Description & Operation: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2002 Jeep Liberty. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

WARNING: Accidental air bag deployment is possible. Personal injury may result. Read and follow all WARNINGS and AIR BAG SAFETY PRECAUTIONS before working on air bag system or related components.

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system, is designed to deploy air bags in a frontal or lateral (side) impact of moderate to severe force. SRS consists of an AIR BAG warning light, dual-stage driver-side air bag module, dual-stage passenger-side air bag module, right- and left-side curtain (head impact) air bag modules and Side Impact Air Bag Control Modules (SIACMs), driver-side seat belt pretensioner, clockspring and Air Bag Control Module (ACM). See COMPONENT LOCATIONS .

SRS uses ACM to determine direction and severity of front impact, deploy front air bags and driver-side seat belt pretensioner, and monitor system readiness. ACM is equipped with integral impact and safing sensors. When impact and safing sensors registers sufficient deceleration force during a front-end collision, ACM deploys front air bags and seat belt pretensioner.

SRS uses SIACMs to determine direction and severity of lateral (side) impact, deploy curtain air bags, and monitor system readiness. When impact sensor registers sufficient lateral deceleration force during a side collision, SIACM(s) deploy appropriate curtain air bags.

ACM and SIACMs use on-board diagnostics and can communicate with other vehicle electronic control modules, as well as with the DRBIII scan tool, using Programmable Communications Interface (PCI) data bus network. ACM and SIACMs continuously monitor all air bag and pretensioner electrical circuits to determine system readiness. If ACM or SIACMs detect an air bag system malfunction, Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) will set and stored in memory, and AIR BAG warning light will be illuminated. Active DTCs remain in memory only for the current ignition switch cycle; stored DTCs are stored in memory until a predetermined number of ignition switch cycles have occurred.