RAM 1500 Truck 2WD V8-5.7L VIN 2 (2006)
vehicle. These sensors are mounted remotely from the bi-directional safing sensor that is internal to the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC). Each side
impact sensor is secured with a nut within the right or left B-pillar just above the front seat belt retractors and behind the lower B-pillar trim within the
passenger compartment. The sensor housing has an integral connector receptacle (2), an integral mounting stud (3), and an integral anti-rotation pin.
The right and left side impact sensors are identical in construction and calibration. A cavity in the center of the molded black plastic impact sensor
housing contains the electronic circuitry of the sensor which includes an electronic communication chip and an electronic impact sensor. Potting material
fills the cavity to seal and protect the internal electronic circuitry and components. The side impact sensors are each connected to the vehicle electrical
system through a dedicated take out and connector of the body wire harness.
The side impact sensors cannot be repaired or adjusted and, if damaged or faulty, they must be replaced.
The side impact sensors are electronic accelerometers that sense the rate of vehicle deceleration, which provides verification of the direction and severity
of an impact. Each sensor also contains an electronic communication chip that allows the unit to communicate the sensor status as well as sensor fault
information to the microprocessor in the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC).
The ORC microprocessor continuously monitors all of the side passive restraint system electrical circuits to determine the system readiness. If the ORC
detects a monitored system fault, it sets a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) and controls the airbag indicator operation accordingly. The impact sensors
each receive battery current and ground through dedicated left and right sensor plus and minus circuits from the ORC. The impact sensors and the ORC
communicate by modulating the voltage in the sensor plus circuit.
The hard wired circuits between the side impact sensors and the ORC may be diagnosed and tested using conventional diagnostic tools and procedures.
However, conventional diagnostic methods will not prove conclusive in the diagnosis of the ORC, the impact sensors, or the electronic message inputs to
or outputs from the impact sensors. The most reliable, efficient, and accurate means to diagnose the impact sensors, the ORC, and the electronic message
communication between the sensors and the ORC requires the use of a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to Trouble Code Diagnostic Charts.
