Struggling to remove airbag

[Durzel]

I tried to fit my heated steering wheel earlier to my Model 3 (I know it’s not going to work out of the box). I didn’t get very far.

i managed to pop off both sides of the airbag, by pushing an allen key in each hole on the side of the wheel, but I couldn’t remove the airbag from the wheel at all. It was stuck solid at the bottom of the wheel, almost as if it was still attached to something.

All the videos I’ve watched of people removing the steering wheel show the airbag pretty much popping out as soon as the two sides are released. It didn’t require any force at all.

Has anyone experienced this before, and if so what did you do to fix it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[glide]

I tried to fit my heated steering wheel earlier to my Model 3 (I know it’s not going to work out of the box). I didn’t get very far.

i managed to pop off both sides of the airbag, by pushing an allen key in each hole on the side of the wheel, but I couldn’t remove the airbag from the wheel at all. It was stuck solid at the bottom of the wheel, almost as if it was still attached to something.

All the videos I’ve watched of people removing the steering wheel show the airbag pretty much popping out as soon as the two sides are released. It didn’t require any force at all.

Has anyone experienced this before, and if so what did you do to fix it?

Thanks in advance.

It should pop right out once you depress the two springs. If it’s not, don’t force it. Try to wiggle it very slightly and see what happens.

Do all of this with the 12V battery DISCONNECTED!

 

[Durzel]

Sorted it, thanks.

As it turned out I needed to apply more pressure. You push the spring in that releases the side, and there’s a bit more you have to do to release the bottom.

 

[sincereMY]

Sorted it, thanks.

As it turned out I needed to apply more pressure. You push the spring in that releases the side, and there’s a bit more you have to do to release the bottom.

HELP!!! I'm having the same issue. I have a 2021 Model Y LR delivered in JULY. I am trying to install a custom steering wheel and was able to finally activate both springs but the airbag was still catching on something at the bottom it seems. What additional did you have to do to get the airbag to release? Thanks in advance.

 

[Durzel]

You have to keep pushing the allen key or screwdriver or whatever you’ve got in there. I had to push on both sides at the same time to release the bottom. Make sure the screwdriver or whatever you’re using is actually making contact with the spring clip, it’s possible for it to slip over it, particularly with a flat blade one.

The spring releases the bottom last, if that makes sense. It’s like there is two stages to the unclipping.

 

[sincereMY]

Ahh ok. So pushing on one side at a time will not work? That worked for both sides but to release the bottom area, you have to push both at the same time and push further up so it releases??

 

[Durzel]

I couldn’t get the bottom to unlatch by pressing on one side at a time, after trying either side multiple times.

In YouTube videos I watched people seemed to be able to unlatch each side in turn, and just take off the airbag, but that definitely didn’t work for me.

The only thing that ultimately worked for me was pressing an allen key in both sides at the same time, and further in than was necessary to unlatch the sides. Once you have the airbag off the operation of the spring clip makes sense.

 

[sincereMY]

Roger That .. Thanks. I will try this later today.

 

[sincereMY]

I will try magnetized spanner head screw drivers also. The allen keys I have kept slipping when engaging the springs to release the airbag. The Youtube videos make all this seem so easy, when its definitely NOT.

 

[Durzel]

Yup, I found it very stressful. I didn’t know what to do when I couldn’t get the bottom to come off, and at one point I couldn’t even get it to go back on at the sides either (I was going to give up).

As said pushing in on both sides is what finally worked for me.

 

[Luca0624@gmail]

I got that all done but now can't get the airbag to click back into place. To make matters worst, now the horn won't sound and the dials won't work, says requires service to reactivate