[EL34xyz]

I turned off the passenger side airbag
Then I removed the passenger seat to install a custom platform in it's place

There was one two wire connector under the seat that I dis-connected
I assumed it is some sort of sensor that senses if someone is sitting in the seat?
The wire went into the lumbar region of the seat which confused me further

I used a mutimeter to see if the two pins on the seat side connector had resistance
I get a reading under 1 ohm
I was trying to determine if it was a switch at the other end of the wire or some sort of sensor

So now the airbag light stays lit up all the time (see my image)

Searching for free wiring diagrams has yielded nothing
I did find a site where you can get a paper copy for $82
http://www.helminc.com/helm/Result....5&Category=3&Keyword=&Module=&selected_media=

Can anyone shed some light on how that passenger seat two pin connector works?
I am trying to fool it into thinking the seat is still there and get the airbag light to shut off

 

[RandomJoe]

Unless you specifically ordered seats WITHOUT airbags (and that was only an option on 2015s, I wasn't able to do that on my 2016) then the seat has an airbag IN it. My seats have a little tag sewn on the outside edge of the backrest that says "AIRBAG". The computer is unhappy because it doesn't see that airbag.

I saw a Youtube video where a Ford tech was diagnosing an airbag fault using Ford's IDS software. Supposedly all the computer is doing it looking for the right resistance from the airbag - on the car he was servicing that was around 2.2 - 2.5 ohms. It's VERY finicky, the "defective" airbag was measuring a little over 3 ohms! (The problem was a poor connection, not the airbag.)

In theory, you could "fake out" the computer by placing a suitable resistor across the terminals. Someone here tried that when they removed the side-curtain airbag from their wagon and reported it didn't work. I don't remember what value resistor they tried.

One point I thought about when I last looked into this, if the airbag is fired by applying 12V to the igniter and you replace it with a (say) 2.2 ohm resistor that'd be around 65 watts! Using a cheap Radio Shack resistor (1/4 or 1/2 watt) could mean starting a fire if/when the airbags are deployed. Not sure how long power gets applied to the igniters...

 

[EL34xyz]

My seats have that airbag tag on the sides
I thought that meant that it had the side curtain airbag

An airbag in the seat?
What does it do, launch you forward through the windshield?

 

[Michael Ophus]

for what it is worth... http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/interior/21273-removing-rear-airbags.html

 

[RandomJoe]

My seats have that airbag tag on the sides
I thought that meant that it had the side curtain airbag

An airbag in the seat?
What does it do, launch you forward through the windshield?

Ejection seat!

No, when they go off they inflate out the side of the seat and forward between the occupant and the window/door. I didn't realize they were putting them in the seats either until I was optioning my van. Orton mentioned getting the "no airbag" option and I tried but it wasn't available for 2016 except in certain fleet configurations.

 

[Budsky]

Seat airbags were not standard on base cargo vans in 2015....it was perhaps an option to ADD them but the base van came without any- no option to delete them required.

 

[RandomJoe]

Ah, okay. It's been most of a year since I was reading about all that and ordering my van. I remembered Orton talked about making sure he didn't get airbags but no details - my memory isn't too clear anymore...!

 

[EL34xyz]

Mine is a 2015 - 250 cargo van and it has the airbag tags on the side of the seats

I got it used at a chevy dealership a couple weeks ago
Not sure if the original owner ordered the seat airbags as a custom option?

I looked at the air bag simulators at this site
http://www.airbagsystems.com/simulator.html

I wonder exactly what they are?
Maybe I will order one for $29 and see what's inside one
You can order drivers side or passenger side simulators

 

[orton]

Ah, okay. It's been most of a year since I was reading about all that and ordering my van. I remembered Orton talked about making sure he didn't get airbags but no details - my memory isn't too clear anymore...!

In 2015 you could buy seats with or without airbags. My 2015 does not have seat airbags. No wiring under the passenger seat. I can remove the passenger seat without detaching any wiring. Just four Torx 8mm bolts.

Since I do not like all the electronic doodads, the van was ordered with as few as possible.

 

[joefromga]

Shouldn't there be a seat sensor for the passenger airbag in the dash?

 

[EL34xyz]

There's only two wires on my passenger seat and they lead to the airbag

There's 4 wires on my driver seat.
Two for the airbag and two go to the seat belt

 

[Moot]

I have a 2015 and I removed the passenger seat. There was a wire connection between the seat and the base. I had to disconnect the wires at the plug to remove the seat. The airbag icon is lit on the instrument panel.

 

[Nacy]

My 2015 does not have seat airbags

 

[joefromga]

But you have a passenger seat sensor for the dash airbag.