Location of Airbag Diagnostic monitor

[tominnewjersey]

Hello,
My Airbag light started flashing a 51 code (five flashes followed by a pause and a single flash) before staying on. Everything that I have read has indicated that the airbag system diagnostic monitor read an intermittent short to ground and cause a termal fuse to open. I have not located the short..probaly why it was intermittent. I would like to replace or repair the Diagnostic monitor but I can't locate it. I searched under the instrument panel on both sides...does anyone have a photo or location of this where it is located? Thanks.

 

[05explorer1974]

Hello,
My Airbag light started flashing a 51 code (five flashes followed by a pause and a single flash) before staying on. Everything that I have read has indicated that the airbag system diagnostic monitor read an intermittent short to ground and cause a termal fuse to open. I have not located the short..probaly why it was intermittent. I would like to replace or repair the Diagnostic monitor but I can't locate it. I searched under the instrument panel on both sides...does anyone have a photo or location of this where it is located? Thanks.

I would double check that because Ford had more problems with the pretensions in the seat belt then monitor for the air bags. Most of the time it was the pretensioners in the bulks. Both Explorers and Escapes had that problem. I sold alot more pretioners and it was mainly the drivers side I believe. I believe the monitor is under the seat or the consule.

 

[tominnewjersey]

Ok, thanks for that feedback. I will look into that. I did have an intermittent problem of the seat beat unfastened warning signal going off at times even when the seat belt was fastened. You may be right as to the initial cause but now that it has gotten to that 51 code..I am 99 percent sure I have to change that monitorout because of thermal fuse opened to cause that code to flash. It basically means the system is no longer turned on. I would love to find out that I am wrong about that.

 

[05explorer1974]

Ok, thanks for that feedback. I will look into that. I did have an intermittent problem of the seat beat unfastened warning signal going off at times even when the seat belt was fastened. You may be right as to the initial cause but now that it has gotten to that 51 code..I am 99 percent sure I have to change that monitorout because of thermal fuse opened to cause that code to flash. It basically means the system is no longer turned on. I would love to find out that I am wrong about that.

That is true but if the pretensioner is not working it will cause the system to turn off. Anything tied to the airbag system goes through that monitor. That includes crash sensors and seat belt pretensions.

 

[tominnewjersey]

05explorer, I located the monitor under the console! Thanks for that info. The dealerships wants nearly $600. So I ordered a used one online for about $60. When it arrives I will try it and if it doesn't fix the problem I will look in the direction of replacing the pretentioner on the drivers side.

 

[05explorer1974]

05explorer, I located the monitor under the console! Thanks for that info. The dealerships wants nearly $600. So I ordered a used one online for about $60. When it arrives I will try it and if it doesn't fix the problem I will look in the direction of replacing the pretentioner on the drivers side.

Great. Sounds good hope this fixes your problem!!

 

[tominnewjersey]

Ok, I received my junkyard monitor today and swapped out the old one. Unfortunately, it still flashed a 51 code. I am wondering if I need to reset the vehicles computer, as well..I assumed that code came from the monitor and not the car's onboard computer but I am not sure. I may also have swapped a bad monitor for a bad monitor since it was used. Any suggestions?

 

[tominnewjersey]

Ok, after putting in three different airbag doagnostic monitors I got from used salvage dealers, and saw the exact code, I started checking wires for shorts to ground. I found none. So I then started looking closely at all the connectors (which I cleaned did a good cleaning on) and located a broken wire that leads to the drivers seat pretentioner. The break was hidden in the insulation but near the connector. I hard spliced the wired together eliminating the connector and it solved the problem. So you were kind of right..it was the pretentioner but it was a wire..FORD should be ashmed of itself for making that wire so short and putting stress on that...they may have caused people to drive without airbags. What bugs me is that 51 code was suppose to be a bad diagnostic monitor with blown fuse..obviously it wasnt blown..it was merely an open circuit..

 

[Catdad99]

05explorer, I located the monitor under the console! Thanks for that info. The dealerships wants nearly $600. So I ordered a used one online for about $60. When it arrives I will try it and if it doesn't fix the problem I will look in the direction of replacing the pretentioner on the drivers side.

When you say the console do you mean the center arm rest console?
Alldata says behind the ip right side for my 98 xlt