Airbag light won't turn off

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by gopacks12

The SRS light comes on and stays on after I turn the wheel a few times as im driving. Once I park and later come back to the car the light is off and then it happens all over again after a few turns later.

I followed the instructions on this thread and used a paper clip to jump it and got 35, 51, 37.

I've attached a picture of the what the service manual says about these codes.
The only thing they all have in common is the Center Airbag Sensor Assembly.
Whats that?

I'm like a total rookie to this sorta stuff so if anyone out there with some knowledge or experience can help me i'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Was your car in an accident?

35 is the seat position sensor, which is a device mounted to the bottom of the driver's side seat rail to detect if the driver is close to or far from the steering wheel.

37 is the driver's side buckle switch, which is a hall effect sensor mounted within the seat belt latch to detect if the buckle is clicked or not.

Those two giving errors would make me first check to see if the connectors are plugged in under the driver's seat.

51 is a short in the steering wheel airbag. That one is most likely due to a bad spiral cable (AKA clockspring), which is the device under the steering wheel that allows the steering wheel to rotate while maintaining the connection to the airbag and horn.

[gopacks12]

Originally Posted by CTScott

Was your car in an accident?

35 is the seat position sensor, which is a device mounted to the bottom of the driver's side seat rail to detect if the driver is close to or far from the steering wheel.

37 is the driver's side buckle switch, which is a hall effect sensor mounted within the seat belt latch to detect if the buckle is clicked or not.

Those two giving errors would make me first check to see if the connectors are plugged in under the driver's seat.

51 is a short in the steering wheel airbag. That one is most likely due to a bad spiral cable (AKA clockspring), which is the device under the steering wheel that allows the steering wheel to rotate while maintaining the connection to the airbag and horn.

Yeah my front bumber was shattered back in december (air bags didnt go off) and about a month ago i was rear ended (airbags didnt deploy either). Cracked my bumber.

When the SRS first started coming on I was looking threw the threads on here and one did say check the connections under the driver seat so i gave it a shot. I unplugged the connectors while the car was still running (i know stupid right) then re plugged it in again. Maybe thats why its showing me 35, 37.

I probably have to do that jumper trick to get rid of codes 35, 37.
Im pretty sure the SRS light is coming on mainly because of the clockspring since it only happens after a few turns of the steering wheel.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by gopacks12

Yeah my front bumber was shattered back in december (air bags didnt go off) and about a month ago i was rear ended (airbags didnt deploy either). Cracked my bumber.

When the SRS first started coming on I was looking threw the threads on here and one did say check the connections under the driver seat so i gave it a shot. I unplugged the connectors while the car was still running (i know stupid right) then re plugged it in again. Maybe thats why its showing me 35, 37.

I probably have to do that jumper trick to get rid of codes 35, 37.
Im pretty sure the SRS light is coming on mainly because of the clockspring since it only happens after a few turns of the steering wheel.

Ah, that makes sense. And, I do believe that the 35 and 37 are codes which will not automatically clear, so you will have to do the jumper trick to clear them.

Aftermarket clocksprings have popped up on ebay for around $50. I am not sure of the quality, but they are a whole lot cheaper than OEM ones.

[gopacks12]

Originally Posted by CTScott

Ah, that makes sense. And, I do believe that the 35 and 37 are codes which will not automatically clear, so you will have to do the jumper trick to clear them.

Aftermarket clocksprings have popped up on ebay for around $50. I am not sure of the quality, but they are a whole lot cheaper than OEM ones.

Yea I found one for $40
Is there a DIY clockspring replacment tutorial thread on here somewhere?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by gopacks12

Yea I found one for $40
Is there a DIY clockspring replacment tutorial thread on here somewhere?

Here's a video I put together on doing so:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgWSzVeILhc

[gopacks12]

thanks!
ill check it out

[RagnaCaT]

Scott i got a question is it possible by changing the squib to a single cable one can use a single wire Airbag instead of a Dual cable Airbag, I wanted to change my steering wheel to one with controls but the squib and airbag are are single cabled.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by RagnaCaT

Scott i got a question is it possible by changing the squib to a single cable one can use a single wire Airbag instead of a Dual cable Airbag, I wanted to change my steering wheel to one with controls but the squib and airbag are are single cabled.

The two squib system is used in conjunction with the sensor on the seat rail, which detects the proximity of the driver to the steering wheel and either fires one or box of the squibs. To use a single squib airbag (and free up two wires) you would have to bypass the second squib using a 3 ohm resistor at the steering column connector.

[baseballfan416]

Rather than starting a new thread I figured I'd just ask in here...


Did the mcgiver paper clip trick and got a code 51... So for all intensive purposes this means swap out the clockspring?

Unlike other posts which received multiple codes, I only got the 51, which is my reason for clarification. Appreciate the insight(s).

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by baseballfan416

Rather than starting a new thread I figured I'd just ask in here...


Did the mcgiver paper clip trick and got a code 51... So for all intensive purposes this means swap out the clockspring?

Unlike other posts which received multiple codes, I only got the 51, which is my reason for clarification. Appreciate the insight(s).

51 Alone would almost definitely be the clockspring. In most of the other cases the car was initially involved in a collision, so that is why most have more than one code to clear.

[baseballfan416]

replaced the clockspring without any issues... or so I thought...

Can't seem to clear the srs code... and now I think it's blinking a new code? 53? Any ideas?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by baseballfan416

replaced the clockspring without any issues... or so I thought...

Can't seem to clear the srs code... and now I think it's blinking a new code? 53? Any ideas?

You went from 51, which was a problem with the primary squib circuit on the steering wheel airbag to 53, which is a problem with the secondary squib circuit on there. Where did you get your replacement from?

[baseballfan416]

ebay, I havent left feedback yet I can file a defective part claim and try to get my money back...

[baseballfan416]

So it's for sure the replacement clock spring?

84306-22010 was the part number purchased

the part looked exactly identical in markings and quality from the one I took off, I could literally hold both up to someone and you wouldn't know which one was the original and which one was the replacement (well, at least if I would have pulled the orange alignment clip off before putting it on).

[baseballfan416]

code went off... then just came back on, same 53 code... ideas? supposedly the ebay seller has a "1 year warranty," whatever restrictions/exclusions apply I guess we will see.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by baseballfan416

code went off... then just came back on, same 53 code... ideas? supposedly the ebay seller has a "1 year warranty," whatever restrictions/exclusions apply I guess we will see.

It is either the clock spring or the actual airbag, but considering that the code moved from one side of the squib to the other with the replacement, I would say that the replacement is defective.

[misolith]

What are the best ways to test if a replacement clockspring is functional?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by misolith

What are the best ways to test if a replacement clockspring is functional?

The easiest way is to install it and then try to reset the codes. If they do not reset then there is still a problem.

To test the clocksping with a multimeter, you want to test for continuity from the D18 steering column connector to the two airbag connectors. You also want to check for shorts between the pins.

In the picture below, you can see the four pins on the left side connector, which are the airbag squib connections. In this view they go from 4 to 1 from left to right. At the bottom of the connector you can see two additional pins with two spring metal clips above them. They are safety pins, which short pins 1 to 2 together to disable the primary airbag squib when the connector is removed. To test the spiral cable with the connector disconnected you need to slide a little piece of plastic between the spring clips and the pins to open them up. Once you have done so you can test for continuity.

Pin 4 (left most in picture) connects to the yellow/red wire on the black connector
Pin 3 connects to the yellow/green wire on the black connector
Pin 2 connects to the yellow wire on the orange connector
Pin 1 (right most in picture) connects to the yellow/black wire on the orange connector

With the multimeter you should see continuity (0 ohms in resistance setting between the two ends of each of the 4 connections).


Airbag connector.jpg