Possible Causes

A driver-side air bag circuit shorted to battery or ignition voltage could be caused by a short to battery or ignition voltage in Gray/Orange wire (circuit No. 614), short to battery or ignition voltage in Gray/White wire (circuit No. 615), short to battery or ignition voltage in clockspring, short to battery or ignition voltage in air bag module or RCM internal fault.

1. Check for hard or intermittent DTC
   
   Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Connect scan tool to Data Link Connector (DLC). See USING SCAN TOOL  under DIAGNOSTICS. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Retrieve and record any continuous DTCs. See RETRIEVING FAULT CODES  under DIAGNOSTICS. Perform on-demand self-test. See ON-DEMAND SELF-TEST  under DIAGNOSTICS. If DTC B1916 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is hard. Go to next step. If DTC B1916 was not retrieved, fault is intermittent. Go to step  5 .
2. Check driver-side air bag module
   
   Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disable air bag system. See DISABLING SYSTEM  under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Perform on-demand self-test. See ON-DEMAND SELF-TEST  under DIAGNOSTICS. If DTC B1916 is retrieved, go to next step. If DTC B1916 is not retrieved, replace driver-side air bag module. Go to step  6 .
   NOTE: Do not remove or separate shorting bars from RCM harness connector.
3. Check driver-side air bag circuit
   
   Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disconnect negative battery cable. Access RCM and disconnect harness connector C2005. See RESTRAINTS CONTROL MODULE (RCM)  under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector C2005, terminals No. 3 (Gray/Orange wire) and No. 2 (Violet/Orange wire, circuit No. 298). See Figure . If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, go to next step. If resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, replace RCM. Go to step  6 .
4. Check driver-side air bag wiring & clockspring
   
   Disconnect driver-side air bag simulator from upper clockspring connector. Disconnect lower harness clockspring connector located on bottom of steering column. Inspect all crimps, terminals, fuses, wires and connectors feeding RCM harness connector C2005, terminals No. 3 (Gray/Orange wire) and No. 4 (Gray/White wire), clockspring and clockspring connectors. See WIRING DIAGRAMS  . Also, check for pinched wires and damaged connector terminals. If any damage is found, repair or replace as necessary. Go to step  6 . If no damage is found, go to step  6 .
5. Check for intermittent fault
   
   Refer to continuous DTCs recorded in step  1 . If DTC retrieved in step  1 was an intermittent fault, check for cause of intermittent short to battery or ignition voltage in Gray/Orange wire, Gray/White wire and clockspring assembly. See WIRING DIAGRAMS  . Attempt to recreate fault by flexing wire harness and cycling ignition switch frequently. Repair any intermittent problems found. Go to next step. If DTC retrieved in step  1 was not an intermittent fault, go to next step.
6. Check for additional DTCs
   
   Refer to continuous DTCs recorded in step  1 . If any continuous DTCs were retrieved, go to diagnostic trouble code identification table for direction to appropriate test. DO NOT clear any DTCs until all DTCs have been resolved. See DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) IDENTIFICATION  table. If no continuous DTCs were retrieved, reconnect air bag system. Activate air bag system. See ACTIVATING SYSTEM  under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Clear all DTCs. See CLEARING FAULT CODES  under DIAGNOSTICS.