AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

[Stevegrenot]

Hi All

Last week the yellow air bag light started flashing off and on. About 30 sec later it remained on. What's up?

Steve grenot 2002 T

[islandtime]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

You have a malfunction in the sensor system. The airbag could deploy for no reason, or it could NOT deploy in the case of an accident. Take it to your dealer and have it fixed right away!

[Swalker]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Most likely the clockspring under the steering wheel.

[JAB02LHS]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Does your wife talk constantly?

did I just type that!

Glad Sue doesn't log on!

[Stevegrenot]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Thanks All .

what about recalls ?

[AZTB]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Steve...are you suggesting that John have Sue recalled??

[Stevegrenot]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Jim
Not today. I mean the air bag.

[2Redbirds57/02]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Hi All

Last week the yellow air bag light started flashing off and on. About 30 sec later it remained on. What's up?

Steve grenot 2002 T

Steve, I had the same problem with my 02. Took it to a Lincoln/Mercury dealer and the problem was a bad wire connector under the driver's seat. Had to replace the wire connector. I think the cost was $140.00, most of which was labor charges.

[Stevegrenot]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Sam
Thank you vary much.

[js tbird]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

We have the same problem, the air bag light blinks, then come on steady. And we are on vacation in Cape Cod. Not sure what to do. Will see if it keeps up. Jeanette says we had the same thing about a year ago and it went away. See if it goes away again this time after I check the wires under the seats.

Steve

[MATBird]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

We have the same problem, the air bag light blinks, then come on steady. And we are on vacation in Cape Cod. Not sure what to do. Will see if it keeps up. Jeanette says we had the same thing about a year ago and it went away. See if it goes away again this time after I check the wires under the seats.

Steve

Steve: I know it's an old thread, but did you ever get a resolution since June????

[js tbird]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

George,

Thanks for asking. Yes, we did, got it fixed when the car needed it's new inspection sticker. Just like others, it was a bad wire connection, this time under the passerger's seat. My buddy at the Ford dealer took care of it very quickly. He had to take the seat out of the car, but with the top down, it was very easy. It was explained to me, it happens most often in cars where people are going into the back seat of a two door car, like Mustangs. Was suprised to see it happen on the Thunderbird with no back seat. We decided it was caused by all the times I slide the seat up to clean. Go figure.

We still take about what a great time we had in New England. Thanks for taking such great care of Jeanette and I.

Steve

[00mustng]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

....Here was my fix....When the air bag icon is on, it means the bags won't deploy in an accident....the cure..replace clock spring...part#XW4Z-14A664-AA
$143.00 diagnostic...$161.00 part...Misc.charges..$17.16 (can you believe that?)..Tax $16.08...total..$337.69 CDN....took less than an hour...from my friendly Ford dealer.....

[PoetAtLaw]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

Hi, Everyone. I posted this story on another thread in response to a related question. But I thought it might be useful to others who have an airbag indicator light problem. The clock spring problem is a long story. Sorry about that.

The problem was diagnosed by the dealership when the airbag light remained on. The dealership wanted to $95 just to diagnose the problem, but "kindly" offered to deduct the cost from the repair. The estimated repair cost was about $580, of which $112 was the part cost. The dealership also indicated the airbag light could be caused by a problem with the airbag mechanism itself, too, and they wouldn't know for certain until they repaired the clock spring. The airbag fix was estimated to cost $860. The amount seemed a shockingly high (but I am no car-repair expert). So I called a few non-dealerships. Each quoted a price, including parts, of less than $200.00.

When I confronted the dealership about the amazing cost disparity, the service manager indicated the T-Bird's telescoping steering wheel added time to the repair, and the standard, computerized time-estimators didn't include that cost. (Frankly, I was skeptical, because I had discussed the complexity of the steering column with some of the other repair shops, and one shop owner had fixed three Ford clock springs that week, but not T-Bird clock springs.)

Of course, the dealership had a deal for me! The dealership noted I had not done my 30,000 mile servicing at the dealership. (I had done it through Jiffy Lube.) So they offered to do the servicing for (coincidentally) about the same amount as the clock spring repair ($570). In exchange, they would fix the clock spring at no charge and make any necessary repairs to the airbag at no charge. The servicing included all new filters, all new fluids, flushing all systems, rotating tires -- a fine list of services. My T-Bird now has about 47,000 miles, so I didn't mind another round of servicing, given the specialized knowledge (theoretically) of the dealership, if the price were reasonable.

The dealership further indicated that Ford likes loyal owners, that having the servicing done at the dealership would show loyalty, and that the loyalty would be rewarded if in the future I had serious problems. The dealership and Ford would be more willing to cover a new transmission under an elective warranty fix, for example, if I showed my loyalty.

So I trusted the dearlership and had the repair done. Of course, the repair took an extra day and they neglected to deduct the $95 diagnostic fee, which I brought to their attention. But as far as I know the work was completed.

HOWEVER, today I received a call back from another Ford dealership I contacted prior to my repair. Their estimate for the clock spring? Not the $580 estimated by my dealership. Instead, it was FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS less. The estimate was about $200, just like the non-Ford repair shops. So I called five additional Ford dearlerships. Each one quoted a parts-and-labor cost of between $200 and $250!!

I am shocked and mortified by the dishonesty of the dealership. I am equally shocked by their gall at overcharging me even after I brought the concern to their attention, even after advising them I am an attorney.

Naturally, I have a call in to all levels of management above the service department. Any suggestions about what would be a fair settlement and what further action you recommend would be appreciated.

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: AIR BAG LIGHT ON.

That's an absolute shame Alan. Keep us posted on how or if it get's resolved.

I know auto dealerships are independent business operators but Ford, and all the auto manufacturers for that matter, really need to pay more attention to what is going on in with their dealers. Bad experiences at the dealership can really dictate whether that customer will be back when it's time to buy a new car again.