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Airbag light no codes??????

Quarterpastgone

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Georgia
I have a 2001 Cherokee 2 door with an air bag light. Checked DTC's with DRBIII and no Dtc's in the airbag system. Light is on all the time. Have searched multiple forms with only seeing clock springs for air bag light but those forum did not mention being checked with scan tool and if dtc's where present. Any help would be great


Thnaks
 
I have a 99 XJ, when I brought it home, the airbag light was on. A regular OB11 scanner will not detect or reset the airbag light. The way I understood it, it is a parts issue. In other words you have a bad part in the airbag system if your airbag light is on.

I checked with a auto repair shop and the dealer and both were of no help...well without paying a "entry" fee of $75 to $125.

I also found that if the airbag light was on and the horn did not work it was most likely the clock spring. Of course, my airbag light was on, my horn did not work along with the cruise control. I changed the clock spring and now it all works and I am a happy camper!

So, does your horn work?

Hope that helps!
 
Failure of the clock spring is the most common cause of an airbag light. Loss of ground at the control unit is another less common cause for the airbag light.

The clock spring can be removed and tested with a volts/ohms multi-meter and visually inspected directly for failure.
 
I had this problem last year. I tracked it down to a worn ignition switch actuator.


The actuator has a very delicate plastic rod that fractures or wears down in service. I found the fault by pushing the key into the ignition lock while turning. If I did this the airbag light went off. If this doesn't work for you, the rod may be badly fractured.


I replaced the actuator and the switch contact block at the same time. It's been fine all year.


The first Dorman part I received was broken, the rod is very delicate. The packaging is awful and was obvious that someone had already opened it. A lot of care is required removing the bubble wrap, cut the tape with scissors and gently unwrap. The second part I received was in perfect condition.
 
I had this problem last year. I tracked it down to a worn ignition switch actuator.


The actuator has a very delicate plastic rod that fractures or wears down in service. I found the fault by pushing the key into the ignition lock while turning. If I did this the airbag light went off. If this doesn't work for you, the rod may be badly fractured.


I replaced the actuator and the switch contact block at the same time. It's been fine all year.


The first Dorman part I received was broken, the rod is very delicate. The packaging is awful and was obvious that someone had already opened it. A lot of care is required removing the bubble wrap, cut the tape with scissors and gently unwrap. The second part I received was in perfect condition.
How does this effect/cause an airbag light? What purpose does that plastic rod serve?
 
The plastic rod controls actuation of the ignition circuit. The airbag test cycle starts when the key is turned. On my Jeep, if while turning the key I pushed it inwards, the airbag test cycle completed and the lamp extinguished. If I just turned the key to start the engine and took my hand off it, the airbag test failed and the lamp remained illuminated. I had to keep the key pushed in until the airbag lamp extinguished.

On my Jeep, the very tip of the actuator rod was either broken off or worn at an angle. The damage was small enough to be taken up by the free play in my ignition switch. If the ignition rod fractures further away from the tip you will not be able to start the Jeep.

This video shows how to change the actuator. I changed the switch contact block as well at the same time.



My ARB air-compressor relay is controlled by the ignition circuit. I have a warning lamp that tells me that my compressor is switched on and ready for pressure switch activation. I noticed the compressor lamp was not coming on before the engine started. This helped me locate the problem on my Jeep.
 
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found the root cause yesterday. Terminal fretting at Airbag module. While sitting with the DRBIII on it chasing the circuits finally shows no communication with module. Checked power and grounds to module and load tested with 3.5 amps. All checked good. applied dielectric grease to the terminals and is working normal now.
 
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