Passenger Air Bag: Description

Courtesy of CHRYSLER GROUP, LLC

The horizontal surface of the instrument panel cover above the glove box is the most visible part of the Passenger AirBag (PAB). The PAB door is integral to the instrument panel cover forward of and above the glove box on the instrument panel in front of the front seat passenger seating position.

Located below the PAB door area of the instrument panel cover, the molded thermoplastic PAB retainer or chute is secured to the underside of the cover. The chute defines the airbag door breakout area of the cover and serves as the receptacle for the PAB cushion and housing. Numerous small window openings on the forward and rearward flanges of the receptacle receive mating hook formations stamped into the airbag housing, which locate and secure the housing to the cover. The PAB also includes a lower mounting bracket that is secured by two screws to the instrument panel structural support.

The PAB unit used in this vehicle is a multistage type that complies with revised federal airbag standards to deploy with less force than those used in some prior vehicles. The PAB unit consists of a stamped metal housing, the airbag cushion, the airbag inflator, and an electrically initiated airbag vent. The airbag inflator is secured to the housing by four nuts. The airbag housing contains the folded airbag cushion.

The airbag inflator is a non-azide, pyrotechnic-type unit that is secured to and sealed within the airbag housing. Three dedicated take outs and yellow connectors of the PAB jumper wire harness with keyed, color-coded insulators connects the three inflator initiators to the vehicle electrical system through the instrument panel wire harness.

The PAB cannot be repaired, and must be replaced if deployed, ineffective or in any way damaged. The PAB door and retainer are serviced only as a unit with the instrument panel cover. If the PAB is deployed, the PAB mounting bracket and the instrument panel must also be replaced.