Driver Airbag: Installation
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, 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 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.
NOTE:
The following procedure is for replacement of an ineffective or damaged driver airbag. If the airbag is ineffective or damaged, but not deployed, review the recommended procedures for handling non-deployed supplemental restraints. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS - STANDARD PROCEDURE - HANDLING NON-DEPLOYED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINTS) . If the driver airbag has been deployed, review the recommended procedures for service after a supplemental restraint deployment before removing the airbag from the vehicle. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS - STANDARD PROCEDURE - SERVICE AFTER A SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT DEPLOYMENT) .
- Position the driver airbag (1) close enough to the steering wheel to reconnect the electrical connections on the back of the airbag housing.
- When installing the driver airbag, reconnect the two clockspring driver airbag pigtail wire connectors to the airbag inflator connector receptacles (5) by pressing straight in on the connectors, then pushing the locks straight into the connectors. Be certain to engage each keyed and color-coded connector to the matching connector receptacle. You can be certain that the connector is fully engaged by listening carefully for a distinct, audible click as the connector latches snap into place.
- Reconnect the driver airbag jumper harness connector (2) for the horn switch, the cruise control switches and the remote radio switches on the back of the driver airbag trim cover to the upper clockspring rotor receptacles.
- Carefully position the driver airbag in the steering wheel (3). Be certain that the clockspring pigtail wires and the driver airbag jumper harness are not pinched between the driver airbag and the steering wheel armature.NOTE: It will be necessary to rotate the steering wheel to orient each of the two spokes to which the airbag is secured alternately toward the bottom of the steering column in order to access the fasteners.
- From the underside of the steering wheel, install and tighten the two screws (4) that secure the driver airbag to the steering wheel armature. Tighten the screws to 10 N.m (90 in. lbs.).
- Do not reconnect the battery negative cable at this time. The supplemental restraint system verification test procedure should be performed following service of any supplemental restraint system component. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS - STANDARD PROCEDURE - VERIFICATION TEST) .