Smoke came out of my steering column. I took it to a shop (not dealer) where they replaced switch unit and horn module. Three weeks later, it started smoking. They could not find a short and thought the part might be defective. They had it towed to dealership who said they put it in backwards, the timing was off, they refused to warranty the part, and the drivers airbag needed to be replaced. "SZL was shorted and clock spring is out of time due to incorrect installation."

The original garage refuses to refund my repair cost. The dealer wants $3000 but, after they fix it, would need to do more diagnostics. The car has 100k and Blue Books at about $9000.

How can the part be put in backwards? I can get the parts online for $500 less than the. Dealership is charging me. Should I do it myself? It looks pretty easy (famous last words). Any advice?

 

Clocksprings (airbag connector cable) - have to be "set" when installed. The internal reel can stretch, bind, then break. If installed wrong its the fault of who ever had the spring off last.

The diag - you need a pretty heavy hitter scan tool - Our Snap-On Solus can do it.. but it was 10,000$. Its more than just clearing codes. You also have to reset the SZL (steering angle sensor).