Since I just did this (replaced a cruise control / heated steering wheel switch assembly on my 2019 ZL1 1 LE, cruise control + and - buttons broken off when I got the car at 20k miles), here's my advice:
1. Set your driver's seat in a good position (possibly much farther forward and seatback more upright than your normal driving position) so you'll have good leverage on the wheel when you're releasing the airbag spring retainers. Also set your windows where you want them before you disconnect the battery.
2. Disconnect the battery, wait at least 10 minutes before starting to mess with the airbag (not sure if 10 minutes is actually long enough or if there's even enough capacitance in the airbag circuit to trigger anything, your call on how long is long enough).
3. It IS necessary to completely remove the airbag from the wheel to replace the CC switch assembly. I was hoping once the airbag was mechanically unclipped, I could do the switch replacement without unplugging the three wires for the airbag... nope, the airbag has to come out because the black ring-shaped plastic trim piece that is trapped behind the airbag that contains the two switch assemblies (CC/heated wheel on the left, info center buttons on the right) must be completely detached from the steering wheel to pop out the switches from behind. It is also necessary to remove the ZL1 badge at the bottom of the steering wheel (it simply pries off; there are four friction-fitted legs behind it that press into the wheel rim behind it) because there is a lip at the bottom edge of the ring-ahaped trim piece that sits behind the ZL1 badge.
4. Using a small flatblade screwdriver or a 5/16" Allen wrench to release the spring clips through the small holes: the hex wrench hits and stays on the spring clip release better than the flatblade screwdriver, but the hex wrench hurts your hand more when trying to extert pressure to release the clip. I found the screwdriver works better, but orient the flat of the screwdriver *parallel with the steering column* so it doesn't slip off.
I had to jam on the screwdriver HARD to eventually get the airbag to come out. I spent over an hour on just removing the airbag. It was very frustrating. It seems like how difficult it is to remove the airbag varies a lot from car to car. In my case, the airbag was tightly friction-fitted in place on both sides, so even with the spring clip fully released, it took a lot of repeatedly pulling on the airbag top (by hand, you can't pry it out because the soft vinyl of the airbag cover will simply deform around the tool you're attempting to use) to eventually walk the airbag out. My airbag also looked like the idiot previous owner had managed to pour a very sticky substance into the crack between the airbag and the top-side steering wheel trim (a cherry Slurpie??) so my airbag may also have been "loctited" in place on my car.
5. Once you've got the airbag out, unclip the 3 wires and remove it completely. Set it down somewhere face up, in case some poltergeist manages to set off the airbag, it'll just inflate explosively, not catapult itself somewhere at 300 mph.
6. Getting the black plastic trim ring off the wheel will require careful pulling and probably prying behind the trimpiece to release all the clips that hold it to the wheel. Remember that you will have to remove the rectangular trim piece at the bottom of the wheel first in order to remove the ring-shaped back plastic trim holding the switch assemblies.
7. Try to be patient and careful with swapping out the switch assembly... if you're like me and not a particularly patient person, you may be all out of patience / Fs to give at this point and accidentally break one or more of the very weak/soft fake metal finished switch bezels that the switch assembly clips into... take it easy! Serenity now! But, even if you did break enough of the tiny retainer clips so that the new switch assembly is loose, you could use a little Permatex or JB Weld to secure it... none of that would be visible once everything is reinstalled.
8. Reinstalling the trim ring w the newly replaced CC switch is "the opposite of removal" as they say. Be gentle, be careful not to snap off any of the multiple mounting legs as you reinstall it... pay attention that each one is lined up / started into the matching hole on the wheel before using force to reseat the trim piece. Reinstalling the airbag after you're done with the switch and trim ring replacement may take more effort than you think, as the horn button functionality of the airbag soaks up some of your force as you push on it to try to get it to seat properly / clip back into place.
The cruise control / heated seat switch assembly I used was from eBay, shipped from China, assumedly not a real GM part, but it looked very very similar to the part I took out... it was under 30 bucks shipped when I ordered the part in April 2025 but now in November 2025, the cost looks to have gone up significantly, probably tariff related.
