B0001-13: Driver Airbag Squib 1 Open

Circuit fault

What B0001-13 means

Ram uses a base code plus a two character suffix, and 13 is the standard designation for an open circuit. B0001 names the driver frontal squib 1 circuit, so together they say the module sent its test current down the first stage driver airbag loop and got nothing back. The system disables itself and the light comes on.

The loop starts at the module under the console, runs forward to the steering column, crosses the clockspring, and ends at the inflator in the wheel. The clockspring is the only moving link in that chain, which is why it takes the blame more often than the rest of the circuit combined. A wire inside that ribbon breaks and the loop opens.

Common causes

• A clockspring with a broken conductor inside the ribbon, often after high mileage or wheel removal
• The driver airbag connector not fully seated after steering wheel or column work
• An open squib winding inside the driver airbag inflator
• A clockspring installed off center and torn at full steering lock
• Corroded or backed out terminals at the airbag control module connector
• Harness damage under the column from aftermarket switches or wiring

Crash data or hardware fault?

Continuity measured in real time is what sits behind this code, which is why it belongs with the circuit family. The module rechecks the loop constantly and the code follows the wiring. Crash data sits in a different part of memory: written once at deployment, held permanently, and beyond the reach of any scan tool clear command.

Does our reset clear it?

A reset does not restore continuity, so B0001-13 comes straight back if the open is still there. Repair the clockspring, the connector, or the airbag first. Once the vehicle side is right, a module holding crash data from a deployment is what we clear through the mail in service, and it goes last in the job rather than first.

Which makes throw it

Ram is the make listed for this code and suffix. The same base number appears on other manufacturers using the generic B0001 designation, but the two character suffix format is what identifies the reading as an open on these trucks.

What to do next

Unplug the driver airbag and measure the loop at the clockspring connector, because that reading immediately separates the inflator from the clockspring and everything upstream. Turn the wheel lock to lock with the meter connected if the fault is intermittent. Check that the clockspring was centered before the wheel went back on. We stock genuine OEM Ram driver airbags and clocksprings if either turns out to be the fault. Related codes: B0001-11, B0001-2B, B0013.