Is this fraud??

I just recently bought a 94 Ford Taurus and the blinking Airbag Warning Light had been taped over with a small piece of black electrical tape. I didn't find out until 2 weeks later when my daughter noticed it. I bought it from an individual but, none the less, is this a kind of fraud?

Also, I have had two people wonder aloud if the car even has an airbag system. I mean, you feel the plastic cover and it seems to depress too easily and too much, not having the full feeling that one with an airbag would have.

I had a 94 Sable till the head gasket blew (3.8L). My Sable kept flashing an airbag code issue with passenger side bag. I basically ignored it. In cold weather the ABS light would blink, then go off when it warmed up. Motor mounts were also getting weak, which is also very common with the 3.8L. These cars don't age too gracefully. Taping over the lights isn't uncommon but yes he should have told you. Is it fraud, I don't know. A 94 Taurus/Sable is going to have a ton of minor issues with it. All in all it's not a bad car, except for the 3.8L head gasket issue, but you can expect it's going to have minor issues that you'll need to decide to fix or ignore. If the airbag deployed and he knew and didn't say anything, that's wrong if he didn't replace it.

Contact the individual you bought it from and tell them what you found. I'd be interested to hear what they say.

What Lamp Fault Code (LFC) does the light flash out when you first start the car? The LFC could give you an indication to the severity of the issue, such as open driver and passenger airbag, thermal fuse open, etc. Beats taking the steering column apart to determine if the bag is there or not.

-Rod

The airbag light is your friend. It's flashing a code that will tell you what's wrong with the system.
Check out these sites for mor information.

Is it fraud...maybe, but buying from an idividual is different than buying froma dealer. The same rules don't apply except "buyer beware!!"

http://www.airbagsolutions.com
http://blog.airbagsolutions.com
http://www.airbagsolutions.com/light.aspx

I didn't find out until 2 weeks later when my daughter noticed it. I bought it from an individual but, none the less, is this a kind of fraud?

Read your bill-of-sale. If it says the car was sold "as is", then no, it's not fraud. If not, then you can take him/her/them to court if you want with a good chance of winning because they obviously tried to hide it.

In 1994 the Taurus won a passenger side airbag as one of the, if not the only, major change from 1993, so yes, it does have one. Someone may have deactivated it for some insane reason. Read the LFC and find out what it's saying.

Good luck!