Air Bag Diagnostic Codes
1989-1991 On the '89-91 systems, you simply count the flashes from the Airbag lamp to get the fault code.
| Code | Component Fault/Description |
|---|---|
| 2 | All Primary Crash Sensors Disconnected. |
| 3 | Air Bag Deployment Circuit - Low Battery Voltage or Low Backup Power Supply Voltage |
| 4 | Safing Sensor - Diagnostic Circuit Open or Low Primary Crash Sensor Resistance |
| 5 | Air Bag Circuit or Crash Sensor Circuit - Shorted to Ground |
| 6 | Driver-Side Air Bag Circuit - Open or High Resistance |
| 7 | Passenger-Side Air Bag Circuit - Open or High Resistance |
| 8 | Primary Crash Sensor - Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly |
| 9 | Primary Crash Sensor Circuit - Open or High Resistance |
| 10 | Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal Fuse - Open Due to Intermittent Short to Ground |
In the 1992 model year the systems changed. 1992 System 2 was used in the Taurus/Sable, Town Car (built after 11/5/91), and Continental. To obtain the code on this system, count two sets of flashes and interpret it as a 2-digit code (e.g., flash-flash pause flash-flash-flash = 23)
| Code | Component Fault/Description |
|---|---|
| 12 | Low Battery Voltage |
| 13 | Air Bag Circuit - Shorted to Ground |
| 14 | Primary Crash Sensor - Shorted to Ground |
| 21 | Safing Sensor - Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly |
| 22 | Safing Sensor Output Circuit - Shorted to Battery Voltage |
| 23 | Safing Sensor 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 | Primary Crash Sensor #1 Feed/Return Circuit - Open |
| 42 | Primary Crash Sensor #2 Feed/Return Circuit - Open |
| 44 | Primary Crash Sensor #1 - Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly |
| 45 | Primary Crash Sensor #2 - Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly |
| 51 | Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal Fuse - Open Due to Intermittent Short to Ground |
| 52 | Backup Power Supply - Voltage Boost Fault |
| 53 | Primary Crash Sensor Circuits - Resistance to Ground, or Internal Diagnostic Monitor Fault |
| Rapid Continuous Flashing of AIR BAG Readiness Lamp - All Primary Crash Sensors Disconnected |
If you plan to work on your airbag system, exercise extreme caution. Personal injury may result if you accidently deploy an air bag. The airbag system is live all of the time - it is not switched on and off by the key. There are also backup power supplies. The 1989 - 91 system will discharge in about 20 minutes after the battery is disconnected. The service manual says that it must be disconnected to safely work on the vehicle. The 1992+ system will discharge in about one minute after disconnecting the battery.
Never attach a self-powered test light to any part of an airbag system. If you want to work on the system, acquire and review a manual that covers servicing of the system. Examples are the Air
