Warning Light On problems of the 2002 Mazda Tribute

My airbag warning light has been flashing on and off for a while now. I removed the items under the seat and the lights went off and worked for almost a month. All of a sudden the lights are now flashing again, even though there are no items below my seats. I was able to search online and see that there have been many issues with the seatbelt pretensioners and/or the connections below the seat that need to be wiggled or disconnected and then re-plugged in to make the light go out. It has happened in all situations including stationary, in motion, on the highway, or in the city.

My airbag warning light blinks, then stays on shortly after I crank the vehicle. I had it checked and the mechanic told me that it needed a new fuse because it was shorting out. He replaced the fuse and it immediately shorted out again. He told me that my driver side airbag is shorting out and I will need to replace it. I have read several complaints about this issue on this vehicle, so I called Mazda and was told that it was my problem to repair it due to the age of my vehicle. Is this true? I can't believe the complacency of the man I spoke to about the issue. I need this addressed, but do not believe that I had any control in the poor condition of this part. It is not something that suffers from simple wear and tear issues, like brakes or hoses! I hope that with all of the complaints I have read about this, someone will realize that it is a real problem, before someone does get hurt or killed.

The contact owns a 2002 Mazda Tribute. The contact was driving 35 mph when the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there were two seat sensors that failed on the driver and passenger front seats. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who stated that there were no recalls for the failure and offered no further assistance. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Airbag warning light has started flashing on and off, then staying on. Is now always on. Dealer said it was a failure in a sensor connection under the seat(s). I have seen many, many complaints about this important vehicle safety system failure online. Apparently it is a known issue. The Mazda dealer wants to charge $500 to fix it. Tough to do during tough economic times. Guess it's food or possible fatality. Which would Mazda recommend?.

After starting the vehicle air bag warning light illuminated while the vehicle was being operated. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.