The steering wheel and column components include a steering wheel, an inflator module, a steering column, and brackets.
The locking, energy-absorbing steering column includes three important features in addition to the steering function.
| • | The column is energy-absorbing. The column is designed to compress in a front-end collision in order to minimize the possibility of injury to the driver of the vehicle. |
| • | The ignition switch and the lock are mounted conveniently on the column. |
| • | With the column-mounted lock, the ignition, steering, and gearshifting operation can be locked in order to inhibit a theft of the vehicle. |
Notice: Once the steering column is removed from the vehicle, the column is extremely susceptible to damage. Dropping the column assembly on the end could collapse the steering shaft or loosen the plastic injections, which maintain column rigidity. Leaning on the column assembly could cause the jacket to bend or deform. Any of the above damage could impair the columns collapsible design. Do NOT hammer on the end of the shaft, because hammering could loosen the plastic injections, which maintain column rigidity. If you need to remove the steering wheel, refer to the Steering Wheel Replacement procedure in this section.
The column may be disassembled and reassembled. In order to ensure the energy-absorbing action, use only the specified screws, bolts, and nuts as the fasteners are designated. Tighten the fasteners to the specified torque.
