2009 Ford Fusion airbag disable

[RonD]

Hi,

Daughter has a 2009 Ford Fusion
She got a passenger side airbag recall
Called dealer to schedule it, was put "on the list" but was told 3 maybe 6 months before parts will available

So she is afraid to let anyone sit in passenger seat
2009 doesn't have a passenger side disable switch, I think it uses a weight sensor under in the seat, and if weight is under say 70lbs(a child) it will disable airbag, not sure of the weight.

Can I unplug this weight sensor to disable that airbag or will it just default to always on

Is there a way to disable it, she won't let me disable all the airbags, lol, i.e. pull the fuse

 

[Dirtman]

On my truck (which is also an 09 so I assume the systems are similar) the OCS (occupant classification sensor) also disables the SRS system if it doesn't detect the proper weight or is completely disabled. So not only will you get an Airbag and SRS light but your disabling both safety systems. The OCS sensor is a silicone pressure mat built into the seat so no way to just remove it either.

Im skimming through my shop manual but so far see no easy way to disable only the passenger airbag without also disabling the SRS.

honestly I wouldnt touch it. If you read about the recall, chances of anything happening are very very low especially up north. The main issue is the hot humid parts of the southern US.

 

[19Walt93]

If you unplug the sensor it will turn on the warning light and disable the airbags. And if she gets in an accident and the drivers bag doesn't work you'll feel like a heel.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, its an all or nothing deal. Always has been. Anything that turns the light on disables the whole system. That's why Ford won't allow disabling the suspect airbag as a temporary fix.

 

[RonD]

Well there was a passenger side airbag disable switch on most vehicles until the mid-2000's so it wasn't an all or nothing, until what I would guess would be a few accidents where people forgot to turn it back on.

She wasn't swayed by the long odds on the airbag accidentally deploying

Found the instructions to remove it, pretty simple to do, but if I disconnect its two connectors it sound like whole system would be off line which is not what I want either

 

[adsm08]

Well there was a passenger side airbag disable switch on most vehicles until the mid-2000's so it wasn't an all or nothing, until what I would guess would be a few accidents where people forgot to turn it back on.

She wasn't swayed by the long odds on the airbag accidentally deploying

Found the instructions to remove it, pretty simple to do, but if I disconnect its two connectors it sound like whole system would be off line which is not what I want either

I believe there was something with that switch that allowed the RCM to know the switch was in the off position, rather than a circuit fault. That switch had 4 or 5 wire out the back of it IIRC.

And Ford only put those in the trucks. I've never found an Expedition or a sedan with one.

 

[Dirtman]

The manual deactivation systems had the switch intertwined into all the insanity and modules, it wasnt just a simple wire disconnect. With the automatic system theres 3 seperate but interconnected modules just for the passenger airbag. Trying to disable only a peice of the system is next to impossible.

I wonder if you could just remove the inflater?