Steer wheel / airbag misaligned?

[goku1337]

The telescopic function on my 2000 LX470 steering wheel isn’t working. I removed the panel directly behind the steering wheel just to take a quick look — didn’t touch or mess with any components, just looked around. After putting the two panels back together, I noticed the steering wheel pad/airbag unit is no longer sitting flush with the steering wheel. There’s now a noticeable gap that I don’t think was there before.

Does this look normal? Wondering if I accidentally shifted something or if it could be related to the telescopic motor not functioning.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kbfj621989]

Most likely you or previous person did not attach the airbag correctly. Loosen your airbag screws behind the little panels and try again. The airbag screws are fixed in place but can be unscrewed all the way off the airbag.

 

[Malleus]

The horn cover has four alignment protrusions that slide over the steering wheel arms. They look like little fingers with bent tabs on the ends. These need to fit exactly on the arms or you won't get the cover back on properly. They also need to be outboard (toward the steering wheel rim) of the plastic fingers that retain the rear cover. Make sure those fingers grab the steering wheel arms or the rear cover will rub on the lower column cover when you turn the wheel.

I've had the best luck aligning the bottom two and then pivoting the cover towards the dash to locate the top two.

As stated above, the attachment screws are captive in plastic keepers. They have to be pulled out until the groove in the screw heads meet the outermost tabs in plastic keepers. Then you install the cover and push the screws into position so that they meet the cover. Be careful with those plastic keepers; they insulate the screws from the steering wheel and those screws ground the horn connector. If they aren't installed properly, the horn won't work.

Oh, and pull the horn wires while you're doing this.