2006 DODGE DAKOTA airbag disable

The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the airbags, the pretension-
ers are single use items. After a collision that is severe
enough to deploy the airbags and pretensioners, both
must be replaced.
Enhanced Driver Seat Belt Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the driver’s seat belt has not been buckled within 60
seconds of starting the vehicle and if the vehicle speed is
greater than 5 mph (8 km/h), the Enhanced Warning
System (BeltAlert) will alert the driver to buckle their seat
belt. The driver should also instruct all other occupants to
buckle their seat belts. Once the warning is triggered, the
Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will continue to
chime and flash the Seat Belt Warning Light for 96
seconds or until the driver’s seat belt is buckled. The
Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) will be reactivated if the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled for more than 10
seconds and the vehicle speed is greater than 5 mph (8
km/h).
The Enhanced Warning System (BeltAlert) can be en-
abled or disabled by your authorized dealer or by
following these steps:
NOTE:
The following steps must occur within the first
60 seconds of the ignition switch being turned to the ON
or START position. DaimlerChrysler does not recom-
mend deactivating the Enhanced Warning System
(BeltAlert).
1. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position and
buckle the driver’s seat belt.
2. Start the engine and wait for the Seat Belt Warning
Light to turn off.
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

2. All occupants should use their lap and shoulder belts
properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the airbag room to inflate.
4. If your vehicle has window bags, do not lean against
the door or window, airbags will inflate forcefully into
the space between you and the door.
5. If the airbag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact the
Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided in the If
You Need Customer Assistance section later in this
owner’s manual.WARNING!
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you
have airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during airbag deployment could cause
serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate. Sit
back, comfortably extending your arms to reach
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
•If the vehicle has window bags, they also need
room to inflate. Do not lean against the door or
window. Sit upright in the center of the seat.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43
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Air Bag System Components
The airbag system consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller
•Side Remote Acceleration Sensors (If Equipped)
•Airbag Warning Light
•Driver Airbag
•Passenger Airbag
•Window Bags above Side Windows (If Equipped)
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Interconnecting Wiring
•Knee Impact Bolsters
•Front Acceleration Sensors
•Driver and Front Passenger Seat Belt Pretensioners
•Occupant Classification System (OCS) for the Front
Passenger Seat
Occupant Classification Module
Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light
Weight Sensors
How the Airbag System Works
•
The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) determines
if a frontal collision is severe enough to require the
airbags to inflate. The front airbag inflators are de-
signed to provide different rates of airbag inflation
from direction provided by the ORC. The ORC may
also modify the rate of inflation based on the occupant
size provided by the Occupant Classification Module.
The ORC will not detect roll over.
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

The ORC also monitors the readiness of the electronic
parts of the system whenever the ignition switch is in
the START or RUN positions. These include all of the
items listed above except the steering wheel and
column, and knee bolsters. If the key is in the OFF
position, in the ACC position, or not in the ignition,
the airbags are not on and will not inflate.
During a moderate-to-severe rear impact the ORC may
deploy the seat belt pretensioners alone. Also, the ORC turns on the AIRBAG warning
light and PAD indicator light in the instrument
panel for 6 to 8 seconds for a self-check when
the ignition is first turned on. After the self-
check, the AIRBAG warning light will turn off. The PAD
indicator light will function normally (Refer to Passen-
ger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light in this section).
If the ORC detects a malfunction in any part of the
system, it turns on the AIRBAG warning light either momentarily or continuously. A single chime will sound
if the light comes on again after initial start up.
WARNING!
Ignoring the AIRBAG warning light in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the airbags
to protect you in a collision. If the light does not
come on, stays on after you start the vehicle, or if it
comes on as you drive, have the airbag system
checked right away.
•The
Occupant Classification System (OCS) is part of
a Federally regulated safety system required for this
vehicle. It is designed to turn off the front passenger
airbag in the unlikely event that a rear-facing infant
seat is in the front passenger seat.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45
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NOTE:Children 12 years and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat in an appropriate child restraint.
•The Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light
(an amber light located in the center of the instrument
panel) tells the driver and front passenger when the
front passenger airbag is turned off. If the passenger frontal air bag is automatically turned
off by the OCS, or by using the manual on/off switch
(on vehicles so equipped), the PAD Indicator lamp
iluminates the passenger frontal airbag symbol and
the word
OFFto show that the passenger airbag will
not inflate during a collision requiring airbags.
When the right front passenger seat is empty or when
very light objects are placed on the seat, the passenger air
bag will not inflate even though the Passenger Airbag
Disable (PAD) indicator lamp is not illuminated.
The PAD indictor light should not be illuminated when
teenagers, most children in a forward facing child re-
straint or booster seats, most children that can properly
wear the vehicle’s seat belt, and when an adult passenger
is properly seated in the front passenger seat. In this case,
the air bag is ready to be inflated if a collision requiring
an airbag occurs.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

For almost all properly installed rear facing child re-
straints, the PAD indicator light will be illuminated
indicating that the front passenger airbag is turned off
and will not inflate. If the PAD indicator light is not
illuminated, DO NOT assume the air bag is turned off
and move the child restraint to the second row of seats (if
equipped). A deploying passenger air bag can cause
death or serious injury to a child in a rear facing infant
seat. For vehicles with a manual on/off switch, the
passenger frontal airbag can be manually turned off. See
section on how to use the switch later in this section.
NOTE: Even though this vehicle is equipped with an
occupant classification system, children 12 years and
under should always ride buckled up in a rear seat (if
equipped) in an appropriate child restraint (see section
on child restraints).
Front Passenger Seat Occupant Passenger
Airbag Disable
(PAD) Indicator Light Airbag Status
Adult OFF ON
Grocery Bags,
Heavy Briefcases and Other Rela-
tively Light Ob- jects ON OFF
Empty or Very Light Objects OFF* OFF
* Since the system senses weight, some small objects will turn the PAD Indicator Light on.
The OCS classifies an occupant using weight sensors
mounted in the base of the front passenger seat. Objects
hanging on the seat or other passengers pushing down
on the seat will also be sensed. The weight of an adult
will cause the system to turn the airbag on. In this case,
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
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Indicator Light and the Airbag Warning Light. Once the
lodged object is removed, the fault will be automatically
cleared after a short period of time.
•The Driver and Passenger Airbag/Inflator Units are
located in the center of the steering wheel and the right
side of the instrument panel. When the ORC detects a
collision requiring the airbags, it signals the inflator
units. A large quantity of nontoxic gas is generated to
inflate the front airbags. Different airbag inflation rates
may be possible based on collision severity and occu-
pant size. The steering wheel hub trim cover and the
upper right side of the instrument panel separate and
fold out of the way as the bags inflate to their full size.
The bags fully inflate in about 50 - 70 milliseconds.
This is about half of the time it takes to blink your eyes.
The bags then quickly deflate while helping to restrain
the driver and front passenger. The driver’s front
airbag gas is vented through vent holes in the sides of
the airbag. The passenger’s front airbag gas is vented through vent holes in the sides of the airbag. In this
way the airbags do not interfere with your control of
the vehicle.•The
Occupant Classification Module (OCM) is lo-
cated beneath the front passenger seat. The OCM
classifies the occupant into categories based on the
measurements made by the seat weight sensors. The
OCM communicates with the Occupant Restraint Con-
troller (ORC). The ORC uses the occupant category to
determine whether the front passenger airbag should
be turned off. It also determines the rate of airbag
inflation during a collision.
•The Passenger Airbag Disabled (PAD) Indicator
Light indicates to the driver and passenger when the
airbag is turned OFF. In the presence of a properly
seated occupant, when the PAD indicator light is
illuminated, the airbag is OFF. Also, when the Occu-
pant Classification System detects either an empty seat
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
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•The light flickers or comes on and remains on while
driving.
NOTE: If the speedometer, tachometer or any engine
related gauges are not working, the airbag control mod-
ule may also be disabled. The airbags may not be ready
to inflate for your protection. Promptly check fuse block
for blown fuses. Refer to the label located on the inside of
the fuse block cover for the proper airbag fuses. See your
dealer if the fuse is good.
Passenger Airbag On/Off Switch – If Equipped
The passenger front airbag is to be turned off only if the
passenger:
•is an infant (less than 1 year old) who must ride in the
front seat because there is no rear seat, because the rear
seat is too small for a rear-facing infant restraint or
because the infant has a medical condition which
makes it necessary for the driver to be able to see the
infant,
•is a child, age 1 to 12 who must ride in the front seat
because there is no rear seat, because there is no rear
seat position available, or because the child has a
medical condition which makes it necessary for the
driver to be able to see the child,
•has a medical condition which makes passenger airbag
inflation (deployment) a greater risk for the passenger
than the risk of hitting the dashboard (instrument
panel) or windshield in a crash.
WARNING!
Whenever an airbag is turned off, even a lap/
shoulder belted passenger may hit their head, neck,
or chest on the dashboard (instrument panel) or
windshield in a crash. This may result in serious
injury or death.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE