Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Drivers airbag removal

Drove my wifes 98.5 SVT the other day and noticed that the air bag was LOOSE in the steering wheel. With a mirror & flashlight, I checked all 4 holes on the back side, which on any other vehicle I've ever worked on would have screws inside BUT to my surprise, NO SCREWS! One side of the air bag is so loose that it can be pulled out from the wheel about 3/4" while the other side is loose but still attached. Where do I go from here????

Disconnect your battery then remove the airbag to see if you can find the missing screw. There is only 2 screws that hold the bag in. If you're looking at the back of the wheel you'll see one of the 2 holes on each side is more centered. Those are the ones with the screw. It's a torx head screw (T-25 if I remember correctly). Simply unscrew the remaining screw and the bag will fall right out. YOu want to be sure that that lost screw is not in there. You run the possibility of grounding the horn (causing it to blow)at the very least. You also run the risk of damaging more important wires. With the bag removed you'll see 2 metal tabs which are the horn contacts. Look behind them because the screws tend to get caught between the backside of the horn tabs and sterring wheel hub. If you can't find it I would recommend getting another and secureing the bag correctly. You don't want that airbag to be loose should it go off in an accident. That thing will become rocket!

I find a loose airbag to be common on some of these cars for some reason. If you can't find a replacement screw let me know and I can mail one to you. I have tons of them lying around.

Thanks for the reply. If I have time this afternoon, I'll dig in there to see what's going on. If not, I'll be going out of town until Monday and will have to wait until I return. I'll let you know what I find and if needed, I may take you up on the screw offer...ummm..that didn't sound sound just right, did it????

I just had this problem on my 95. Just tightened them up and all is well....

Bob

Figols, the screws were there and btrautman, you were correct; simply tighten them up and it's good to go. Now, how I managed to miss these 2 holes with the screws in them the first time I looked is beyond me; what I was looking at was the other 4 holes that were on the back side of the steering wheel! The #30 torx did the trick.

Oh, and just for the record, I am secure in my manhood, played football in highschool, joined the military after that, etc...etc... Hee Hee!!!