1st Year for Side-Impact Airbags?

[Jon94]

Does anyone know which year the side impact airbags were first available? I'm looking for a replacement seat for my Explorer and it would be helpful in narrowing down the years to look at. (I'm looking for a seat with an airbag) I know that the 4th digit of the VIN being a C or D means it has side airbags, but I had a guy contact me on Craigslist with a 96 with 4th digit D. Even though it's a D, I don't think the airbags were available in 96.

 

[239]

Does anyone know which year the side impact airbags were first available? I'm looking for a replacement seat for my Explorer and it would be helpful in narrowing down the years to look at. (I'm looking for a seat with an airbag) I know that the 4th digit of the VIN being a C or D means it has side airbags, but I had a guy contact me on Craigslist with a 96 with 4th digit D. Even though it's a D, I don't think the airbags were available in 96.

I've read about 2001 Eddie Bauer explorers with side curtain airbags, but I've never seen one. That's the earliest I know of.

 

[Jon94]

Well my 99 Explorer has the side airbags, and I'm trying to find a replacement driver's seat that has them. Which is proving to be almost impossible. I never realized how rare they were.

 

[239]

Well my 99 Explorer has the side airbags, and I'm trying to find a replacement driver's seat that has them. Which is proving to be almost impossible. I never realized how rare they were.

Wow i didn't know they went that far back. I've seen a lot of explorers at the local junkyard over the years, but I've never seen the side airbags. I guess they're as rare as the parking sensors in my 2000. I do see the side airbags listed in my manual now, pretty cool.

 

[Turdle]

I have "read" but never confirmed, any generation of explorer seat will fit. You may need to exchange seat mount frames, and modify wiring but they "should" work.

You might check this out. If the newer seats will work you might be able to find something easier to work with.

 

[Jon94]

The previous owner of my Explorer swapped in a seat that doesn't have an airbag for some unknown reason. So now the airbag light on the dash is always on. I just wanted to find a seat with an airbag, swap it in, and plug in the airbag so that the airbag system works as it should.

 

[239]

The previous owner of my Explorer swapped in a seat that doesn't have an airbag for some unknown reason. So now the airbag light on the dash is always on. I just wanted to find a seat with an airbag, swap it in, and plug in the airbag so that the airbag system works as it should.

Isn't there a connector that the non-airbag seats have, which keeps the airbag light from turning on? I remember reading that it simulates the airbag but fails and causes the light to turn on, if it isn't plugged in correctly.

 

[Jon94]

Yes, the bypass resistor. The seat I have has the resistor. The airbag light is still on. The computer apparently can tell the difference. I know it's not a connection or wiring problem because if I unplug the passenger side airbag and plug the resistor in the passenger side, I get an open circuit code for the driver's side and passenger side airbag. As soon as I plug the passenger side airbag back in, the code for the passenger side goes away and I'm left with just the code for the driver's side. So the computer just doesn't like the resistor.

I believe there are two different part numbers for the airbag computer: one for side airbag equipped trucks and one for trucks without side airbags. Although I can't understand why Ford bothers with the bypass resistors if they already have a different computer. You'd think they could just program that part out of the computer. But what do I know...

I think an easier solution might be to find an airbag computer from a truck without side airbags, swap it in, and get another bypass resistor for the passenger side.

Edit: forgot to add that I tested the resistor and it does indeed have 6.9 ohms like it should.

 

[239]

Yes, the bypass resistor. The seat I have has the resistor. The airbag light is still on. The computer apparently can tell the difference. I know it's not a connection or wiring problem because if I unplug the passenger side airbag and plug the resistor in the passenger side, I get an open circuit code for the driver's side and passenger side airbag. As soon as I plug the passenger side airbag back in, the code for the passenger side goes away and I'm left with just the code for the driver's side. So the computer just doesn't like the resistor.

I believe there are two different part numbers for the airbag computer: one for side airbag equipped trucks and one for trucks without side airbags. Although I can't understand why Ford bothers with the bypass resistors if they already have a different computer. You'd think they could just program that part out of the computer. But what do I know...

I think an easier solution might be to find an airbag computer from a truck without side airbags, swap it in, and get another bypass resistor for the passenger side.

Edit: forgot to add that I tested the resistor and it does indeed have 6.9 ohms like it should.

They may have two different part numbers, but with Ford the internal components are often identical. I know that the auto-down window modules have different part numbers for various Ford vehicles of the same year, but they're all exactly the same, down to the resistors. But it might be different in this case. I'm interested now in side airbags as well. I wonder what it would take to add them to my truck.

 

[Jon94]

The hardest part about adding side airbags to your truck would be finding seats that have the airbags. If you can actually find them, then I assume you just swap the seats, swap out the computer for a computer that works with side airbags, and plug them in. I could be wrong, but I don't see why you'd have to do anything else.

According to the fordparts website, there are two different computers: one for side airbags and one for without. It doesn't list the full part number though. I'm waiting to hear back from a member on another forum with part number info. He's a Ford parts counter guy. I might just go to a junkyard or find someone on Craigslist parting out an Explorer, find one without side airbags, and just grab a computer from that vehicle.

 

[Jon94]

OK, I just heard back from him and this is what he said (this is for a 1999 Explorer):

Without side airbags the p/n was XL2Z-14B321-EA which would have an engineering number of XL2A-14B321-ED. That number superseded to XL2Z-14B321-EB which has an engineering number of XL2A-14B321-EE.

The computer that's in my truck is XL2A-14B321-AC, so it's apparently different. I just ordered an XL2A-14B321-ED on eBay for $13 including shipping. It's worth a shot. Hopefully this gets rid of the airbag light, and I'll at least have two working airbags. If I ever do come across a seat with an airbag, I can swap it in and swap my original computer back in and have side airbags once again.

 

[jmisenti]

I have a 2000 ford explorer sport 2dr and it has the side airbags in the seats

 

[Jon94]

Well, swapping the computer didn't work. I got no less than 7 trouble codes with that computer plugged in, including a code specifically saying the wrong computer was installed. Apparently there are significant wiring differences between trucks with side airbags and those without. Looks like I'm back to searching for a seat with an airbag...

 

[239]

Well, swapping the computer didn't work. I got no less than 7 trouble codes with that computer plugged in, including a code specifically saying the wrong computer was installed. Apparently there are significant wiring differences between trucks with side airbags and those without. Looks like I'm back to searching for a seat with an airbag...

Interesting. I had the passenger-side kick panel off of mine this weekend because I was doing some custom wiring and I noticed that my airbag computer has the same part number as the one you ordered, but it ends with "-EB" and not "-ED". I was also surprised at how corroded the ground straps were for the harness down by the airbag computer.

 

[Jon94]

I think I got this problem solved! I went to the pick-n-pull today and scored some pristine leather, power front seats WITH airbags from a Mountaineer! I grabbed the passenger side seat too. Might as well have them match and have my wife ride in comfort (if she's willing to ride in this old junker once I get it fixed up ) I'll need to run some wiring for the power adjustment, but that shouldn't be hard. I'm super excited and can't wait to install them!

Also, I just realized that when I was searching online for a seat, I should've searched for Mountaineers too. I don't think the part listings for Explorer totally crosses over to Mountaineers, so when I searched for Explorer seats, they didn't show any seats from Mountaineers. I bet the side airbags are probably much more common in Mountaineers, too.

I also think I found a new hobby: going to the pick-n-pull! I had a lot fun searching the yard for that part, and then the thrill of actually finding exactly what I was looking for was great. I might go again this weekend and see what else I can find.

 

[239]

I think I got this problem solved! I went to the pick-n-pull today and scored some pristine leather, power front seats WITH airbags from a Mountaineer! I grabbed the passenger side seat too. Might as well have them match and have my wife ride in comfort (if she's willing to ride in this old junker once I get it fixed up ) I'll need to run some wiring for the power adjustment, but that shouldn't be hard. I'm super excited and can't wait to install them!

Also, I just realized that when I was searching online for a seat, I should've searched for Mountaineers too. I don't think the part listings for Explorer totally crosses over to Mountaineers, so when I searched for Explorer seats, they didn't show any seats from Mountaineers. I bet the side airbags are probably much more common in Mountaineers, too.

I also think I found a new hobby: going to the pick-n-pull! I had a lot fun searching the yard for that part, and then the thrill of actually finding exactly what I was looking for was great. I might go again this weekend and see what else I can find.

Nice. Yeah I'm at the local junkyard every other weekend. There's a lot of good stuff there and I find 10-15 Explorers whenever I go. Unfortunately I can't find good front seats, I've only found some good rear leather seats that I pulled from an Eddie Bauer My truck is pretty much an XLT with a lot of accessories at this point lol. I've pulled things like the visor with the built in garage door opener and a bumper with factory parking sensors. It gets almost addicting going there haha.