Inoperative horn after airbag recall

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ronzoe

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cummins 5.9
Recently had my truck, a 2007 Ram 2500 5.9 to the dealer for an airbag recall on the driver's side. Horn worked perfectly before the recall. Shortly after picking up the truck noticed the horn was inoperative when activated from the steering wheel. Also noticed some scuffing on the inside of the steering wheel where the horn activation was. I should also mention that the horn works perfectly when activating the remote key lock.

Returned to the dealer today and was told that the inoperative horn was in no way caused by repair to the air bag recall and the part required to fix the horn would have to be ordered and would cost approximately $500.00 just for the part. I explained that the horn worked perfectly before it was brought in for the airbag recall and stated I believed the two were connected and requested the service supervisor call me. Still waiting on the call.

It should be noted that the day before taking the truck to the dealer I had a vehicle start to pull out in front of me which forced me to use the horn therefore I am positive it worked fine until taken to the dealer.

Has anyone else experienced this problem when getting the airbag recall done? Thanks for your time
 

05daytona

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What I would do if the dealer doesn't want to fix their mistake is escalate it to the district manager and kindly ask him for help. Most of the time they'll help cover at least part of the repair, or I've seen them cover the whole thing. It's all in the approach. Kindness is key here. I guarantee they won't deal with you if you go in half cocked.
 
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ronzoe

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Thanks for the response, still waiting for the call from the service manager, if he doesn't call today I plan to call him and if I don't get satisfaction ask for the district manager's contact numbers.

On the mechanical side, does it make sense for the horn to work when activated by the key button however not by pushing on the steering wheel activation. My though was more that a wire had either been not connected properly or some kind of switch in the steering wheel....Thanks again
 

05daytona

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It sounds to me, without actually looking at it, that they didn't hook up the ground wire in the steering wheel. But that's just an assumption.
 

jwheeler

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What was done with the recall? Do you know the recall number?


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ronzoe

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My problem was with the drivers side and I believe they said it was with the air bag actuator. Still waiting on the service manager to get back to me. If you google Dodge ram air bag recall you will get a website to enter your Vin number which will let you know how to proceed...
 

ytjohnny

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I have the same problem as ronzoe

I have the same problem as ronzoe. I have a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. The dealer is saying that my horn switch/pad is bad and is going to order me a new one and will work with me on the cost. Not sure what that means yet. I called three different dealers just to find out what the cost would be for a new horn switch/pad and they all told me that it cannot be ordered because it is obsolete by the manufacturer. My question is, did the new replacement airbag come with the horn switch/pad or does the mechanic remove the old airbag from my existing horn switch/pad and install the new airbag in it? If the latter is true then isn’t it possible that my existing horn switch/pad was damaged during the switch?
 

Harley Harrold

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I have been on a list for 5 months, still no replacement airbag actuator.
 

PdPuNOme

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only 5 things can cause this from my experience with these trucks when the horn does work with locking etc just not at the steering wheel airbag. 1 is the horn wire was not plugged back into the backside of the airbag. 2 with the recall they messed with wiring on the harness that plugs into the clock spring and moved the horn wire to a different slot. 3 is the cluster is malfunction because the horn signal goes from airbag to cluster then to fcm then to actual horn. 5 is the fcm is malfunctioning as it is the final sending source in the chain as described in #4.

of course bad wiring somewhere could cause this, but taking the lineup I layed out above will aid in tracing and diagnosing.
 

SilverStreak88

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I was sent a letter saying both airbags had to be replaced on my truck. I'm unsure at this point if I'm going to take it in for the recall.
 

SilverStreak88

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1 is the horn wire was not plugged back into the backside of the airbag. 2 with the recall they messed with wiring on the harness that plugs into the clock spring and moved the horn wire to a different slot. 3 is the cluster is malfunction because the horn signal goes from airbag to cluster then to fcm then to actual horn. 5 is the fcm is malfunctioning as it is the final sending source in the chain as described in #4.

I see this as the only plausible issue, they have no reason to change the pin-out of the connector. All the others have no way of happening since those parts are not touched.
 

jadoug32

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same issue anyone have any updates

Just got recall done and told no horn now. Dealer must order part, don't know when it will come in. Does anyone have any updates on this type of issue that happened to them? Is this technician error? Common issue?

Thanks
 

Core-Lokt

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Just got recall done and told no horn now. Dealer must order part, don't know when it will come in. Does anyone have any updates on this type of issue that happened to them? Is this technician error? Common issue?

Thanks
Most likely tech errors. It's possible some parts are so old and brittle that something broke when re-installing everything. I put in steering wheel audio buttons a month before both my airbags were replaced with no horn issues, and that involves pulling the airbag. My horn worked fine after the recall work was done, FWIW.
 

Odin401

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Just had my airbags replaced after recall and they shorted out my horn switch.
The tech showed me where the thin copper, like on a circuit board burnt...
If I had not have honked my horn at the service tech when I brought it in I would be on the hook for the $350cdn horn switch plus install..
If you are going in for your airbag recall...honk your horn at the tech, it might save you $500..
 

Samsung

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Recently had my truck, a 2007 Ram 2500 5.9 to the dealer for an airbag recall on the driver's side. Horn worked perfectly before the recall. Shortly after picking up the truck noticed the horn was inoperative when activated from the steering wheel. Also noticed some scuffing on the inside of the steering wheel where the horn activation was. I should also mention that the horn works perfectly when activating the remote key lock.

Returned to the dealer today and was told that the inoperative horn was in no way caused by repair to the air bag recall and the part required to fix the horn would have to be ordered and would cost approximately $500.00 just for the part. I explained that the horn worked perfectly before it was brought in for the airbag recall and stated I believed the two were connected and requested the service supervisor call me. Still waiting on the call.

It should be noted that the day before taking the truck to the dealer I had a vehicle start to pull out in front of me which forced me to use the horn therefore I am positive it worked fine until taken to the dealer.

Has anyone else experienced this problem when getting the airbag recall done? Thanks for your time
Well I know this is yrs late but I had my airbag finally changed due to a recall last year. I only drive my SRT10 a few hundred miles a yr. But now going to get my Ram safety checked the horn doesn't work. So I just removed the air bag and the green wire from the clockspring has no where to plug into on the airbag/horn. I'm like wtf? I don't know if I can remove airbag side to look for a connector. Guess I'll call the dealer.
 

kevkev

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I had mine redone last year. They replace the inflators. Not the bags. My horn works.Also, before I took it in, I was having SRS codes. It was the control module. I replaced the clockspring and module before taking it in for the recall. So if there were any issues....
 
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pajeepman

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When I drop mine off to get airbag recall done, I plan on taking a video of the horn working when I drop it off.

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TOTALCHAOS69

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I finally took mine in to get the passenger side inflator recall addressed. When I went to pick it up the gal tells me $119.35 for diagnostic fees I have no freakin clue what they “diagnosted”... it was past closing time and I was beyond irritated so I bit my tongue and paid it.
 

RamCares

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I finally took mine in to get the passenger side inflator recall addressed. When I went to pick it up the gal tells me $119.35 for diagnostic fees I have no freakin clue what they “diagnosted”... it was past closing time and I was beyond irritated so I bit my tongue and paid it.
Hi TOTALCHAOS69,
Can you send us a message with your VIN and dealer info? We would like to look into this for you.

Rob
Ram Cares
 
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