Air Bag Light / Seat Belt Warning

[FordService]

Hi guys, I have a 2011 Explorer XLT w/ 36,000 miles and the airbag warning light just came on. I've seen previous issues w/ 2011 XLTs having this issue and was wondering if there's a bulletin or recall on this...

Hi junzon,

You can enter your VIN at:http://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/RecallsPage to see if there are any recalls applicable to your vehicle. Your next step should be taking your Explorer to the dealership so they can perform an inspection. Let me know what you hear from your service tech. If you need any assistance from me, just shoot a PM in my direction.

...There have only been a few reports of this issue so the best thing is to have your dealer look into it...

Good advice, Peter!

Crystal

 

[1sttimeford]

I have had my 2011 Explorer in twice for this issue.

The first time it was a failure in the driver side seatbelt pretensioner. The second time it was a failure in the passenger side seatbelt pretensioner.

In both cases the seatbelt pretensioners were replaced.

 

[FordService]

I have had my 2011 Explorer in twice for this issue.

The first time it was a failure in the driver side seatbelt pretensioner. The second time it was a failure in the passenger side seatbelt pretensioner.

In both cases the seatbelt pretensioners were replaced.

Hi 1sttimeford,

Did those repairs do the trick or are you still experiencing any issues? Let me know and I'll do what I can to help.

Crystal

 

[junzon]

Thanks for the responses. I was asking if there were any recalls as the warning light activated just as I hit the 36K mark. If its an ongoing issue, I'm hoping that its covered and not something I have to pay for.

 

[1sttimeford]

Hi 1sttimeford,

Did those repairs do the trick or are you still experiencing any issues? Let me know and I'll do what I can to help.

Crystal

So far so good. It has been 1 year since the first one was replaced, but only 1 week since the second one was replaced.

 

[FordService]

So far so good. It has been 1 year since the first one was replaced, but only 1 week since the second one was replaced.

Feel free to give me a shout if something comes up, 1sttimeford. I'm just a click away.

Crystal

 

[BlazinLady]

Ok, I'm having the same problem. My air bag light has been on steady for the past 3 weeks. I'm also having a problem with the "low engine oil pressure" warning when the key is in the off position and problem with 3 other service warning lights popping on intermittently. Of course, every time I schedule to bring it to the dealer the lights are conveniently off. I'm going to try the vehicle health report and if it works I'll bring it to the dealer with a copy of this forum. Wish me luck.....

 

[FordService]

Ok, I'm having the same problem. My air bag light has been on steady for the past 3 weeks. I'm also having a problem with the "low engine oil pressure" warning when the key is in the off position and problem with 3 other service warning lights popping on intermittently. Of course, every time I schedule to bring it to the dealer the lights are conveniently off. I'm going to try the vehicle health report and if it works I'll bring it to the dealer with a copy of this forum. Wish me luck.....

Hi BlazinLady,

Do you have an update to share with us? If you need any assistance, shoot me a PM so I can explore some ways to help. I'll need your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name.

Crystal

 

[BlazinLady]

Air bag light fixed (until other lights come on)

Hi BlazinLady,

Do you have an update to share with us? If you need any assistance, shoot me a PM so I can explore some ways to help. I'll need your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name.

Crystal

Update:

I brought my truck back to the dealer about 3 weeks ago when the lights were on. I just happen to be in the area when they popped on, so i pulled in. They read the codes and told me to schedule an appointment to bring it back in for service, a week later. I brought it in for service or the air bag light, which was solid for 3 weeks, as well as the other service lights (abs, advance trac, and Powertrain). In addition a new issue popped up with the GPS. (It stopped being able to locate the vehicle). They kept my truck for 10 hours and all they did was change a module for the seatbelt, which they reported was the issue with the airbag sensor and they assumed that it would fix all the service light issues. The fix lasted 1 whole day. Did i mention that they "forgot" to look into the issue I reported about the GPS, although it was written on the service slip? Well, the air bag light is no longer on.....until the other service lights come on, then it pops back on again. I brought it back to the dealer again on 7/3 for the service lights (4th visit for the same issue) they kept my truck for 8 hours and of course they could not find anything wrong with the truck. They reported that everything was fine and they couldn't find any issues with the GPS, so nothing was done. 2 days later the GPS is lost again and the lights are back on. So I dropped my truck off again today and now they want to keep it for a week and they gave me a 2000 Taurus with 180,000 miles and what sounds like a Diesel engine.

Crystal, please help

 

[FordService]

...So I dropped my truck off again today and now they want to keep it for a week and they gave me a 2000 Taurus with 180,000 miles and what sounds like a Diesel engine.

Crystal, please help

BlazinLady,

I see your regional customer service manager contacted you. Please don’t hesitate to PM me with any more details you want forwarded before your next call.

Cory

 

[DDF]

That's happened to my XLT twice. Loose wires.

 

[peterk9]

Update:....... So I dropped my truck off again today and now they want to keep it for a week and they gave me a 2000 Taurus with 180,000 miles and what sounds like a Diesel engine.

Crystal, please help

Just remember that under the terms of the factory warranty, the dealer is under no obligation to supply a loaner. If they do, they do so at their own cost.

Peter

 

[1995E]

Just remember that under the terms of the factory warranty, the dealer is under no obligation to supply a loaner. If they do, they do so at their own cost.

Peter

Oh wow, my dealership has been so nice then. They provide a loaner whenever I need a long repair. That's so nice of them.

 

[peterk9]

Oh wow, my dealership has been so nice then. They provide a loaner whenever I need a long repair. That's so nice of them.

Do you have the ESP warranty, that will cover a rental. As per the warranty info that came with your Explorer, a loaner or rental is not covered under the 3 year 36k mile warranty. Some dealers have been providing loaners but it seems that many have not. You're one of the lucky ones.

Peter

 

[rodzilla]

Air Bag Light

3 Words: VEHICLE HEALTH REPORT

If you have My Ford Touch, you can go in while the error light is on and do a vehicle health report. Your dealer has access to it via. syncmyride.com or you can print it out from syncmyride and hand it to the dealer. I had a similar problem where I was getting intermittent error codes that would clear and I did this and the dealer gave me no problems as the error codes on the vehicle health report should be all the information the dealer neeeds and serves as your evidence that the light was on.

I'm not sure a simple photo would work as my guess is that the error codes are more specific and will tell the dealer the exact problem. Just taking a picture of the light proves the light was on, but doesn't give the dealer the error code information they need to diagnose and fix the problem. The Vehicle health report would (assuming you have MFT).

JRM - unfortunately the problem does not show up in the vehicle report. I've had my '11 EX Limited in 7 - yes 7 - times since Jan 2013 for the air bag light coming on. Everyone needs to understand that when that light comes on the entire SRS is in jeopardy, it essentially shuts down. It is a closed system and if an accident occurs while this light is on it is likely your air bags won't deploy, seat belt tensioners won't work, etc. This information was given to me face-to-face from my Ford dealer's service foreman.

So far I've had the pre-tensioner replaced twice, a module replaced once, and just last week a wiring harness replaced in the seat. My vehicle was in the shop for 5 weeks (for several repeat problems), I had it back for 2 days and the light came on again. Now they are going to remove the seat and check the harness that runs under the carpet. I am so ready to get rid of this vehicle. It's bitter sweet because I love it, but I've had nothing but problems with it and more than one are a safety issue. I hope Ford gets the major problems with the EX fixed. The biggest problem is exhaust entering the cabin under hard acceleration - another topic - but they've not fixed it yet, the '14s have the problem too. Come on Ford, do the right thing!

 

[jrmexplorer]

JRM - unfortunately the problem does not show up in the vehicle report. I've had my '11 EX Limited in 7 - yes 7 - times since Jan 2013 for the air bag light coming on. Everyone needs to understand that when that light comes on the entire SRS is in jeopardy, it essentially shuts down. It is a closed system and if an accident occurs while this light is on it is likely your air bags won't deploy, seat belt tensioners won't work, etc. This information was given to me face-to-face from my Ford dealer's service foreman.

So far I've had the pre-tensioner replaced twice, a module replaced once, and just last week a wiring harness replaced in the seat. My vehicle was in the shop for 5 weeks (for several repeat problems), I had it back for 2 days and the light came on again. Now they are going to remove the seat and check the harness that runs under the carpet. I am so ready to get rid of this vehicle. It's bitter sweet because I love it, but I've had nothing but problems with it and more than one are a safety issue. I hope Ford gets the major problems with the EX fixed. The biggest problem is exhaust entering the cabin under hard acceleration - another topic - but they've not fixed it yet, the '14s have the problem too. Come on Ford, do the right thing!

Sorry to hear of your problems, I can't really offer any other suggestions. I would have thought the VHR would have caught the trouble codes.

 

[powcha123]

same issue - airbag light

I have same issue airbag light at 45k on 2011. Wish I could say this was first problem with this vechicle or wish I could I got great support from dealer(s) or ford but other than sounding like they care ultimately they get my time and money and all get is more disappointed in ford. Please update if you have a fix to this issue so that I can instruct my mechanic on how to fix it.

Wish we had a lemon law here. Air con issues, ripped seams in apolostry brakes wear very quick changed battery overheating breakdowns I could go on and on..... very disappointed in ford. They kindly offered me a 250 dollar credit to help pay for some of my issues butwould prefer they step up and take full responsibility for this lemon.

 

[peterk9]

I have same issue airbag light at 45k on 2011. Wish I could say this was first problem with this vechicle or wish I could I got great support from dealer(s) or ford but other than sounding like they care ultimately they get my time and money and all get is more disappointed in ford. Please update if you have a fix to this issue so that I can instruct my mechanic on how to fix it.

Wish we had a lemon law here. Air con issues, ripped seams in apolostry brakes wear very quick changed battery overheating breakdowns I could go on and on..... very disappointed in ford. They kindly offered me a 250 dollar credit to help pay for some of my issues butwould prefer they step up and take full responsibility for this lemon.

Welcome to the Forum powcha123.:wavey:
The post before yours gives a place where they can start to check for the problem. Unfortunately, if it is an electrical issue it can be difficult to track down. As for not having the Lemon Law, I don't know where "here" is so I'm guessing you are not in the U.S. There are links to Ford reps in both the U.S and Canada that I could send you. Also Crystal or Ashley could provide you with a contact number if they knew where you were located.
Good luck.

Peter

 

[MikeCallery]

In as much as I hate to hear my fellow Explorer owners having issues, sometimes it is nice to hear I am not alone.

I experienced these issues with my 2011 XLT. Being a computer tech for 20 years, I learned how to watch for patterns, differences, inconsistencies. There were none. I'd have the light off in the morning, on at lunch, off on the way home and the complete opposite. On or off with rain, heat, cold. Nothing, nada, zip.

Finally with this thing escalating between me and Ford over the implication there air bag might not go off during an accident they had it in for four days, found nothing. Stayed off for a month, back on, and then off again. I had batteries replaced twice.

On my last service call they said that Ford came back and said they have had some issues with the connecting pins from the seat feed not setting properly and causing these problems. My dealership looked at this, found some issues and the problem went away for a month. Came back for three weeks and I have not had the issue for two months.

Long story, sorry, but it sounds a lot like there are wiring connector issues on the Explorer's relative to this.

 

[scheibletti]

Airbag Lamp

And now, a new Problem,
the Airbaglamp is on. I start the Engine, the Airbaglight goes out and after 5 seconds is on, again??
Uwe