Service of Air Bag Equipped Vehicles Involved in Collisions

While servicing an air bag equipped vehicle that has been involved in a collision, check sensors and wiring.

Crash Sensors

Vehicle sensor orientation is critical for proper system operation. If a vehicle equipped with an air bag system is involved in a crash where the fenders or grille area have been damaged, ensure that body structure in the area of the sensor mounting is restored to its original condition. Inspect the sensor mounting brackets for damage.

• Damaged sensor should be replaced whether or not the air bag is deployed.
• Undamaged sensors will reset automatically after a collision and can be reused.

Damaged Wiring

 CAUTION: Before attempting diagnostic proveout, check for wiring shorts that could cause the diagnostic monitor thermal fuse to open, causing unnecessary replacement.

Inspect the sensor wiring and the wiring harness for any damage that may have occurred due to the accident. Replace any damaged wiring, terminals, insulation or connectors, as required.

Splices are required in adjacent wiring, the splices should be staggered 50mm (2 inch) apart from each other. Service as follows:

A waterproof butt-splice connector should be used on all wiring service in the engine compartment. A heat shrink nylon splice prevents water, salt, condensation and heat from affecting the wiring service.

The inner wall of the splice connector is lined with an adhesive that melts when heated with a heat gun and flows under pressure from the tubing, sealing the splice. The connectors can be crimped with a standard insulated connector crimping tool. The splices are color coded for gauge identification, and are transparent to allow inspection of the finished splice.

Steering Column and Clockspring

If the collision involved an air bag deployment, the steering column may have been loaded sufficiently to deform steering column mounting brackets or damage column wiring. An inspection should be made of the column structure and clockspring wiring to ensure that any damaged components are replaced. Refer to Section 11-04.