Driver Airbag - Installation

INSTALLATION

WARNING: To avoid serious or fatal injury on vehicles equipped with airbags, disable the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) before attempting any steering wheel, steering column, airbag, 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 SRS. Failure to take the proper precautions could result in accidental airbag deployment.

WARNING: To avoid serious or fatal injury, 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 serious or fatal injury, 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. Service and Repair. 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. Service After an Airbag Deployment.





1. Position the driver airbag (3) close enough to the steering wheel (1) to reconnect the electrical connections (2) to the back of the airbag housing.
2. When installing the driver airbag, reconnect the two clockspring driver airbag pigtail wire connectors to the airbag inflator connector receptacles by pressing straight in on the connectors, then push the locks straight into the connectors. Be certain to engage each keyed and color-coded connector to the matching connector receptacle.
3. Each clockspring driver airbag pigtail wire has a plastic retainer that must be pushed onto one of the four inflator mounting studs on the back of the airbag housing to be certain that the wires are not pinched between the driver airbag and the horn switch or the steering wheel armature.
4. Carefully position the driver airbag into the steering wheel hub.
5. Engage the lower airbag snap retainer wire loop (4) onto the lower hook of the steering wheel armature. The lower snap retainer wire loop has a distinctive V-shape and must always be installed onto the six o'clock hook of the steering wheel armature.
6. Roll the driver airbag upwards and press firmly and evenly over the two upper snap retainer wire loop locations simultaneously until they snap into place over the two upper hooks of the steering wheel armature.

WARNING: DO NOT CONNECT THE BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE. PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH MAY RESULT IF THE SYSTEM TEST IS NOT PERFORMED FIRST. FOR THE SYSTEM TEST, Supplemental Restraints Verification Test