close enough to the steering wheel to reconnect the two clockspring DAB pigtail wire (1) electrical connections (5) to the inflator connector receptacles (4) on the back of the airbag housing.
- Reconnect the wire connectors to the airbag inflator connector receptacles by pressing straight in on the connector insulator. Be certain to engage each keyed and color-coded connector to the matching connector receptacle. You can be certain that each connector is fully engaged in its receptacle by listening carefully for a distinct, audible click as the connector latches snap into place.
- Be certain to fully engage the plastic push-in retainer (2) of the clockspring pigtail wires into the locator hole (3) at the 12 o'clock position on the back of the airbag housing.
- Carefully position the DAB (1) into the hub cavity of the steering wheel (2). Be certain that the clockspring pigtail wires and the steering wheel wire harness are not pinched between the DAB and the horn switch, the steering wheel armature or, on vehicles equipped with a diesel engine, the steering wheel damper weight.
- Engage the lower airbag snap retainer wire loop (3) onto the lower hook of the steering wheel armature. The lower snap retainer wire loop has a distinctive V-shape and must always be installed onto the six o'clock hook of the steering wheel armature.
- Roll the DAB upwards and press firmly and evenly over the two upper snap retainer wire loop locations simultaneously until they snap into place over the two upper hooks of the steering wheel armature.
- Reinstall the upper shroud onto the steering column. Refer to SHROUD, STEERING COLUMN, INSTALLATION .
- Do not reconnect the negative cable to the battery at this time. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Verification Test procedure should be performed following service of any SRS component. Refer to SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM VERIFICATION TEST .