How does an airbag clock spring work?

Answer 1

I'm the one who posted this question, actually in a search engine, and this wiki site was one of the three hits I got in response. One of the the other hits actually had a fairly decent answer, so I'm posting it below...

From that other site that came up in response to my query:

Question:

The airbag light came on. Does this need immediate attention and if so, is it expensive to have checked-out? {This is on a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan with 135,000 miles.}

Response {only the relevant portion pasted here}:

One very common Airbag problem on your Caravan is what's called a "clock spring" which is in the steering column right under the steering wheel. It's called that because it simply looks like a clock spring that winds and unwinds. This is how they could make a positive electrical connection to the airbag and still be able to turn the wheel back and forth.
Luckily, it's a quick and reasonable repair to have it replaced.
Also, you can check it yourself! The horn and cruise control circuits on the steering wheel run through this clock spring too so check to see if the horn and cruise are working. If not, you need a new clock spring for sure!
I've replaced dozens of them in my time.

Although I was hoping for a discussion of how the thing works - ideally with figures/diagrams - I was pretty happy with this answer. The airbag light on my 2001 4-cyl. Honda Accord came on sometime in autumn 2007, and by early 2008 I had lost my horn and cruise control. Sure enough, it was the clock spring (by the way, I've seen this written both as two words, as I've done here, and as one word, i.e., 'clockspring'; I don't know if just one, or both spellings are commonly accepted).

The original respondent to the question at the other site didn't directly address the expense of this part. According to the itemized receipt I got from the shop that replaced mine, a new clock spring costs $209 (Washington DC area). And since I now have the old defective part, I guess I don't need a schematic for the time being; I'll just tinker with this old one.

Searching a site like www.rockauto.com, spelling seems to be 1 word "clockspring" and can be as low as $22 for a Chrysler Town and Country.