Airbag light issues

So I took my 97 XJ in for routine state inspection and the shop called to say that the airbag light would not come on. After pulling the dash cluster they found out it did not have a bulb in it. The shop replaced the bulb and now the light won't go off. The diagnostic scanners wouldn't pick up the SRS system and they told me to take it to the dealer. So instead, after a little bit of research, I bought a new ACM and clock spring thinking it was one of these two items that had gone bad.
I replaced the ACM but light was still on. figured now it would be a good time to take it to the dealer. They came back and said the ACM needed to be synced to the vehicle. After that was done they say the clock spring and pass side airbag needed to be replaced.
Long story short, they wanted 2,200 dollars to replace these items. I said no thanks! I'll do it myself. Has anyone else run into this problem before where the pass airbag was bad? I'll replace the clock spring first to see what happens but, the airbag thing doesn't make sense to me.

Sorry for the long post but, I figured the back story was important.

Typically the airbags do not go faulty. The clockspring is the most common SRS system failure. Corrosion of the ground lead at the ACM module can trigger the Airbag light.

I have replaced several sets of blown Airbags/ACM with good used ones from the junkyard. Never had any issues.

Even if you bought new parts and installed them yourself, it would only take about an hour of work with basic hand tools.

I know it wasn't the ACM. The dealership told me it was the clockspring and pass side airbag. I removed the driver side airbag to find it wasn't even hooked up (problem 1 solved). I bought a used pass side airbag for $50 and plugged it in. Alas! it worked and the light went off. Apparently airbags can go bad. No more airbag light!

Over cranking the steering wheel can kill the clock spring on the late models as well. Bleeding the power steering system is a not too uncommon time for it to happen. If you pull one from a junk yard make sure the wheel on the donor is centered before you pull it, and again your wheel is centered when you install it. It's an easy fix. If your rig has cruise control and it's not working either its the clock spring.


EDIT: I should have read your post before responding. OOPS! Carry on.