Side - Front Door
To avoid serious or fatal injury on vehicles equipped with airbags, disable the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) 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 SRS. Failure to take the proper precautions could result in accidental airbag deployment.
To avoid serious or fatal injury, never strike or drop the side impact sensor, as it can damage the impact sensor or affect its calibration. The side impact sensor enables the system to deploy the side Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) components. If an impact sensor is accidentally dropped during service, the sensor must be scrapped and replaced with a new unit. Failure to observe this warning could result in accidental, incomplete, or improper side SRS component deployment.
- Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable. Wait two minutes for the system capacitor to discharge before further service.
- Remove the trim panel from the inside of the front door. Refer to PANEL, DOOR TRIM, REMOVAL .
- Carefully peel the watershield away from the door inner panel far enough to access the impact sensor.NOTE:
DO NOT DAMAGE THE WATER SHIELD. If the watershield is damaged or torn it must be replaced. The watershield helps to protect the sensor and is also part of how the pressure sensor reads the pressure in a side impact.
- Disconnect the pressure sensor wire harness connector (1) from the sensor connector receptacle.
- Use a center punch to knock out the stem of the rivet (1). Using a drill and the recommended (4.76mm or 3/16in) drill bit to carefully remove the two blind rivets (1) that secure the impact sensor to the door inner panel.NOTE:
If drilling out the rivet does not work, you will need to use a die grinder and grind off the head of the rivet.
- Remove the sensor from the door.