My sister in laws 2002 Monte Carlo LS has an airbag light that was diagnosed to be a bad front impact sensor.

I went to a junk yard and pulled a few from several impalas from 2002-2005 and that didn't have front end damage (a tree fell on the middle of one).

The sensors all look the same as far as shape, size and stickers. The problem is the wiring harness for the sensor on the car has two tabs on the top and bottom of the harness which prevent it from going into the module. It's kind of keyed in a sense. Here you can see what I'm talking about in this image. On the left is the original and the right a replacement.OlNDcvi.jpg

Anyone know if I cut the non fitting tab off the harness so it slides in if the impact sensor will work ok? I don't want to hook the battery back up, put the SRS fuse back in and have the airbags deploy...

 

Odds are you *could* do that and no issues. But, there is also that chance there is a reason for this difference. It could be the sensor is year specific or differs on air bag options (such as if the car is equipped with the air bags in the sides of the seats).

If this was my car, I would not cut any wiring, I'd hunt down the correct part.

 

DO NOT CUT IT!!!!!! Air bag systems are resistance specific. Meaning not all sensors can interchange. You MUST use a sensor with the same type of plug on it. If you get in an accident and the insurance company finds out you spliced in a sensor other than what is called for, your claim could be denied. I did autobody work for 20 years, believe me, you DO NOT want that headache.