| Goal |
Remove the driver-side airbag from the center of the steering wheel.
|
IMPORTANT:
Step 1 |
Wait two minutes. Make a cup of tea. Read the paper. Watch an old episode
of the Simpsons. Surf the web. Read the rest of these instructions. Take
your pick. Just spend at least 2 minutes doing it. This ensures that any
charge in airbag unit is dissipated. |
| Step 2 |
| Remove the two small round plastic covers, one on each side of the
steering column. Use a small screwdriver in the tiny slot to gently
pry them out. |
|
|
| Step 3 |
Back out the two screws behind the covers you just removed, one on each
side. You'll need a Torx-30 driver or bit. You have to back them out until
the airbag will lift off easily.
Don't worry if the screws fall inside in the steering wheel, you'll easily
get them out later.
|
|
Note: These screws are mounted in plastic retainer brackets that
you can't see until you take the airbag off. (See photos in step 7.)
When they are fully unscrewed, they will click against the brackets
on each turn. At this point you might have to put some sideways pressure
on the screwdriver to help pull the screws back to clear the airbag
mounts, possibly removing the screws entirely. |
|
| Step 4 |
| Carefully, lift the airbag assembly up. It should be free of the
screws and lift up easily. It is still wired, so you'll only be able
to lift it up about 6 inches. |
|
|
| Step 5 |
| Disconnect the plug on the end of the yellow wire from back of the
airbag assembly. There is a little white tab, slide it away from the
plug to release it. |
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|
| Step 6 |
| Put the airbag down, Toyota logo face up, someplace safe, such as
the back seat. As a safety precaution, if the airbag accidentally
deployed, you want the soft balloon to inflate towards you, not the
hard metal back plate. |
|
|
| Step 7 |
| Note how the screws you turned in step 3 fit into the nylon holding
brackets (see image). You'll need to put them back here during reassembly.
Remove the screws entirely and put them in the plastic parts container
that you blew off getting in step 3 of the previous page. |
|
|
| Done |
Airbag is now removed. |
