Chrysler Repair: Van airbag light ON, related to turning., daimler chrysler, dodge caravan

Question
Hello Roland;

Do you have some idea why the airbag light comes on intermittently on my '96 Dodge Caravan?  It often goes on or off when turning...but now it's on more than off.  I wonder if the airbag is inoperative when the light is on or if it's purely a faulty indicator?
Thanks in advance for your valued input.

Paul  

Answer
Hi Paul,
I suspect from what you described of "It goes on or off when turning" that the electrical connection between the air bag module and the air bar pack in the steering wheel has developed an intermittant connection such that if there were a need for the bag and the light were ON it would NOT inflate. That connection is called the clockspring and it is located between the steering column and the steering wheel and by flexing it allows the wheel to be turned without loosing the connections. But the coil of wire can fatigue and break though it is supposed to last the live for the vehicle. I believe that Chrysler did a recall around '97 or so to replace these clocksprings at no cost to the owner after failures were reported to the NHTSA in Washington. You should be able to go to a dealer and find out if that is the case so the replacement would not cost you anything. You also can verify that with Daimler-Chrysler in Detroit. The federal law is the area of safety devices is strictly enforced.
So the warning light has basically detected the malfunction and I believe the clockspring is the problem.
Roland