Air Bag Light On problems of the 2001 Ford Windstar

Airbag light comes on/off, took vehicle to Ford dealership,, they said there are no recalls, however I have two recall numbers 00v270000 and 00v412000 concerning the rcm-restraint control module-they want to charge me to inspect the vehicle, I don't feel I should have to pay a fee for them to inspect my vehicle if a recall exist for the problem I identified already called the fort customer support number they are the ones who said no recalls exist for this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. When the contact started the ignition, the seat belts failed to operate. The air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the restraint control module (rcm) failed. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 00v270000 (air bags), although the failures were identical. The part for the repair was ordered and the vehicle will be repaired once it arrives. The failure and current mileages were 81,000. Updated 8/27/09 updated 09/04/09.

Dt:the contact stated that the passenger side, side impact air bag deployed without an impact while driving. No indicator lights were on prior to air bags deploying. The vehicle has been at the dealership for nine days, they have been in contact with the manufacturer. Neither the dealership nor the manufacturer could determine the cause of the problem. The vehicle has not been repaired. Updated 11/16/2005 - the manufacturer examined the vehicle but was unable to determine what caused it to deploy and refused to accept any responsibility for this problem.

The passenger side airbag deployed for no reason at all. The owner was traveling on the expressway with no potholes or bumps at a speed of 40-45 mph. The owner was going onto the ramp when he heard an explosion. The passenger thought that they had been shot because the noise was so loud. The airbag light was not on before deployment, but it was on now that the air bags deployed. The owner has been in contact with Ford and their local Ford dealership. Ford customer affairs refused to do anything about it because the warranty expired. There was 1 injury, but not life threatening. This did not result in a crash. The airbag blew the seams out of the seats and foam had gotten everywhere. This was going on 3 weeks, and the consumer was waiting for Ford to determine if they were going to fix the defective airbag. Ford determined that they were not liable.

I purchased the vehicle on November 10, 2001. The vehicle had been brought from another dealer, and when I picked it up, it was purported to have been examined and everything working. When I got a few miles down the road, I noticed that the air bag light was flashing. I called the dealership and was told to take it to a dealer as soon as possible and have it checked. Since it was Saturday, I had to wait until the next week to have it checked. I was told at prestige Ford that the air bag sensor module was not the right one for my car. The car was manufactured 3 days after the modules changed for the new cars. They ordered the part, I came back a week later to have it repaired. The computer still showed a problem, and mechanic said that he had replaced the part but would have to contact Ford to see what to do about the other problem. A week later he called and said he had not reached Ford yet. I said that my air bag worked, though, and he said no. The next day I was struck by another vehicle in a front end crash. We struck at approx. Same angle and both air bags deployed. Mine did not. I stopped when I saw her come over on wrong side of the road. She hit me at approx. 35 mph. Middle seat in the car came out of the anchors. I hit the steering wheel and was thrown against the door. I was injured, neck, chest, arm, side. I believe the vehicle was defective, I was allowed to drive it without the offer of a loaner, and I feel that the air bag could have diminished my injuries. I am also very concerned about back seat coming loose.