2000 Ford Explorer Air Bags & Restraints Problems

Front seat will not stay up. They recline out of nowhere. I believe it's just old wore out parts.

I was driving slowly (35mph), regular speed limit on that road is 60. Roads were snowy and icy, another vehicle driving extremely fast for the road conditions, started to swerve head on in to my lane, I swerved to avoid a head on collision. In doing so, I hit ice, started doing a 360, the front end and the drivers side door of my vehicle hit an irrigation ditch where it goes under a street, it caught my vehicle on the drivers side and I started rolling. I rolled 3 or 4 times and finally landed right side up. My roof was caved in and resting on the top of my head, shoulder and neck. However, none of my airbags deployed ( see pictures), even though I hit the irrigation ditch head-on. Vehicle can be inspected if needed. The vehicle is totaled as they had to cut the doors off to extract me. I have left head, shoulder, neck, abdomen and leg soft tissue damage since I kept slamming in to the steering wheel with no protection since my air bags did not deploy. I did have my seatbelt on.

THE PASSENGER DOOR STOPPED LOCKING, ONE OF THE SEATS BELTS IS MISSING THE COVER TO CLICK THE BELT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AS THE IGNITION WAS BEING STARTED, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FIVE TIMES WHERE AN UNKNOWN REPAIR WAS PERFORMED. THE MALFUNCTION RECURRED AFTER EACH REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH AND CRASHED INTO AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. THE DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE AND WAS KILLED. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE CRASH BUT AFTER REVIEWING SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE CRASH SITE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE OCCUPANTS OF THE SECOND VEHICLE WERE NOT INJURED. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE AIR BAG FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CAUSING IT TO CRASH INTO A SECOND VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND EMITTED METAL, GLASS, AND FIBERGLASS FRAGMENTS. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SHOULDER, FACE, MOUTH, LEFT ARM, AND BREAST INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 09/01/2015*LJ UPDATED 9/20/2017*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. AFTER STARTING THE IGNITION, THE "AIR BAG" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 147,000. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THROUGH AN INTERSECTION AN ONCOMING VEHICLE BROADSIDED THE DRIVER SIDE WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL ONCE AND IT LANDED IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT FAILED TO KEEP THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED. NO ONE WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE BUT THE SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK AND THE PASSENGER WAS THROWN AROUND INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE SEAT BELTS PRESENTED A SAFETY RISK AND DID NOT OPERATE PROPERLY DURING THE CRASH. NO ONE OTHER THAN THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES. SHE FRACTURED 5 RIBS ON HER LEFT SIDE AND HAD A HIMATOMA ON HER RIGHT ARM. BOTH PASSENGERS WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DESTROYED. THE CONTACT HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AT SPEAKING WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 57,000. UPDATED 05/08/09 *BF UPDATED 05/12/09.*JB UPDATED 05/12/09.*JB THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO STAY LATCHED. UPDATED 06/09/09.*JB

AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. DEALER STATES A "SHORT" IN WIRING LOOM, NEEDS TO REPLACE WITH A BETTER CONNECTOR FOR $1100. DEALER WARNS ME THAT WHILE LIGHT IS "ON" AIRBAG SYSTEM WILL NOT OPERATE IN A CRASH. *TR

IN AVOIDANCE OF HITTING A COW, I ROLLED MY FORD EXPLORER AT LEAST 3 TIMES AND NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, FRONT NOR THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS. MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF WERE FORTUNATE TO COME OUT WITH MINOR INJURIES. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE HAVE NOT YET OFFERED TO SETTLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER SPORT. SHE STATED THAT SHE HEARD A CONSTANT BEEPING NOISE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTROL PANEL CAUSED THE FAILURE AND THIS COULD RESULT IN THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYING WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE DEALER DISCONNECTED THE AIRBAGS. THE BEEPING NOISE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. AS OF MAY 19, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

WHILE DRIVING THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER THE SAME DAY AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE SIDE AIRBAG PROBLEM. THE TESTING CODE WAS 1998. THEY CHARGED ME $903.45 TO FIX IT ON AUGUST 30, 2007. ON AUGUST 23, 2008 THE AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED FLASHING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I CALLED THE FORD DEALER AND TOOK IT RIGHT IN. WAS TOLD THE PART THEY REPLACED HAD GONE BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. OF COURSE THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PART AND THAT TOOK THREE DAYS. I WAS TOLD THAT WHEN THE LIGHT IS ON THE AIRBAGS DON?T WORK. THIS HAPPENED SIX DAYS BEFORE THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY RAN OUT AND THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY BEEN 4,100 MILES SINCE THE PART WAS REPLACED. THE PART WAS REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME ON AUGUST 27, 2008 UNDER THE ONE YEAR WARRANT PERIOD. THE WORK WAS PERFORMED SO POORLY THAT I HAVE NO FAITH THE AIRBAGS WILL WORK IF I EVER NEED THEM. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE FORD DEALER AND SHOWED THEM THAT THE WIRING FOR THE SIDE AIRBAG WAS POKING OUT THE BACK OF THE SEAT AND THE AIR BAG REALLY WASN'T ON THE SIDE IT WAS MORE OF A BACKSEAT AIRBAG NOW. NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAVE TO LEAVE IT WITH THE DEALER AGAIN TO FIX IT. I HAVE SEEN THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE AIRBAGS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHEN FORD IS GOING TO STEP UP AND ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 58 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR SIDE IMPACT COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE AND BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES MADE MOSTLY BY THE SEATBELT THAT WAS WORN DURING THIS ACCIDENT. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE CONTACT TOOK PICTURES, AND NO POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY AT AN INDEPENDENT BODY SHOP FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION AND REPAIRS. NO REPAIRS HAD CURRENTLY BEEN MADE.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY, AND WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WAS SHUT AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE AIR BAG STRUCK THE PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE, CAUSING BRUISES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE.

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. TOOK IN TO CHECK. SIDE IMPACT AIRBAGS REQUIRE NEW WIRING HARNESS - THERE IS AN UPDATE TO THE WIRING HARNESS - NO RECALL. HOWEVER, IF NOT REPAIRED NO AIRBAGS FUNCTION. THIS IS SECOND WIRING HARNESS FAILURE IN VEHICLE. *JB

DT: THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH SHORTED OUT. SOMETIMES IT WOULD WORK AND THEN OTHER TIMES IT WOULD NOT WORK, AND FINALLY QUIT WORKING ALTOGETHER. HAD IT REPLACED BY MECHANIC, HAD NOT CONTACTED DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER. CRUISE CONTROL FAILED ON JUNE 1, 2005. *AK THE CLOCKSPRING FAILED AND CAUSED THE HORN TO ACTIVATE INTERMITTENTLY. *NM

THE AIR BAG CHECK LIGHT REMAINS ON. THE OWNER'S MANUAL INFORMS THE CONSUMER THAT THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT . OWNER WILL TAKE VEHICLE FOR REPAIRS FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

AIR BAG HAS A DEFECT-NEEDS AIR BAG HARNESS KIT. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT COMES ON & STAYS ON . THIS IS HOW I FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. THE FORD GARAGE SAYS T ISN'T COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. *AK

I WAS RECENTLY INVOLVED IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT IN WHICH I WAS THE DRIVER. IT HAPPENED LAST FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 21ST AT APPROXIMATELY 6:24 PM. JUST OUTSIDE OF CARROLL, IOWA. I HIT A PATCH OF BLACK ICE AND MY VEHICLE ROLLED INTO A DITCH. I WAS DRIVING A 2000 FORD EXPLORER WITH BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAGS AND NEITHER ONE DEPLOYED. WE ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AND LANDED WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO SHATTER THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE EQUIPMENT WAS FAULTY. *AK

WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND REMAINED ON UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. *NM *SC *JB