[ambria]

I have a 1993 Taurus that at first the light for the airbag would flash a few times and if you turned the car off and turned it back on, it would go away for months. Only happened a few times. Then my starter went out and the car sat for 2 months and then my son replaced the starter and he drove it for the day and the airbag light came on and stayed on - then came the burning smell through the ac vents, then the light still stayed on. Now the light comes on I think 5 blinking times every few seconds and now there is a beeping noise that won't go away even if the ignition is off. :angry:

I can not afford any money to take it in for repairs since I am on disability and only a small check coming in.

Is there a way to get rid of the beeping sound? I know it will run my battery down since it stays on.

Disconnection the negative cable help?

Please someone help me.

Ambria

 

[HighTecRedneck]

Disconnecting the battery cable will temporarily stop the light flashing and the beeping but that's not a usable long term solution.

I'm not positive but i'm fairly certain that the problem is your alternator. You can go to Autozone or Pep Boys and they can check the charging system for you usually free of charge. That could explain the burnt electrical smell and i know others have posted before that when the airbags light starts flashing it is usually a component in the charging system. I'm pretty sure about this (not experienced it myself though) but if i'm not right someone will chime in. Welcome to the TCCA, hope you enjoy it here.

 

[HighTecRedneck]

I found a bit more info in an older thread that might help you. Try to determine the pattern of the blinking and you can determine the code it is trying to relay to you.

A flashing airbag light can mean one of two things. The first possibility is that your battery is in death throes. Have it tested at your local auto parts store. The second possibility is that there is an actual problem with the airbag system. Below is a list of airbag codes, which will flash on the warning light. For example, the light will flash once, pause and then flash twice == 12.
 
12=Low Battery Voltage
13=Air Bag Circuit Shorted to Ground
14=Primary Crash Sensor Circuit Shorted to Ground
21=Safing Sensor Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
22=Safing Sensor Output Shorted to Battery Voltage
23=Safing Sensor Circuit Input Feed/Return Circuit Open
24=Safing Sensor Output Feed/Return Circuit Open
32=Driver Side Air Bag Circuit High Resistance or Open
33=Passenger Side Air Bag Circuit High Resistance or Open
34=Driver Side Air Bag Circuit Low Resistance or Shorted
35=Passenger Side Air Bag Circuit Low Resistance or Shorted
41=RH Primary Crash Sensor Feed/Return Circuit Open
42=LH Primary Crash Sensor Feed/Return Circuit Open
44=RH Primary Crash Sensor Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
45=LH Primary Crash Sensor Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
51=Air Bag Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal FuseFuse Blown Due to Intermittent Short to Ground
52=Backup Power SupplyVoltage Boost Fault
53=Primary Crash Sensor Circuits Resistance to Ground or Air Bag Diagnostic Fault
 
When the airbag light is flashing, the computer sees a problem in the system and the airbag will not deploy.

Error code 12 was the one i was referring to in my past post about it possibly being a bad alternator.

 

[ambria]

Thanks for the info! I did look and the code I am getting is:

51=Air Bag Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal FuseFuse Blown Due to Intermittent Short to Ground

Not an easy thing I guess to replace....so I am stuck with disconnecting the battery at nights due to I can not get the beeping noise to shut off...

Any more suggestions other than to put a For Sale sign on it and sale it CHEAP?

Thanks!

Ambria

 

[HighTecRedneck]

Ouch! Well wish i had better news but if you want that fixed they first need to find the short (assuming their is still one) that caused the internal fuse to pop in the first place. That way you won't fry your replacement part (probably the electrical burning smell you smelled before). Unfortunately the internal thermal fuse for the air bag diagnostic monitor is not replaceable itself. The dealer wants 275.65 for the air bag diagnostics monitor and the cheapest i have found it new is from www.fordpartsnetwork.com for 199.99. You could always try and find the part used from a junk yard. If you feel like doing that the part number is F3DZ14B056A. Others might have additional ideas but other then that i'm out of ideas right now.

 

[ambria]

OUCH is right! I will let it beep away since I can't pay that kind of money out right now plus the cost of labor charges. I wonder if the thing making the beeping sound will ever wear out...... <_< It seems to sound off and then stop for awhile...it has not ran my battery down...so I am going to say - let it beep away. Actually this is the first car I have ever owned with an airbag in it. My other cars were muscle cars and antique compared to this car.....personally I am a Chevy person but this has been a good car (owed it since 1998) and have not put a lot of money into it.......

Hey, I seen an ad for airbag diagnostics in the paper for $62.00. You saved me that money due to you told me how to read the code.

THANKS!!!

Ambria

 

[HighTecRedneck]

Glad i could help and that is what we are here for (helping each other out that is). Yeah i'd just let it beep if it were me and didn't have the cash to fix it right away. I doubt it would run your battery down unless you used it very infrequently since each time you run the car it charges the battery. Keep us updated and hope things work out for you on this.

Hey mods, this one for the common problems section since the blinking air bag light seems pretty common even though this time it wasn't the battery or alternator?