2003 Explorer air bag connections

[gilbertwp]

I just dropped my 2003 Explorer (49000 miles) off to the shop with an air bag alert showing on the dash. I have been notif ied that to repair this willl require replacing both front seat wiring harnesses, at a cost of more than $400. I bought this thing with a 100,000 mile warrenty which I am informed is not covered. Am I being ripped off, or what? Has anyone else run into this problem?

[Baranis]

Originally Posted by gilbertwp

I just dropped my 2003 Explorer (49000 miles) off to the shop with an air bag alert showing on the dash. I have been notif ied that to repair this willl require replacing both front seat wiring harnesses, at a cost of more than $400. I bought this thing with a 100,000 mile warrenty which I am informed is not covered. Am I being ripped off, or what? Has anyone else run into this problem?

Has the vehicle ever been in an accident that deployed the air bag
or bags?
If so, extended warranty will NOT cover the repair.
The only time that I heard that an air bag light would come on
and repairing seat harness would fix the problem was due to
a seat belt pre-tensioner.
A seat belt pre-tensioner is mounted on the buckle side of the
seat belt. It has a gas charged mechanism that gets a signal
from the air bag monitor during an accident. What happens
when this gas charged mechanism is activated, it sucks the buckle
assembly closer to the floor. If a seatbelt buckle pre-tensioner is
activated it will make the air bag light come on and can only be
fixed by replacing the buckle assembly. One time deploy, that's it.
If the vehicle is accident free, carefully read your extended warranty
contract and read what items are covered.
Also to add, if the problem is related to the seatbelt, Ford has
a seatbelt warranty that is longer than the original factory warranty.
Sorry for the long post.
Hope this helps.

[exploded99]

Originally Posted by gilbertwp

I just dropped my 2003 Explorer (49000 miles) off to the shop with an air bag alert showing on the dash. I have been notif ied that to repair this willl require replacing both front seat wiring harnesses, at a cost of more than $400. I bought this thing with a 100,000 mile warrenty which I am informed is not covered. Am I being ripped off, or what? Has anyone else run into this problem?

I did not know about the extended seat belt warranty. Good info.

Welcome to the world of extended warranty contracts. You think you are covered, but GOTCHA!

Hold off on your repair till you have time to read your contract. Study it thoroughly, and have the extended warranty company explain to you why it is not covered. What contract clause excludes it and why. Many of these companies try to weasel, so make sure you understand what they are saying and why.

If it is not clear to you why they are denying it, and your reading makes you think you are covered, you may have to push. Use the appeals process, and do things in writing only once you get to a dispute phase.

Good luck!

[way2old]

I believe Ford has a 5 year,50,000 mile warranty on the supplemental restraint system. Check the owners manual and warranty booklet. It will give you the warranties for the vehicle.

[chr97]

I had this happen to my 97 I bought used bought an extra warranty through winn's. My wires were corroded and the warranty covered it.

Warranties are tricky the only thing I could not get them to raplace was a sensor on the Transfercase. My warranty said it covered all electrical and sensors. It said it covered all internal lubricated parts of the transfer case. Well the sensor was attached to the transfer case there for became a part of the transfer case and because it was not an internal lubricated part it was not covered cost me 450. Make sure you read very carefully and ask the warranty company for an explanation maek sure it goes a long with waht your policy states.