11-AX: Driver Second Inflator Power Short

Circuit fault

What 11-AX means

Dual-stage driver airbags carry two separate firing loops, and the second one handles the harder deployment. The SRS unit holds both loops at a controlled low voltage and watches them. When battery voltage appears on the stage two pair, the module stores 11-AX, because a loop sitting at 12 volts is no longer under its control.

The fault is almost always contact between the SRS wiring and a powered circuit, not a problem inside the airbag. Power can reach the loop through worn insulation in a shared bundle, through water in a connector, or through wiring somebody added near the column. The module cannot tell which of those it is, so it reports the condition and stops there.

Common causes

• Insulation worn through where the column harness crosses a constant-power circuit
• Water or drink spill in the cable reel connector bridging a powered terminal
• Aftermarket remote start, alarm, or stereo wiring spliced into the column area
• A backed-out or bent pin at the SRS unit connector touching an adjacent powered pin
• Cable reel damage from a steering wheel installed without centering the reel

Crash data or hardware fault?

11-AX describes what the module is measuring right now on the stage two loop, so it is a live circuit fault. Once the voltage source is gone, the reading returns to normal and the code stops being current. Stored crash data has no such behavior, since it is written at deployment and stays in memory permanently.

Does our reset clear it?

Resetting the module will not take the voltage off the loop. The SRS unit checks the circuit again within seconds of key-on, finds power still there, and stores 11-AX again. Track the voltage back to its source and repair it. If the module is separately locked from a deployment, mail it to us and we clear the crash data after your electrical repairs are done.

Which makes throw it

11-AX shows up on the Acura side of our code index. If you are working on a Honda and reading from an Acura chart, confirm the number against the Honda index before you start testing, since the prefixes do not always line up across the two.

What to do next

Disconnect the battery and let the SRS capacitor drain before you probe anything on this circuit. Then unplug the driver airbag and check for voltage on the stage two loop with the key on, which tells you whether power is reaching the loop through the cable reel or through the dash harness. Follow the wire that carries the voltage, because the repair is at the point where it touches the SRS pair. Related codes: 11-3X, 11-BX, B2765-11.