1997 Caravan Airbag like comes on intermittently.

Hello,

I have the Airbag light problem. Mine is 1997 Dodge Caravan. Is there recall
for that? Would this also cause "Service Engine Soon" light also? "Service
Engine Soon" light came first and then Airbag light latter intermittant and
goes away by istself.

Two other questions:

1) Is it dangerous to drive like this? Will Airbag go off for no reason?
Would airbag work when it is needed?

2) If it is not covered by recall, is it difficult/expensive to fix?

Thank you,

 

There is a recall for the clockspring on this.
Larry

 

Are you really this stupid? What do you think? Could it be dangerous? what
i'll wave my majic wand to see ifd it is a dangerous condition? Oops sorry,
it did not tell me if it is a dangerous condition. It is just a silly light
in the dash that means nothing! Oh, Don't worry it is a warning light
telling you there is a problem with the airbag, but your certainly entitled
to just wonder if it is serious or not. Get it ^%$@ing scanned so a proper
diagnosis can be made!

Duh, that would depend on the problem wouldn't it.

Let me guess, you also think oil changes and regular maintenance are silly
also!

 

There is a recall for the clock spring wich keeps the wired connection for
the airbag,the horn and any other controls in the steering wheel ie;stereo
controls,cruise control.
is there anyhting else that is not working?

 

Tnkev,jdoe,

Thanks very much. Other things seems to be working. I have tried cruise,
radio, indicator, wiper, horn.

where is this clockspring. Can it be checked easily?

David, thanks and take it easy I got your point.

 

never mind David,I see people everyday with thier airbag light on and that
is the first thing they say,"is my airbag going to blow up in my face?"the
answer is no,the light indicates the air bag is turned off due to a possible
issue.
I would say with the horn and cruise working it does not fall under the
recall.
some parts places will hook up a scan tool to your vehicle for free and
let you know some *possible*causes for your check engine light and air bag
light,if you don't want to go to the dealer and get a proper diagnosis take
it to one of these places get the codes and repost the findings,there a few
intelligent technicians in here that can help.

 

Not true...... if the air bag lite is on, it does not mean that the system
is turned off, it means that there is a problem and the air bag could
prematurely go off or not go off in the event of a frontal accident. If the
clock spring squib was broken it would cause the air bag to not be deployed.

There are a series of wires in the squib, some can break causing the air bag
lite to be on while the others in the squib could be intact allowing the
radio/cruise and horn to still work
Have the system checked for codes, my bet.....the clock spring is bad.

The recall on that vehicle is lifetime, take it to the dealer and tell them
your lite is/was on, they will have to check for codes at no charge to you,
however, if they find a part that is not covered you will have to pay for
the repair....dont wait untill you get into an accident to determine that
yes it was a clockspring that caused your air bag to not go off

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Thanks very much.

I have the code checked and is not related to Airbag. It is for gas fumes
and it might be overflow when filling gas. The code was reset and the
Airbag light is still on.

I'm glad to hear that it is still under warranty.

 

These are 2 different modules, you had the codes read for the engine
controller not the air bag module. You cant pull an air bag code from the
engine controller. take it back and tell them that you want to know what
fault code is in the air bag control module....better yet, find another
dealer and have them check for you

 

Thanks Maxpower.

I did not go dealer yet. I have autozone near my house. He read it for me.

Do you need a different scanner to read Airbag codes? Where is interface to
read Airbag code is located?

Thank you,

 

I'm not sure I'd trust Autozone. My 96 Voyager has the check engine
light lit. The MIL flashes out a code (72 as I recall) which isn't in
my FSM (the table stopped one less for some reason). Someone here said
it was related to the catalytic converter and I also found the same
searching the net. I stopped by Autozone yesterday to have them check
since it is free and they said it was the TPS! That seems unlikely for
a few reasons. First, I just had the TPS replaced 6 months ago when I
had a fuel pump problem (it wasn't the TPS after all). Second , the car
runs just fine which usually isn't the case with a bad TPS. Third,
there is a code for a TPS problem in my FSM, so if it really was the
TPS, why would the computer output a code that isn't even in my manual?

Yes, I realize that the computer itself may be defective and flashing
the wrong code, but that seems unlikely and if it were the case, why
could the MIL light not flash the same erroneous code as is provided to
the scan tool?


Matt

 

the codes you get from them are only good for reference the auto parts
stores want to sell parts,they probably sell a truck load of 02 sensors and
EGR valves and such that don't fix the problem.in your case they probably
told you the first code that came up and it was probably an old code from
the previous problem with the TPS.I would say he wanted to sell you a TPS.

 

I have no idea what kind of scanner they use, Take it to the dealer!!!

 

call a local dealer and give them your vin number
they can check and see if the clockspring recall applies to your vehicle
a check engine lite could be costing you more money in gas than you need to
spend get is checked out you can clcye the key 3 times and get a code from
counting the flashes of the check engine lite

 

Remember Mic, there are 2 parts to that recall, one would be checking for
fault codes the other would be replacing the clock spring if the lite is on
or under a certain mileage, if this vehicle had the fault code checked at
one time and the dealer got paid for it, according to Chryslers records it
would be considered a completed recall and not outstanding, The recall is
the life of the vehicle...... Therefore, the OP should simply take it in to
have the codes checked, If he calls the vin in, They may just blow him off
telling him his recall was done

 

funny thing in this state with the laws we have i always seem to find a squib
circut open dtc i'm not taking a chance with anyones life

 

"you can clcye the key 3 times and get a code from
counting the flashes of the check engine lite"

How does this work? I read about this a while ago and tried it and was not
helpful. Please explain again how should I count.


Re: Code check at Autozone, I was there and saw it myself. The scanner is
the one the sell as well. I saw the code that was displayed and the
description. So, in my case there was not anything fishy about this.

Thanks,

 

Some people just dont get it do they!!!! Nothing fishy going on. thats
funny.... they have no idea what they are checking for and you just dont
get it either.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

I went to auto zone and they checked my codes and told me I needed an 02
sensor,i bought one and put it in and my car still is having problems and
check engine light is still on.
<sarcasm/>
bet you have never heard that story have you Glenn?
nothing fishy at all.
<sarcasm\>

 

LOL and the air bag lite is still on!!!