airbag light?

[gc4vette]

I just replaced my radiator and turned the car on to check to see if there where any leaks and the airbag light started flashing? I still have the fans out of the car and unplugged. Is there anything that i might have hit or bumped while replacing the radiator to cause the airbag light to go on?

 

[luigisho]

It's certainly possible. You need to count the flashes to determine where in the system is triggering the error. I had set one off with a poorly judged u-turn that put the bumper over a curb (damn huge turning radius). If you managed to trigger one of the sensors it must be replaced. These are 1 shot sensors but you can get used ones from any airbag Taurus. It could be elsewhere in the system also.

 

[gc4vette]

can the light be reset?

 

[luigisho]

Yes. but not if one of the sensors was triggered.

 

[rangerj]

There is diagnostic equiptment that can access the airbag system for codes, but it is not generally available to the general public, i.e. the do-it-yourselfer. The manufacturers do not want the liability.

The airbag system is best left to factory trained mechanics. A Ford dealership may have one mechanic who is trained to work on the airbags, or they may have more now that the airbag has been a common item for 13 years.

However it is not a do-it-yourself friendly system. If you plan to touch ANYTHING involveing the airbag system, make sure you have disconnected the battery, and that everything is grounded. Even a slight bit of static electricity can set it off.

A replacement airbag is about $1500, but this is not the worst part. When an airbag goes off it is an explosion. I mean literally an explosion, with the very rapid expansion of very hot gases. The expanding "bag" is being inflated with a tremendous amount of very hot energy.

People in accidents very frequently end up with broken facial bones, facial area burns, and one or more broken arms or dislocated shoulders (from holding the steering wheel when the bag goes off).
Keep in mind that a few broken bones is better than having every bone in your body broken!

I hope I have impressed upon you the dangers of the airbag system. I do not like recommending that anyone go to a dealership for service, but this is one of those jobs you should NOT do without the factory training.

PLEASE DO NOT MESS WITH ANY PART OF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. rangerj

 

[luigisho]

rangerj I completely agree with your recommendation with one exception. If the air bag light is blinking and you determine the source of the code is an easily swappable part-ie one of the front crash sensors- you can change that part as easily as any tech. Of course you should disconnect the battery but the system usually requires more than one of the three front crash sensors to deploy the airbags. Other than that yes monkeying with the system is usually not a great idea.

 

[myothercarisamustang]

So if I take my car in to a dealer to fix the 8-flash problem, which is for the front crash sensor, what kind of cost am I looking at? What do those sensors usually run? I guess the labor would be $50-100.

 

[luigisho]

I did mine myself. It took me about 20min. and I bought a used sensor from a junked taurus for $20-30. The sensor system is pretty much standard for these things. You just need the correct side (or middle) to put in there. I bet a new sensor and a tech to install would be expensive. Which sensor do the 8 flashes refer to?

 

[rangerj]

gc4vette,

If you want to try replaceing an airbag sensor yourself, PLEASE read up on the system in the Helms, or other quality service manual, for your model year. Also check the web sources like SHO Times and this forum.

Knowledge is power!

Disconnect the battery and wait for at least a half an hour before touching anything. The service manual may have a more specific recommendation. If it does, follow it.

Pay particular attention to the ********* bold WARNINGS in the service manual, and take them VERY SERIOUSLY.

Lastly, make sure there is NO ONE IN, OR AROUND, the car when you work on the system. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, DON'T!

rangerj

PS I am not trying to scare you away from doing this, but I am trying to impress upon you and anybody else who reads this, that it is not a system that can be taken lightly.

 

[ThePOWERtoRULE]

I had an airbag light problem for a while, but it went away. About 4 different times 3 months ago my airbag light would flash 6 or 8 times (I forget). It was completely intermittent, and I couldn't see any correlation with it. It hasn't happened for 3 months now...

If you're lucky, maybe it's just being goofy like mine was.

 

[luigisho]

8 flashes indicates a wiring problem in one of the front crash sensors. Most likely a bad connection at the connector or a faulty ground. Do not go around messing with the airbag system with electric current in the system. I would however check the sensors for proper grounding and follow the wires to their pespective connectors to see if that fixes it.

9 flashes indicates a triggered front sensor.

 

[rangerj]

Luigisho,

Do you see why I am so hesitant to even imply that the airbag system can be worked on like any other system in our cars?

The light went on, the light went off, no big deal! KABOOOM! Sue FORD! HELLO!!!!

Please forgive my sense of humor buddy. Please keep putting out that good information. All we can do is pray that some of these folks will pay attention before they hurt themselves. rangerj

 

[luigisho]

Certainly. An airbag to the face, especially when you're driving, is a dangerous thing. That should be emphasized always with these systems. Good info as usual rangerj.