I have a 4 Cyl 03 Ranger.

A few months back, I took the truck to the dealer to have a few things fixed right before my extended warrantee expired. When they pulled it in, they told me the airbag light was on, which was the first time it had happened (it wasn't why I brought the truck in). Anyway, they said it was a bad airbag switch and replaced it.

A couple months later, the light is back on... flashing 24 and 18. One time I'll start the truck and I'll get the 18 and the next, I'll get the 24. Sometimes 24 3 times in a row, etc. Its random as to what code I will get.

I have searched the forum for airbag codes and saw that ...

1-8 is Passenger Pretensioner Circuit Shorted to ground

Could that be fixed similar to the 46/47 codes by cleaning out some plug (which I don't know where it is) under the seat?


I have not been able to find anything about 2-4.


I wouldn't worry about the light, but in Virginia, the airbag light is something they flunk cars for on the safety inspection... mine is due in Oct.


Thanks for your help

 

1-8 could be a short to ground on the PS pretensioner circuit. Could also be a short to hot but that is much less likely. A test with a dealer tool can show the difference by reading the exact Bxxxx trouble code but the 1-8 flash code is the same for both conditions.

My information says that codes 2-4 and 4-2 do not exist in 2003. If you are sure about the count, that might mean a bad Restraints Module, although I have never heard of one giving an imagnary code.

 

I'll check again at lunch to make sure I got the codes right.

Is there anything I can do about the 1-8 code myself without taking it to the dealer? Labor around here is roughly $90 an hour.


Thanks

 

I would look to see if there are pinched wires under the pass seat, near the belt pretensioner or near where the Restraints Control Module is located. If the seat or module have ever been removed, it would be easy for that to happen.

 

What am I looking for when I look under the seat? What is the belt pretensioner?

 

Have your seats ever been removed? If so, then it's possible that the wires under the seat were pinched and grounded on reassembly. Or maybe you have an amp or CD changer or something else mounted or stored under the seat? It isn't necessarily any of those - I'm just thinking of possible ways to get a grounding code on the pretensioner circuit.

The pretensioner is part of the fixed end of the seat belt near the center of the truck. There are two, driver side and passenger side. Each is an explosive device that can rapidly tighten the seat belt during a sensed frontal impact.

 

I went out at lunch to verify the 2-4 code. That's what it was. And the 1-8.

Don't think the seats were removed before. I bought it with 25K miles on it and it has 90K now.

Anyway, I went looking around under the seat - not much room there, but I slid the seat forward, ran my hand under the seat to follow some of the wires, etc. Got back in the truck and no light. It goes off as it should. Started the car up two more times and no light. Hopefully it holds at least until I get it inspected :-)

Thanks for the help... so glad I didn't go to the dealer. I never would have thought about wires under the passenger seat, and and never realized the light was blinking a code until I checked the forums.