Why doesn't my airbag system light come on?

I noticed a while ago that my airbag system light does not illuminate.  I also noticed my horn wasn't working either.   So today was a day of investigation.

I decided to first tackle the horn issue figuring it was the easiest.   I removed the drivers airbag pad on the steering wheel using a T30 torx bit socket and discovered there was no clock spring installed.   That would also explain why my signals do not cancel either.

T30 tore bit screws on each side of steering wheel.

Missing clock spring and connectors.

This is the Spiral Cable Clock Spring I had to replace that missing from behind the steering wheel bar.

After thinking about it, I was even more curious as to why the airbag light was not coming on.  If the drives air bag was disconnected then the light should be on all the time.   The system will not turn off the light until the self check confirms all electrical components are connected and meet the resistance requirements.

After remembering back to 1995 when I was still in the dealership as a tech, I remember that the earlier instrument clusters had tiny bulbs that could be replaced if the various warning lights and indicators did not illuminate.  So I decided to remove my instrument cluster and investigate inside.

I found that the micro LED was removed from the circuit board.   ????? Why????   At some point in the life of this car, someone decided to do some modifications all over the place.  My guess is that a previous owner had an aftermarket steering wheel that did not have the airbag system, so they removed the LED to turn off the light.   There are also signs of an aftermarket stereo system installed at one point.   Extra wires area under the carpet and extra ground points are screwed into the body.

Airbag position is in the cluster, but does not illuminate.

Missing LED. 3rd position from the left .

Well I don't think I will try to fix the light itself, but I did oder a new clock spring to connect the airbag and horn again.

I later took my Snap-on Ethos scanner and plugged into my car.  I found codes for the clock spring and drivers squib open circuits in the airbag system eco.

Tools used in this post - 1/4 drive socket, 1/4 drive 3 inch extension, t30 socket. phillips #2 screwdriver.

Parts used in this post - none.

 Let me know if you have any questions or would like more detail. Thanks for reading.