Driver Airbag: Assembly
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.
NOTE:
If the horn switch and tray have been removed from the sewn pouch in the airbag cushion retaining strap, be certain that they are properly reinstalled with the horn switch feed and ground pigtail wires properly oriented before assembling the trim cover onto the airbag housing. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/HORN/HORN SWITCH - INSTALLATION)
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- If the driver airbag trim cover is being replaced with a new unit, transfer the cruise control switches and the driver airbag jumper harness to the new trim cover. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/SPEED CONTROL/SWITCH - REMOVAL) and (Refer to ELECTRICAL/SPEED CONTROL/SWITCH - INSTALLATION) .
- Place the driver airbag trim cover (4) on a suitable work surface with the airbag receptacle facing up. Be certain to take the proper precautions to prevent the trim cover from receiving cosmetic damage during the following procedures.
- Carefully position the driver airbag housing (2) into the trim cover receptacle. Be certain that the horn switch feed and ground pigtail wires are not pinched between the housing and the upper vertical wall of the trim cover receptacle.
- Work around the perimeter of the unit engaging each of the 15 hooks (1) on the driver airbag housing through the 15 windows in the walls of the trim cover receptacle.
- Using hand pressure, push the integral retainer of the horn switch pigtail wire connector (3) into the locator hole just above the upper left inflator mounting stud on the back of the airbag housing.
- Reconnect the driver airbag jumper harness connector (2) to the horn switch pigtail wire connector (3).
- After the driver airbag has been assembled, try pulling the trim cover and the airbag housing away from each other. This action will fully seat the edges of the windows into the cradles of the hooks and engage the side walls of the trim cover receptacle under the engagement tabs.
- Before reinstalling the airbag onto the steering wheel, check that the blocking tab (4) in each of the trim cover (1) windows is oriented over the airbag housing hook (3), and the engagement tab (2) on each side of the housing is oriented over the side wall of the trim cover receptacle as shown.
- Reinstall the driver airbag onto the steering wheel. (Refer to ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS/DRIVER AIRBAG - INSTALLATION) .