Driver Airbag: Disassembly
WARNING:
To avoid personal injury or death, on vehicles equipped with airbags, disable the supplemental restraint system before attempting any steering wheel, steering column, airbag, occupant classification system, 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 supplemental restraint system. Failure to take the proper precautions could result in accidental airbag deployment.
WARNING:
To avoid personal injury or death, service of this unit should be performed only by DaimlerChrysler-trained and authorized dealer service technicians. Failure to take the proper precautions or to follow the proper procedures could result in accidental, incomplete, or improper airbag deployment and possible occupant injuries.
WARNING:
To avoid personal injury or death, use extreme care to prevent any foreign material from entering the driver airbag, or becoming entrapped between the driver airbag cushion and the driver airbag trim cover. Failure to observe this warning could result in occupant injuries upon airbag deployment.
WARNING:
To avoid personal injury or death, the driver airbag trim cover must never be painted. Replacement trim covers are serviced 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.
NOTE:
The following procedures can be used to replace the driver airbag trim cover or to access the horn switch unit for service. If the driver airbag is ineffective or deployed, the entire driver airbag, trim cover, and horn switch must be replaced as a unit.
- Disconnect and isolate the battery negative cable. Wait two minutes for the system capacitor to discharge before further service.
- Remove the driver airbag from the steering wheel. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS/DRIVER AIRBAG - REMOVAL) .
- Place the driver airbag on a suitable work surface with the trim cover facing down. If the trim cover will be reused, be certain to take the proper precautions to prevent the trim cover from receiving cosmetic damage during the following procedures.
- Disconnect the driver airbag jumper harness connector (2) from the horn switch pigtail wire connector (3).
- Carefully pry the horn switch pigtail wire connector away from the back of the driver airbag housing (3) far enough to disengage the integral connector retainer from the locator hole just above the upper left inflator mounting stud.
- Disengage each of the 15 hooks (1) of the airbag housing (2) from the 15 windows in the vertical walls of the trim cover (4), one wall at a time. Start by disengaging the two side walls from under the engagement tabs (3), and finish with the upper and lower wall. To disengage the hooks, use hand pressure to push the adjacent edge of the airbag housing firmly and evenly downward into the trim cover receptacle, while at the same time pulling outward on the upper edge of the receptacle wall.
- With all of the hooks disengaged, lift the housing, inflator, cushion and horn switch as a unit from the receptacle on the back of the driver airbag trim cover.