So I switched out the interior of an 07 into my 04 na and had an issue under the steering wheel. There is a cylinder that has a small connector going to it. The housing that this cylinder is in is different than my 04 and I cannot close the lower flap. I had to remove the knee pad and this piece. If I want to reinstall it I need to make modifications to the area under the steering wheel to make it fit (unfortunately I dont appear to have alot of modifying options). What is this piece, and has anyone ran into this before?

There is wording on this piece but is in German. I am guessing it is a safety feature of some sort, it appears to be a gas cylinder of some kind. Hopefully its not related to the airbag, but for some reason (and my bad luck) I think it is. Help?