[5th Gen : 08+]: 2010 Dodge Caravan SE passenger side actuator replacement
#1
03-07-2019, 04:51 PM
Join Date: Mar 2019
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2010 Dodge Caravan SE passenger side actuator replacement
Good afternoon,
Two days ago I picked up a 2010 Dodge Caravan SE from local dealer here in town. 70000km's on it, and good price. Van was running when I showed up to take it for a test drive. I did not adjust temp, and did not notice actuator issues on purchase. Anyway, took it home, and when I was walking inside, I could hear passenger side knocking.
While the van was off, there was knocking on passenger side. Sounds like an actuator. So I open the dash, and you may or may not be surprised... but there is an actuator in plastic under the owners manual. Apparently "someone" knew about the issue.
I'm not going to make an issue out of it, I believe it's a simple fix, but I won't be purchasing another vehicle from this dealer in the future just given the ethics of this situation.
So here is my question:
When replacing the actuator on the passenger side, is removing the black wire off of the battery sufficient to disengage the airbags? I want to do this safely, and I'm not a mechanic. Is there anything else I should know about the repair?
Thank you
Two days ago I picked up a 2010 Dodge Caravan SE from local dealer here in town. 70000km's on it, and good price. Van was running when I showed up to take it for a test drive. I did not adjust temp, and did not notice actuator issues on purchase. Anyway, took it home, and when I was walking inside, I could hear passenger side knocking.
While the van was off, there was knocking on passenger side. Sounds like an actuator. So I open the dash, and you may or may not be surprised... but there is an actuator in plastic under the owners manual. Apparently "someone" knew about the issue.
I'm not going to make an issue out of it, I believe it's a simple fix, but I won't be purchasing another vehicle from this dealer in the future just given the ethics of this situation.
So here is my question:
When replacing the actuator on the passenger side, is removing the black wire off of the battery sufficient to disengage the airbags? I want to do this safely, and I'm not a mechanic. Is there anything else I should know about the repair?
Thank you
#2
03-09-2019, 01:03 PM
Are you sure you need to remove the dash panel/air bag to replace the actuator? In most cases, they are accessible by just removing the glove box. It can be a tight fit, but possible.
Either way, Dodge's service manual states that to disable the air bags, you need to unhook the negative (black) battery cable and allow 2 minutes for the capacitors in the air bag module to discharge before any type of service is done to the air bag system.
Either way, Dodge's service manual states that to disable the air bags, you need to unhook the negative (black) battery cable and allow 2 minutes for the capacitors in the air bag module to discharge before any type of service is done to the air bag system.
