Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) air bag light

[MPlunk]

i am driving along today and the air bag light comes on. i am thinking great i am going to get a face full of airbag. it went out and stayed out the rest of the day. what does than light indicate? does it just give you a warning that your airbag might not function right if in an accident? want is the fix for it?

thanks

 

[nps]

i am driving along today and the air bag light comes on. what does than light indicate?

Among other conditions it comes on when your mother-in-law is in or near your truck. :-laf I'll have to look in the shop manual tonight to see what the other conditions are.

 

[MPlunk]

i was near her house :-laf

 

[JDinterman]

mine did the same thing... . it was the clock spring in the steering column there was a recaal about it you may want to check.

 

[MPlunk]

will they honor the recall if it has not been done even if i am not the original owner? if not what exactly is a clock spring and how hard is it to change?

 

[JDinterman]

a recall is a recall not sure about what it does

 

[SCosgriff]

My air bag light is coming on and going off intermittantly, mostly on. Horn still works and cruise still works. I have jiggled wires, turned steering wheel, messed with tilt, can't find anything.

 

[DonS]

what exactly is a clock spring and how hard is it to change?

It's a coiled (like a clockspring) set of conductors that connect the steering column's wiring harness to the airbag electronics and other controls (cruise, radio, horn, IIRC) in the steering wheel.



Replacement: remove airbag, disconnect wiring, remove steering wheel, remove covers and tilt lever, disconnect more wiring, remove clockspring. Center new clockspring. Reassemble. (Heavily condensed from my 2001 service manual).



EDIT: I let the dealer do mine. I had received the recall notice shortly after I purchased the truck, but never went in for the repair. A year or so later, the clockspring broke - an audible "pop" from steering wheel, followed by failure of all of those controls plus airbag light. I took it to the dealer the next day.