INSTALLATION

WARNING: To avoid serious or fatal injury 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 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. (Refer to 8 - 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 8 - ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS - STANDARD PROCEDURE - SERVICE AFTER A SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT DEPLOYMENT).




1. Position the driver airbag (3) close enough to the steering wheel (1) to reconnect the electrical connections on the back of the airbag housing.
2. When installing the driver airbag, reconnect the two clockspring driver airbag pigtail wire connectors (2) 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. Carefully position the driver airbag in the steering wheel. Be certain that the clockspring pigtail wires are not pinched between the driver airbag and the horn switch or the steering wheel armature.
4. Engage the lower airbag snap retainer wire loop (1) 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.


5. Roll the driver airbag upwards and press firmly and evenly over the two upper snap retainer wire loop (1) locations simultaneously until they snap into place over the two upper hooks (2) of the steering wheel armature.
6. 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 8 - ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS - STANDARD PROCEDURE - VERIFICATION TEST).