Air Bag Light

[Richard]

My 96 3.8l mini-vans air bag light started to come on once in a while and is
now on all the time. My cruse control is no longer functioning. Are these
related?

[Tweaker]

You might want to go through your fuse panel and look for a bad one. Just
don't probe any Airbag System wires with a tester, I have seen them deploy
with just a simple voltage tester.

Another past problem I have had to similar effects, was my alternator, it
was going but not gone, when it would warm up, It would make allot of the
computers functions go wacky. It was like your case where the air bag light
came on but not always, no cruise, At times even my stereo at high volume
was crackling and sounding crappy. I might be a million miles off course
but its often worth a look!

Paul

[Matthew S. Whiting]

My 96 is experiencing similar symptoms. Since I also have the phantom
wiper problem, I'm guessing it is a problem with the electrics in the
steering column. Haven't taken it to the dealer yet.

Matt

[I Right I]

I had the same problem with a 96 T&C...was told that the whole airbag assembly
needed to be replaced. I decided to replace the van.

>Subject: Re: Air Bag Light
>From: "Matthew S. Whiting" whi...@epix.net
>Date: 7/3/01 5:15 PM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3B424433...@epix.net>

[Michael Clift]

It's the clockspring. Common problem with the minivans. Symptoms are the
air bag light on and horn and cruise not working. It'll cost you about $125
at the dealer to have it fixed.

I Right I <iri...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010703185814...@ng-mq1.aol.com...

[Matthew S. Whiting]

I Right I wrote:
>
> I had the same problem with a 96 T&C...was told that the whole airbag assembly
> needed to be replaced. I decided to replace the van.

What does the air bag assembly have to do with the cruise control? Are
they integrated?

Matt

[David J. Allen]

Clockspring. Your horn won't work either. I paid nearly $200 at the
dealer. It's under investigation at the NHTSA. Go to their site and file
a complaint. The airbag won't deploy in a head-on.

http://www.nhtsa.gov

In article <9hsiok$am5$1...@newsfeed.logical.net>, "Richard"

[I Right I]

Good question...I don't know if it is integrated. I asked a local mechanic to
look at it and he told me it was integrated. I didn't pursue it because I had
already been in the market to replace it (the van, that is). Also - as I saw
in other posts - the horn stops working. The symptoms are that initially the
airbag light comes on intermittently. The cruise and horn also work
intermittently. Eventually, the airbag light was on solid and the cruise would
almost never work. The horn would once in a while suprise us and work. One
thing I learned is how much I rely on a horn!

>Subject: Re: Air Bag Light
>From: "Matthew S. Whiting" whi...@epix.net

>Date: 7/3/01 8:47 PM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3B4275F3...@epix.net>

[David J. Allen]

The horn and cruise control and air bag are not integrated. However they
all need power and need to send signals. This is done through the
clockspring.

The clockspring enables an electrical connection between systems on the
steering wheel, which turns, and the steering column, with doesn't turn.

The clockspring has failed on a number of these vans (mine included). The
NHTSA is investigating it and Chrysler is downplaying it as "a very small
number of vehicles have the problem."

In article <20010704093443...@ng-md1.aol.com>, iri...@aol.com

[I Right I]

Thanks for the infor. I found the article below at
"http://subscript.bna.com/SAMPLES/psl.nsf/a190caa77300097c8525648000515ca5
/68ef15994563d31285256a180077bc22?OpenDocument"

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation stepped up a probe of clockspring
assemblies of DaimlerChrysler minivans because 17 additional complaints have
been reported since the investigation was opened in August 2000. The original
investigation included only 1996 models. But because the clocksprings seem
identical, ODI expanded the investigation to include 2.8 million model year
1996-2000 Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Grand Voyager, and
Chrysler Town and Country.
The clockspring assembly is designed to provide continuous electrical current
between the steering wheel and steering column for the driver's air bag, horn,
and cruise control circuits. But if the clockspring wiring breaks and
interrupts the circuit, it could prevent deployment of the driver-side air bag
in a crash and prevent operation of the horn.

ODI has received reports of two crashes in which the driver-side air bag did
not deploy while the passenger air bag deployed. Two injuries have been
reported. Many complaints cited illumination of the vehicle's air bag readiness
indicator lamp. No fatalities have been reported.

>Subject: Re: Air Bag Light

>From: no_spam_...@san.rr.com (David J. Allen)
>Date: 7/5/01 1:34 AM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: <no_spam_dallen03...@192.168.1.100>

[Matthew S. Whiting]

"David J. Allen" wrote:
>
> The horn and cruise control and air bag are not integrated. However they
> all need power and need to send signals. This is done through the
> clockspring.
>
> The clockspring enables an electrical connection between systems on the
> steering wheel, which turns, and the steering column, with doesn't turn.
>
> The clockspring has failed on a number of these vans (mine included). The
> NHTSA is investigating it and Chrysler is downplaying it as "a very small
> number of vehicles have the problem."

Thanks. I logged mine with NHTSA, but likely will have to get it fixed
before a recall is ever issued.

Matt

[Richard]

If the number is so small, they why does not Our Beloved Vender put into
place a quality assurance program to replace them for free when they go
bad??????

"Matthew S. Whiting" <whi...@epix.net> wrote in message
news:3B44EDBA...@epix.net...

[David J. Allen]

Amen, brother. I think they know most of us will say "What is it that
broke?? A clocksp.... sp... a what? How much? Oh oh, there goes the
vaction. Oh well, put it in. When will it be done?

In article <cRf17.37386$mj7.6...@typhoon.nyroc.rr.com>, "Richard"