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Ford Airbags Deploying in Error

Ford Airbags •Sometimes they do •Sometimes they don't

Sandesh of Newscastle WA writes (6/10/03):
On 31st May, we went to the library to drop off our books. We parked our car, and I got down to drop the books. My wife, who was sitting on the passenger side went to shut the ignition off, As she was doing it, she could see the side air bag about to blow out. She brought her hand forward to cover her face and was hit by the blown air bag. AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED.

The car is a 1999 Mercury Cougar. Smoke started coming out and we had to call the fire department. Per fire department captain, they have never seen this case before. The smoke was just the air bag powder.

Here is the summary of the damage: Side Air Bag deployed. Air Bag cover hit the windshield which cracked the whole windshield. The force of deployment also popped out air vent and the dash board. When we called up Ford, they asked us to claim it through our insurance. But when we told them that it did not make sense (As we will also have to pay our co-pay) they told us to send the vehicle to a Ford dealer where they can run diagnostics.

Six months back this vehicle had the Ford-recommended 60,000 mile service/check completed with no issues found. Current mileage is around 64,000. Ford says that one of the modules was faulty and also this module has warranty of 5 years or 50,000 miles. But this was not mentioned in any of their service manuals. Also nobody pointed this out when the car had the Ford-recommended 60,000 mile maintenance and check.

Insurance has said they cannot cover it and we have to talk to Ford. Ford says this is out of warranty. How do we come to know which part is going to cost us because it has run out of warranty, if nobody points out the problem during routine maintenance. We are still waiting to see how much it is going to cost. Meanwhile we have to rent a car and repair the car on our own. Can some one help us to handle this?

Dee Dee of Forsyth GA writes (3/6/03):
I was driving our newly purchased (but used with 27k miles) 2001 E350 Ford 15 passenger van and slowing down to turn when the driver's side airbag deployed. I was not braking hard, nor was there ANY impact. The dealership at first said that the module was faulty but has since recanted and says that the Warranty department won't cover replacing the airbag because they found no problem. The passenger side bag did not deploy and I am told that unless there was a faulty sensor it would have deployed as well if there had been an impact. Even still they claim that no problem can be found.

I am so thankful that my injuries were very minor (small bruise and either chemical or heat burns on my left arm and upper abdomen. I am especially thankful since I was 33 weeks pregnant when the incident occurred. However, I am not prepared to let Ford get away with denying that the airbag (or sensors) had a problem. I was told that other than the dealership and customer service I had no recourse with Ford. They were unwilling to provide me with a contact within the company.

Had I been driving full speed I am sure the shock of the deployment would have caused me to wreck. Ford should be called to task and required to address the problems with their airbags. The customer service rep implied that there are many calls regarding 'claims' of faulty airbags deploying when they shouldn't have. I am not interested in a monetary settlement (except to cover cost of repairing the vehicle that is under warranty, and hospital costs for monitoring the baby) but I AM interested in protecting other people who might not be so blessed as we were to be spared injuries.

I am so thankful that no one was severely hurt. My children who were in the vehicle are now petrified that it might happen again. Other than a small bruise and some superficial burns on my arm and abdomen I was not hurt. The baby, so far as we can tell, was not injured either. The hospital monitored the baby's heart rate for about an hour but no extensive testing was done. I am now faced with the option of driving a vehicle without a horn while I battle this. I am not so sure I want the airbage replaced anyway since they are claiming that nothing is wrong. I am sure that the front passenger seat will now be permanently vacant until someone owns up to there being a problem and fixing it.

Grace of Canton MI (7/23/03):
I own a 1997 Ford Mercury Tracer. Presently it is in storage because the airbags deployed while I was driving. Because of the medical damages involved Ford refuses to do anything about it unless I sign a medical waiver. I lost the use of my car because it was completely undriveable and I had to purchase a different car. I had a sprained and burned left hand along with loss of hearing.

Linda of Augusta, Maine, writes:
My husband was driving down the road one morning, coming home from a doctor's appointment and the airbag in his F150 Eddie Bauer truck exploded, blowing his hands off the steering wheel and knocking him unconscious. The truck then veered sharply to the right and hit a granite pillar.

We contacted the Ford Motor Company about this and they shrugged it off saying let your insurance company deal with it. Now, because we did this, our insurance company does not want to renew with us and the Ford Motor Company does not want to compensate or help in any way either. It's been very frustrating trying to get this resolved. The sad thing is, if my husband had died in the accident, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

The insurance company didn't even pay the vehicle off after they totalled it. We ended up forking out of our pockets over $2100. We spoke to a couple different lawyers but they don't want to go up against big companies like FORD.

Linda and her husband should sue Ford in Small Claims Court. They don't need a lawyer to do this and they actually have a good chance of winning since it is highly likely Ford won't show up to defend itself.

Pamela of Olney IL 7/5/01):
I was a passenger in our 1995 Ford Windstar Van. A small racoon ran in front of the van causing both airbags to deploy. There was no damage to the van. A small tuft of raccoon hair proved that it did not hit the sensors (the insurance company sent us diagrams of where the sensors are located).

I suffered a concussion and bleed inside my brain. As a result, I have severe migraines, muscle weakness, vertigo, dizziness, occasional confusion, I now have to take 2 different anti-depressants, a strong pain killer, and another medication for the dizziness and vertigo. My vision has decreased significantly. I am under the care of a neurologist, who says that I will not get better and will always need treated and monitoring to ensure the bleed does not start rebleeding.

The insurance company did not inform us that we needed to have the van impounded and examined, even after they were told by our insurance company that we were considering going after Ford. They say that the raccoon hit on the sensors. We proved that it did not and they have never responded to my letter re: that fact.

We have contacted numerous attorneys and none are willing to take on Ford. The insurance company is only paying my medical bills, which are well into the thousands of dollars, but will only do so through February 4, 2002. After that, I don't know what we will do as our health insurance company has stated that they will not pay as it is a pre-existing condition. I am only 35 years old and it is frustrating to have so many health problems as the result of a raccoon and airbags. I am terrified of air bags now.

Pamela needs to find the right attorney -- a trial lawyer who specializes in representing individuals who have been injured by the negligence of employers and corporations.

Barbara of Saddle Brook, NJ (5/5/00):
Faulty air bags deployed at a low speed accident under 20 mph. Caused my windshield to smash and $4,000 of damage. All of this damage was caused by the airbags, there was no body damage on the car because it was a low-speed fender bender.

The accident occurred on 3/24/2000. Elmwood Park Ford, NJ has been waiting for parts since then!!! We waited over 4 additional weeks for the seat belts, all other work on the car had been completed. When they finally got the seat belts today, they found they have to replace another sensor. They don't know when they will get the sensor in, they ordered it today but it is on back order. I want Ford to reimburse my insurance company for the repairs since the air bags should not have gone off, I want them to make good on the fact that I have not had a car for 6 weeks + . Also, I have sent them letters, the latest certified that they take weeks to respond to. I spoke to a rep over 2 weeks and asked for a supervisor to call me back ... I still wait. What is wrong with this company?

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