99 escort airbags

i have a 99 escort that was in a front end collision. the airbags deployed. i am pretty mechanical, so i am thinking about fixing the car myself. however, i have never done airbags before. what parts need to be changed along with the bags and how is a check of the system done to make sure it is working correctly.

Welcome to the forum!

I would take it to a qualified service individual. Air bags are dangerous. If one deployed and was aimed at you at the time you would be injured. I think you need a new sensor at the front of the car. If you replaced the bags themselves and not the sensor it could be in the deploy mode and would go off. The airbag module has to be replaced, also. It can't be reset because a fuse inside burns up when they are deployed. Always keep an airbag pointed away from you.