Pontiac Repair: airbag light, steering knuckle, alarm bell

Question
last summer while i was changing my rack and pinion i was under the steering column trying to connect the steering knuckle to the rack and for some reason the alarm bell sounded as if the lights were left on,i paid no attention to it, when i was finished i tried to start the car and my battery was drained and since then my airbag light flashes normally on startup but then it stays on, did i hit something under there? my car is a 1997 grand am se 2.4 hope you can help.

Answer
there are several airbag sensors located at various spots around the vehicle.there may be one located near the area that you were working that triggered itself or lost connection.i would recommend getting a repair manual to find the locations of these sensors on your particular model.dont forget to disconnect the battery and  let the car set a bit before messing with any airbag related material.