My 2005 Chrysler Pacifica touring edition air.

Have a mechanic connect a scanner that can access the Air Bag Computer to see what the stored diagnostic fault code says. Probably the most common problem is a defective clock spring under the steering wheel, but with the addition of explosive charges in the seat belts and load-sensing switches in the seats, those have become somewhat common problems too.

No. There has to be a code, otherwise the light wouldn't turn on. If the codes were checked at an independent shop, they typically use aftermarket scanners that can be used on multiple car brands, and they are usually a few years behind on their software. Many shops use the older Chrysler DRB3 because with a small plug-in card it can be used on any '96 and newer car brand sold in the U.S, but only for emissions-related stuff. By the '04 model year, the industry changed to a new electrical system and many aftermarket scanners are still playing catchup. You might have to have the code(s) read at the dealer.

Please don't just throw random parts at any problem in hopes one will fix it. That is the most expensive and least effective way to diagnose a problem unless you get real lucky and hit it on the first attempt.

I should mention too that there could be a blown fuse. Typically there will be two Air Bag fuses inside yellow pull handles, and usually side-by-side. If one blows, the other one powers the circuit to turn on the warning light. It is common to tie other systems into one of those fuses. The rear wiper is a good example. If that motor shorts, you will never know the fuse is blown until you really need the wiper to work, and it doesn't. By tying in with the Air Bag circuit, the shorted wiper motor will blow the fuse and the Air Bag light will turn on to let you know there's a problem. There were a few times I had to tell customers they needed a rear wiper motor to fix their Air Bag system.

Almost everyone does, just like a doctor. They have to pay for very expensive equipment that only works on a few car brands so they need multiple units and they spend thousands of dollars on each one every year to keep them updated. The older Chrysler DRB3 lists for over $6200.00. A lot of independent shops use it because it works on emissions-related stuff on all car brands. Beginning with some '04 models, a newer type of scanner is needed. The dealer will have the equipment to access your Air Bag Computer, but I'd be surprised if they charged $100.00 just to read the codes. They are trying to pay for the cost of the equipment but I'd more likely expect to see a charge of around 50 bucks. At the very nice dealership I worked at, they charged for reading codes, but that was put toward the repair cost if you had them do the repairs. I don't know of any other way of retrieving fault codes from that computer.