Possible Causes

An PAD switch fault could be caused by damaged or inoperative PAD switch, damaged or inoperative RCM, a short to battery, short to ground or open in White/Light Blue wire.

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 B1871 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is hard. Go to next step. If DTC B1871 was not retrieved, fault is intermittent. Go to step  6 .
2. Check PAD switch ON position
   
   Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disable air bag system. See DISABLING SYSTEM  under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Access RCM and disconnect harness connector. See RESTRAINTS CONTROL MODULE (RCM)  under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Turn PAD switch to ON position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector terminals No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire, circuit No. 1112) and No. 21 (Black/Orange wire, circuit No. 649). See Figure . If resistance is 900-1100 ohms, go to next step. If resistance is not 900-1100 ohms, go to step  4 .
3. Check PAD switch OFF position
   
   Turn PAD switch to OFF position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector terminals No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire) and No. 21 (Black/Orange wire). If resistance is 400-600 ohms, replace RCM. Go to step  7 . If resistance is not 400-600 ohms, go to next step.
4. Check circuit for short to battery
   
   Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Measure voltage between harness side of RCM connector terminal No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire) and terminals No. 21 (Black/Orange wire) and No. 2 (Violet/Orange wire, circuit No. 298) independently. If voltage is less than 0.2 volt, go to next step. If voltage is more than 0.2 volt, repair short to battery in White/Light Blue wire. See WIRING DIAGRAMS  . Go to step  7 .
5. Check circuit for open
   
   Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Access PAD switch and disconnect connector. See PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEACTIVATE SWITCH (PAD)  under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Measure resistance of White/Light Blue wire between harness side of RCM connector terminal No. 8 and harness side of PAD switch connector. If resistance is less than 10 ohms, replace PAD switch. Go to step  7 . If resistance is more than 10 ohms, repair open in White/Light Blue wire. Go to step  7 .
6. 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 faults in White/Light Blue wire (circuit No. 1112). 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.
7. 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. See DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) IDENTIFICATION  table. DO NOT clear any DTCs until all DTCs have been resolved. 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.