I was driving down the street yesterday and my horn made a short beep all on its own. I read another thread from a couple of years ago about the horn pad shorting - but nothing lately. My 04.5 has about 38.5k miles on it. Should I wait and see if it happens again or look into having the horn pad replaced before it starts honking and won't stop? Anyone know about what that would cost? I doubt if this is covered under the power train or Cummins warranty . . . Or is this possibly a DIY project?

 

I know it aint cheap if it is the horn pad. horn pad = Air bag! I remember doing them when I was writing service at a jeep/chrysler dealer and not a fun thing to tell a customer.

 

That doesn't sound good . . . anyone else have first-hand experience with this? Particularly those who have had to repair it on their own dimes?

 

I believe the horn pads are now available separately. I'll check for part numbers and prices.

 

3 COVER, Air Bag Module
YT70 WL8AA 1 Dark Taupe List Price: 54.20 USD
YT70 XDVAA 1 Dark Slate Gray List Price: 39.60 USD

 

Wow!! That's awesome. Thanks for checking. Is this a difficult task to replace? I'd be a little nervous messing around so close to the airbag.

 

STANDARD PROCEDURE - HANDLING NON-DEPLOYED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINTS
At no time should any source of electricity be permitted near the inflator on the back of a non-deployed airbag or seat belt tensioner. When carrying a non-deployed airbag, the trim cover or airbag cushion side of the unit should be pointed away from the body to minimize injury in the event of an accidental deployment. If the airbag unit is placed on a bench or any other surface, the trim cover or airbag cushion side of the unit should be face up to minimize movement in the event of an accidental deployment. When handling a non-deployed seat belt tensioner, take proper care to keep fingers out from under the retractor cover and away from the seat belt webbing where it exits from the retractor cover. In addition, the supplemental restraint system should be disarmed whenever any steering wheel, steering column, seat belt tensioner, airbag, impact sensor, or instrument panel components require diagnosis or service. Failure to observe this warning could result in accidental airbag deployment and possible personal injury.

All damaged, faulty or non-deployed airbags and seat belt tensioners which are replaced on vehicles are to be handled and disposed of properly. If an airbag or seat belt tensioner unit is faulty or damaged and non-deployed, refer to the Hazardous Substance Control System for proper disposal. Dispose of all non-deployed and deployed airbags and seat belt tensioners in a manner consistent with state, provincial, local and federal regulations.

SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT STORAGE
Airbags and seat belt tensioners must be stored in their original, special container until they are used for service. Also, they must be stored in a clean, dry environment; away from sources of extreme heat, sparks, and high electrical energy. Always place or store any airbag on a surface with its trim cover or airbag cushion side facing up, to minimize movement in case of an accidental deployment.



DISASSEMBLY
The following procedures can be used to replace the driver airbag trim cover and horn switch unit for service. If the driver airbag is faulty or deployed, the entire driver airbag, trim cover and horn switch must be replaced as a unit.

WARNING: TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AIRBAGS, DISABLE THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY STEERING WHEEL, STEERING COLUMN, AIRBAG, SEAT BELT TENSIONER, IMPACT SENSOR, OR INSTRUMENT PANEL COMPONENT DIAGNOSIS OR SERVICE. DISCONNECT AND ISOLATE THE BATTERY NEGATIVE (GROUND) CABLE, THEN WAIT TWO MINUTES FOR THE SYSTEM CAPACITOR TO DISCHARGE BEFORE PERFORMING FURTHER DIAGNOSIS OR SERVICE. THIS IS THE ONLY SURE WAY TO DISABLE THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM. FAILURE TO TAKE THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS COULD RESULT IN ACCIDENTAL AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT.

WARNING: TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, SERVICE OF THIS UNIT SHOULD BE PERFORMED ONLY BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER-TRAINED AND AUTHORIZED DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIANS. FAILURE TO TAKE THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS OR TO FOLLOW THE PROPER PROCEDURES COULD RESULT IN ACCIDENTAL, INCOMPLETE, OR IMPROPER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT AND POSSIBLE OCCUPANT INJURIES.

WARNING: TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, USE EXTREME CARE TO PREVENT ANY FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM ENTERING THE DRIVER AIRBAG, OR BECOMING ENTRAPPED BETWEEN THE DRIVER AIRBAG CUSHION AND THE DRIVER AIRBAG TRIM COVER. FAILURE TO OBSERVE THIS WARNING COULD RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURIES UPON AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT.

WARNING: TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, THE DRIVER AIRBAG TRIM COVER MUST NEVER BE PAINTED. REPLACEMENT TRIM COVERS ARE SERVICED IN THE ORIGINAL COLORS. PAINT MAY CHANGE THE WAY IN WHICH THE MATERIAL OF THE TRIM COVER RESPONDS TO AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. FAILURE TO OBSERVE THIS WARNING COULD RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURIES UPON AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT.

Disconnect and isolate the battery negative cable. Wait two minutes for the system capacitor to discharge before further service.
Remove the driver airbag from the steering wheel (Refer to 8 - ELECTRICAL/RESTRAINTS/DRIVER AIRBAG - REMOVAL).
Place the driver airbag on a suitable clean and dry work surface with the trim cover facing down. If the trim cover will be reused, be certain to take the proper precautions to prevent the trim cover from receiving cosmetic damage during the following procedures.
Carefully pry the horn switch feed pigtail wire connector away from the back of the driver airbag housing far enough to disengage the integral connector retainer from the locator hole just above the upper right inflator mounting stud (Driver Airbag Disassembly).
Remove the nut that secures the horn switch ground pigtail wire eyelet terminal to the upper right inflator stud on the back of the driver airbag housing.
Remove the horn switch ground pigtail wire eyelet terminal from the upper right inflator stud on the back of the driver airbag housing.
Disengage each of the twelve hooks of the airbag housing from the twelve windows in the vertical walls of the trim cover, one wall at a time. Start by disengaging the upper wall, then do each of the two side walls, and finish with the lower wall. To disengage the hooks, use hand pressure to push firmly and evenly downward into the receptacle on the adjacent edge of the airbag housing, while at the same time pushing outward on the upper edge of the receptacle wall.
With all of the hooks disengaged, lift the housing, inflator, and cushion as a unit from the receptacle on the back of the driver airbag trim cover.




1 - HORN SWITCH FEED CONNECTOR2 - HORN SWITCH GROUND EYELET TERMINAL3 - HOUSING4 - TRIM COVER5 - HOOK (4 LOWER EDGE, 4 UPPER EDGE)6 - HOOK (2 ON EACH SIDE)

 

that is a nice write up, I use to assemble these modules. i remember having a lot problems with the horn switches when the first went to the pressure pads. they were a pain in the *** to work with. You could try tapping the horn pad with a small hammer to see if this will set it off. do this while it is mounted in the vehicle. I know this has been a problem for a long time with these pads. you could check to see if the ground wire is not pinched also.

 

Nice writeup, indeed!!!!

1) I'm gonna wait and see if it does it again.

2) With those 4 warnings, either the dealer or a trusted mechanic with related experience is going to do this.

 

it is not complicated at all, but I have built them for five years, I would not worry to much about it going off. The warnings have to be be for liability sakes.
the only way the air bag will go off is if some how you put an elec charge in the initiator pins on the inflater. If you ever seen how they assemble them then you would not be to scared about handling them. cover the pins with some black tape if it bothers you that much.

 

vzdude is THE man with the manual ... kudos man!
I was just talking to couple guys on the jobsite about Dodges reverse honk stupidity and a conversation about horns going off for no reason started ... I've nerver had the problem ... but apparently their horn was going off on its own due to the radio ... something to do with the radio causing the horn to go off for no reason, I can't remember exactly. Heard of this before?