installed safety equipment on this model. Available
occupant restraints for this model include both active
and passive types. Active restraints are those which
require the vehicle occupants to take some action to
employ, such as fastening a seat belt; while passive

restraints require no action by the vehicle occupants
to be employed (Fig. 1).

ACTIVE RESTRAINTS

The active restraints for this model include:
• Front Seat Belts - Both front seating positions

are equipped with three-point seat belt systems
employing a lower sport bar mounted inertia latch-
type retractor, height-adjustable upper sport bar
mounted turning loops, a fixed lower seat belt anchor
secured with the retractor to the lower end of the

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8O - 1

sport bar, and a traveling end-release seat belt
buckle secured to the inboard side of each front seat
track. The front seat belt buckle for the driver side of
all models includes an integral seat belt switch that
electrically detects whether the driver seat belt has
been fastened.

• Rear Seat Belts - On models equipped with a

rear seat, both rear seating positions are equipped
with three-point seat belt systems. The rear seating
position belts employ a lower sport bar mounted iner-
tia

latch-type

retractor,

fixed

upper

sport

bar

mounted turning loops, a fixed lower seat belt anchor
secured to the inner rear wheelhouse panel, and a
fixed end-release seat belt buckle secured to the rear
floor panel.

• Child Restraint Anchors - All vehicles without

a rear seat are equipped with a single, fixed-position,
child seat upper tether anchor and two fixed lower
anchors for the front passenger seat. The upper
anchor is integral to the seat riser bracket and is
accessed from behind the front seat. The two lower
anchors are also integral to the seat riser bracket,

Fig. 1 Supplemental Restraint System

1 - AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE
2 - PASSENGER AIRBAG ON/OFF SWITCH (W/O REAR SEAT
ONLY)

3 - PASSENGER AIRBAG
4 - DRIVER AIRBAG

8O - 2

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but are accessed from the front of the seat where the
seat back meets the seat cushion. Vehicles equipped
with a rear seat have two fixed-position, child seat
upper tether anchors on the rear floor panel behind
the rear seat just forward of the tailgate opening,
and four lower anchors that are integral to the rear
seat back. The inboard rear seat lower anchors are
accessed from the front of the seat where the seat
back meets the seat cushion. The outboard rear seat
lower anchors are accessed between the seat hinge
bracket on each outboard end of the rear seat, just
above the seat back pivot. The child seat tether and
lower anchors for the front passenger seat are
deleted on models equipped with a rear seat.

PASSIVE RESTRAINTS

The passive restraints available for this model

include Next Generation driver and front passenger
airbags. This 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 instru-
ment panel above the glove box (Fig. 2). Vehicles
with the airbag system can also be identified by the
airbag indicator, which will illuminate in the instru-
ment cluster for about seven seconds as a bulb test
each time the ignition switch is turned to the On
position.

The supplemental restraint system includes 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 transmission tunnel, below the center of the
instrument panel.

• Airbag Indicator - The airbag indicator is inte-

gral 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 molded plastic structural unit secured to the
back side of and integral to the instrument panel
steering column opening cover.

• Passenger Airbag - The passenger airbag is

located on the instrument panel, beneath the passen-
ger airbag door on the instrument panel above the
glove box on the passenger side of the vehicle.

• Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch - Models

without a rear seat are equipped with a passenger
airbag on/off switch, which is located in a dedicated
opening on the passenger side of the accessory switch
bezel in the lower center stack area of the instru-
ment panel.

• Passenger Knee Blocker - The passenger knee

blocker is a structural reinforcement that is integral
to and concealed within the glove box door.

The ACM and the EMIC each contain a central

processing unit and programming that allow them to
communicate with each other using the Programma-
ble Communication Interface (PCI) data bus network.
This method of communication is used by the ACM
for control of the airbag indicator on all models
equipped with dual front airbags. (Refer to 8 - ELEC-
TRICAL/ELECTRONIC

CONTROL

MODULES/

COMMUNICATION - DESCRIPTION).

Hard wired circuitry connects the supplemental

restraint 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 con-
nected to each other, to the vehicle electrical system,
and to the supplemental restraint system compo-
nents through the use of a combination of soldered
splices, splice block connectors, and many different
types of wire harness terminal connectors and insu-
lators. Refer to the appropriate wiring information.
The wiring information includes wiring diagrams,
proper wire and connector repair procedures, further
details on wire harness routing and retention, as well
as pin-out and location views for the various wire
harness connectors, splices and grounds.

Fig. 2 SRS Logo

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OPERATION

ACTIVE RESTRAINTS

The primary passenger restraints in this or any

other vehicle are the standard equipment factory-in-
stalled seat belts and child restraint anchors. Seat
belts and child restraint anchors 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. 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 active restraints.

PASSIVE RESTRAINTS

The passive restraints are referred to as a supple-

mental restraint system because they were designed
and are intended to enhance the protection for the
occupants of the vehicle only when used in conjunc-
tion with the seat belts. They are referred to as pas-
sive restraints because the vehicle occupants are not
required to do anything to make them operate; how-
ever, the vehicle occupants must be wearing their
seat belts in order to obtain the maximum safety
benefit

from

the

factory-installed

supplemental

restraint system.

The supplemental restraint system electrical cir-

cuits 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)
illuminates 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 supplemental restraint system. If
the airbag indicator comes on at any time other than
during the bulb test, it indicates that there is a prob-
lem in the supplemental restraint system electrical
circuits. Such a problem may cause airbags not to
deploy

when

required,

deploy

when

not

required.

Deployment

the

supplemental

restraints

depends upon the angle and severity of an impact.
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
impact sensors. When an impact is severe enough,
the microprocessor in the ACM signals the inflator of
the appropriate airbag units to deploy their airbag
cushions. 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.

Typically, the vehicle occupants recall more about

the events preceding and following a collision than
they do of an airbag deployment itself. This is
because the airbag deployment and deflation occur
very rapidly. In a typical 48 kilometer-per-hour (30
mile-per-hour) barrier impact, from the moment of
impact until the airbags are fully inflated takes
about 40 milliseconds. Within one to two seconds
from the moment of impact, the 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

supplemental restraint system circuits or compo-
nents, it stores a fault code or Diagnostic Trouble
Code (DTC) in its memory circuit and sends an elec-
tronic message to the EMIC to turn on the airbag
indicator.

Proper

testing

the

supplemental

restraint system components, the Programmable
Communication Interface (PCI) data bus, the elec-
tronic message inputs to and outputs from the EMIC
or the ACM, as well as the retrieval or erasure of a
DTC from the ACM or EMIC requires the use of a
DRBIII

t scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnos-

tic 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 passive restraints.

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Content .. 317 318 319 320 ..