An air bag module is made up of an inflatable bag housed in a vinyl part of the vehicle. On late module cars, there are several air bag modules in a vehicle. Typically, there is one in the steering wheel, one above the glove compartment on the passenger side, and one on each side of the vehicle. Air bags use a small amount of explosive material activated by a small electrical charge. For this reason it is important to exercise care when handling or working on this system.
Remove the negative cable from the battery and wait at least 10 minutes before continuing. This ensures that the electrical circuit dissipates completely. Static electricity is enough to set an air bag off.
Remove the torx screws holding the air bag module to the steering wheel. There are access holes, normally two, on the backside of the steering wheel. Lift the air bag module up just enough to unhook the wires behind the module. There will be two sets of wires. One set is for the horn, and the other set is for the module.
The module wires can always be identified by the yellow wires with a black stripe on them. Using the needle-nose pliers, gently remove the two yellow and black air bag wires. They are blade-type terminals, so just grab them with the pliers and wiggle them while pulling them apart. Once they are off, remove the single black wire that is on a spade. The second wire goes from the air bag to a plastic tube that runs into the steering wheel. It looks like a 2-inch-long straw. Grasp this with your fingers, push down slightly, and rotate it counterclockwise. This will unlock the tabs on the bottom and allow removal.
Remove the air bag. Keep in mind that static electricity has the possibility of accidentally activating the air bag. Put it somewhere safe.
Hold the new air bag close to the steering wheel, and connect the plastic connector. Then connect the horn wires. Grasp the tube with the fingers, and place in the hole in the steering wheel. While pushing down gently, twist to the right to lock it in place. Plug the second horn wire into the air bag module.
Plug in the two air bag wires (wires with yellow with black stripes). Install the screws in the back of the steering wheel to hold the air bag. Put the negative cable back on the battery.
