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Home >> Dodge or Ram Truck >> 2001 >> RAM 3500 Van V8-5.9L VIN Z LDC >> Repair and Diagnosis >> Restraints and Safety Systems >> Air Bag Systems >> Description and Operation >> Airbag System Components >> Part 1

Part 1

Fig.2 SRS Logo:




RESTRAINTS
A dual front airbag system is standard factory-installed safety equipment on this model. The airbag system is a passive, inflatable, Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) and vehicles with this equipment can be readily identified by the "SRS - AIRBAG" logo molded into the driver airbag trim cover in the center of the steering wheel and also into the passenger airbag door on the instrument panel above the glove box. Vehicles with the airbag system can also be identified by the airbag indicator, which will illuminate in the instrument cluster for about seven seconds as a bulb test each time the ignition switch is turned to the ON position.

The dual front airbag system consists of the following major components, which are described in further detail elsewhere in this service information:
- Airbag Control Module - The Airbag Control Module (ACM) is located on a mount on the floor panel, beneath the driver seat in the passenger compartment.
- Airbag Indicator - The airbag indicator is integral to the ElectroMechanical Instrument Cluster (EMIC), which is located on the instrument panel in front of the driver.
- Clockspring - The clockspring is located near the top of the steering column, directly beneath the steering wheel.
- Driver Airbag - The driver airbag is located in the center of the steering wheel, beneath the driver airbag trim cover.
- Driver Knee Blocker - The driver knee blocker is a stamped and welded metal liner secured to the instrument panel structure and the steering column support bracket behind the instrument panel steering column opening cover.
- Passenger Airbag - The passenger airbag is located on the instrument panel, beneath the passenger airbag door on the instrument panel above the glove box on the passenger side of the vehicle.
- Passenger Airbag ON/OFF Switch - The passenger airbag ON/OFF switch is located in a dedicated opening in the lower right corner of the instrument panel cluster bezel, to the right of the climate controls. The passenger airbag ON/OFF switch is not used on models equipped with factory-installed rear passenger seating.
- Passenger Knee Blocker - The passenger knee blocker is a structural reinforcement that is integral to and concealed within the glove box door.
- Seat Belt Tensioners - All models are equipped with front seat belt tensioners for both outboard front seating positions. These tensioners are controlled by the ACM and are integral to the front seat belt and retractor assembly.

The ACM and the EMIC each contain a central processing unit and programming that allow them to communicate with each other using the Chrysler Collision Detection (CCD) data bus network. This method of communication is used for control of the airbag indicator on all models. (Refer to ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULES/COMMUNICATION - DESCRIPTION).

Hard wired circuitry connects the airbag system components to each other through the electrical system of the vehicle. These hard wired circuits are integral to several wire harnesses, which are routed throughout the vehicle and retained by many different methods. These circuits may be connected to each other, to the vehicle electrical system, and to the airbag system components through the use of a combination of soldered splices, splice block connectors, and many different types of wire harness terminal connectors and insulators.

The airbag system is referred to as a supplemental restraint system because it was designed and is intended to enhance the protection for the front seat occupants of the vehicle only when used in conjunction with the seat belts. It is referred to as a passive system because the vehicle occupants are not required to do anything to make it work. The primary passenger restraints in this or any other vehicle are the standard equipment factory-installed seat belts. Seat belts are referred to as an active restraint because the vehicle occupants are required to physically fasten and properly adjust these restraints in order to benefit from them. The vehicle occupants must be wearing their seat belts in order to obtain the maximum safety benefit from the factory-installed airbag system.

The airbag system electrical circuits are continuously monitored and controlled by a microprocessor and software contained within the Airbag Control Module (ACM). An airbag indicator in the ElectroMechanical Instrument Cluster (EMIC) lights for about seven seconds as a bulb test each time the ignition switch is turned to the ON or Start positions. Following the bulb test, the airbag indicator is turned ON or OFF by the ACM to indicate the status of the airbag system. If the airbag indicator comes ON at any time other than during the bulb test, it indicates that there is a problem in the airbag system electrical circuits. Such a problem may cause the airbags not to deploy when required, or to deploy when not required.

The clockspring on the top of the steering column allows a continuous electrical circuit to be maintained between the stationary steering column and the driver airbag inflator, which rotates with the steering wheel. The passenger airbag ON/OFF switch allows the passenger side airbag to be disabled when circumstances necessitate that a child, or an adult with certain medical conditions be placed in the front passenger seating position. Only models not equipped with factory-installed rear seats are equipped with a passenger airbag ON/OFF switch. Refer to the owner's manual in the vehicle glove box for recommendations concerning the specific circumstances where the passenger airbag ON/OFF switch should be used to disable the passenger airbag.

Deployment of the airbags depends upon the angle and severity of the impact. The airbag system is designed to deploy upon a frontal impact within a thirty degree angle from either side of the vehicle center line. Deployment is not based upon vehicle speed; rather, deployment is based upon the rate of deceleration as measured by the forces of gravity (G force) upon the airbag system impact sensor, which is integral to the ACM. When a frontal impact is severe enough, the microprocessor in the ACM signals the inflator units of both airbag modules to deploy the airbags. The front seat belt tensioners are provided with a deployment signal by the ACM in conjunction with the airbags. During a frontal vehicle impact, the knee blockers work in concert with properly fastened and adjusted seat belts to restrain both the driver and the front seat passenger in the proper position for an airbag deployment. The knee blockers also absorb and distribute the crash energy from the driver and the front seat passenger to the structure of the instrument panel. The seat belt tensioners remove the slack from the outboard front seat belts to provide further assurance that the driver and front seat passenger are properly positioned and restrained for an airbag deployment.

Typically, the driver and front seat passenger recall more about the events preceding and following a collision than they have of the airbag deployment itself. This is because the airbag deployment and deflation occur so rapidly. In a typical 48 kilometer-per-hour (30 mile-per-hour) barrier impact, from the moment of impact until both airbags are fully inflated takes about 40 milliseconds. Within one to two seconds from the moment of impact, both airbags are almost entirely deflated. The times cited for these events are approximations, which apply only to a barrier impact at the given speed. Actual times will vary somewhat, depending upon the vehicle speed, impact angle, severity of the impact, and the type of collision.

When the ACM monitors a problem in any of the airbag system circuits or components, including the seat belt tensioners, it stores a fault code or Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) in its memory circuit and sends an electronic message to the EMIC to turn ON the airbag indicator. Proper testing of the airbag system components, the Chrysler Collision Detection (CCD) data bus, the data bus message inputs to and outputs from the EMIC or the ACM, as well as the retrieval or erasure of a DTC from the ACM requires the use of a DRB III scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information.

See the owner's manual in the vehicle glove box for more information on the features, use and operation of all of the factory-installed passenger restraints, including the airbag system.
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