Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||||
| 15908 | 05/01/2002 | 637800 | Air bag lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code b1994 or b1998 passenger side air bag resistance high. *tt | 12/06/2002 | |
| 13202 | 09/01/1999 | 6090569 | Information regarding air bag lamp flashing. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||||
| 7021 | 09/01/1999 | 6090401 | Information regarding air bag lamp flashing. *mjs | 03/20/2000 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | ||||||
| PE03011 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/14/2003 | 08/22/2003 | INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT | ||
| Odi has identified 173 complaints alleging inadvertent or non-crash deployment of side air bags on model year (my) 1999-2003 lincoln town cars.most of the complaints allege that one of the side air bags deployed while driving without any impact.analysis showed that my 2001 through early my 2003 town cars have much higher complaint and warranty claim rates (138 complaints and 120 warranty claims) than the remaining vehicles (35 complaints and 32 warranty claims).ford changed its supplier of the side crash sensors for the my 2001 town cars.ford states that the algorithm in the my 2001 town cars is different from the previous model year's design, and that it is designed to provide improved occupant protection in moderate speed side pole impacts.in december 2002 (i.e., early my 2003 vehicle production), the crash sensors were moved from the floor of vehicle to near the base of b-pillars in order to reduce the incidents of inadvertent side air bag deployments.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea03-014) for my 2001-2003 town cars built before december 2002. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 03/07/2013 | 101525 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. the contact stated that the front driver's side air bag erroneously deployed as soon as the contact inserted the key into the ignition. the vehicle had been parked and was not driven on the day of the failure. the contact suffered injuries to the back and the head. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 101,525. | |||
| 03/07/2013 | 101525 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. the contact stated that the front driver's side air bag erroneously deployed as soon as the contact inserted the key into the ignition. the vehicle had been parked and was not driven on the day of the failure. the contact suffered injuries to the back and the head. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 101,525. kmj | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph and without any warning, the passenger side airbag deployed erroneously. the airbag warning light illuminated after the airbag deployed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 120,000. | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph and without any warning, the passenger side airbag deployed erroneously. the airbag warning light illuminated after the airbag deployed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 120,000. kmj | |||
| 03/06/2012 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. the contact stated while driving 30 mph, without any warnings the passenger side airbag deployed without a collision. the airbag light illuminated after the airbag deployed. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 120,000.cv | |||
| 03/14/2010 | |||
| The air bag light on this vehicle comes on often, irregularly and unpredictably on this vehicle. the dealer says it must be illuminated while in their shop to perform any diagnostics. this has been occuring for several years, and many miles. | |||
| 06/29/2007 | 72000 | 1 | 11/14/2000 |
| My air bag light blinks on and off for about 90 seconds then goes off for about another 90 seconds then comes on and stays on i was told by the mechanic at the lincoln dealership that i do not have any air bags when the light is on the problem? not known until i spend $$$ finding out why then spending more $$$ to fix it *jb | |||
| 02/10/2004 | 1 | 10/09/1999 | |
| The air bag check light remains on, which the owner is informed by the owner's manual that the air bag may not deploy in an accident. manufacturer has been notified by consumer. *nm the light stayed on periodically. consumer took vehicle back february 2005 because consumer was told there should be some error messages left in the vehilce; however that was not true. *bf *nm | |||
| 08/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| The driver's side front, driver's side impact and passenger front air bags did not deploy during an accident. the only air bag that deployed was the passenger's side impact air bag. *nm (lawyer, david duhigg on behalf of consumer)*jb | |||
| 08/06/2003 | 1 | 11/17/2000 | |
| While driving, the air bag warning light began flashing. the consumer immediately exited the vehicle because of a prior incident of unnecessary air bag deployment. see odi# 8015319 and 8013707. *ph *scc *jb | |||
| 01/26/2003 | |||
| The rear side air bag inadvertently deployed. dealer has been notified. ph | |||
| 10/23/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2099 | |
| I have been trying to view the information on my airbag and can't find it feb. 2002 sent to you. *ak | |||
| 05/16/2000 | 0 | ||
| Airbag light has been on, and consumer took vehicle to dealer. dealer said that airbag may not deploy in an accident. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1999 | |||
| Vehicle is equipped with driver and passenger frontal and side airbags, the airbag light comes on indicating a problem with the system which wont protect the occupant in event of a crash or it will deploy unexpectedly, resulting in a crash. dealer cannot determine the caus eof the problem. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 02/09/2010 | 120000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owned a 1999 lincoln town car. while driving 35 mph the contacts vehicle was hit head on by an suv. the contact crashed into a light post. a police report was taken. the passenger was injured. the vehicle was taken by the police and later on moved by the contact to a dealer. the air bags failed to deploy. the manufacturer was not informed. the vehicle was destroyed. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 120,000. | |||
| 06/30/2002 | 1 | ||
| Drivers air bag automatically deployed causing damage to the seat.*ak *mj | |||
| While traveling 40-45 mph another vehicle pulled out and hit consumer's vehicle, resulting in a crash. upon impact, air bags did not deploy at any time. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 12/19/1999 | 3 | 03/01/1999 | |
| Vehicle was parked with engine off. when started, vehicle went approximately 10-14 feet. attempted to make a u-turn, and put foot on brake pedal, but there were no brakes. vehicle accelerated out of control. put vehicle in park and it continued to travel and hit a parked car in the rear, but continued to travel. finally vehicle was turned off and it stopped. upon impact , air bags failed to deploy. drive rsustained injuries, and vehicle was totaled. *ak | |||
| 03/27/1999 | 4000 | 1 | |
| The consumer was involved in an accident and the driver's air bag did not deploy. *ak the consumer's vehicle was hit on a slight angle head on when another vehicle crossed the divider into oncoming traffic. the vehicle came to rest in a ditch. the driver's side air bag did not deploy. the consumer sustained a broken ankle in 3 places and a hairline crack on the right knee. also, a cut on the left leg. the driver of the other vehicle was killed as a result of the accident. *ph *jb | |||
| 01/16/1999 | |||
| While sitting and waiting to make a left turn, vehicle was hit on the driver's side. consumer hit her head, and the air bag didn't deploy. *ak | |||
| 01/16/1999 | |||
| While driving at 30 mph another vehicle hit consumer's vehicle on driver's side, driver's/passenger's side air bags didn't deploy. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 03/02/2007 | 74045 | 1 | |
| 1. i entered the vehicle which had been parked for approximately 90 minutes. i turned the ignition key to start the vehicle and at the moment i turned the key the driver side, seat/window side air bag deployed. the vehicle was not in motion, not in drive gear and was not struck by another vehicle. also, there had been no warning lights staying on indicating a possible problem with the air bag system. 2. the side air bag struck my left shoulder and upper back. it was painful, but did not injure me. after a few minutes, i started the vehicle and nothing else happened so i drove a short distance to my home without further incident. 3. i took the vehicle to a local lincoln mercury dealer and they determined that four wires in the main warning harness under the driver's seat were damaged, had shorted out and caused the air bag to deploy. the vehicle is a 1999 lincoln town car with 74,000 miles on it. they said all warranties were expired and there were no extended warranties on the vehicle and it is my responsibility to pay for the repairs. additionally, the warning harness( part # xw1z14a005aa) is no longer made and not in stock and may not be available. the estimate for repair is $3,500.00 parts and labor. if they repaired the wiring harness, i would have to sign a release of liability stating if the repaired air bag system failed to deploy or deployed when it should not because the wiring harness was not replaced the dealer would not be responsible. i contacted the ford customer relationships center and they said they had no history of this problem or recalls of this nature for this vehicle and that repair would by at my expense. *jb | |||
| 08/28/2006 | 110000 | 1 | 09/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 2mph through a parking lot, the front driver side airbag deployed without warning. upon deployment of the side air bag, the contact, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pushed aside into the center console, and lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle rolled over a parking lot divider, and crashed into another vehicle. the contact sustained minor injuries. due to the low speed of the crash, the vehicle sustained minor damage. a police report was taken. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer and an insurance adjustor who were unable to determine the cause of the airbag deployment. the manufacturer was also alerted. updated 10/31/2006 -*nm | |||
| 03/29/2006 | 84248 | 1 | 04/01/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while stopped at an intersection, the driver side curtain airbag deployed without incident. the vehicle was taken to the dealership. the dealership determined an accident did not happened so they were not responsible. | |||
| 05/16/2005 | 58500 | 1 | 02/15/1999 |
| We were hit by two vehicles broadside /passenger door the front airbags deployed but the side airbags did not respond. *jb | |||
| 10/20/2003 | 3 | ||
| Consumer noticed that the srs light appeared on the dashboard. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, an]d mechanic determined that side air bags needed to be replaced due to faulty air bags. *ak | |||
| 06/26/2002 | |||
| Airbag light was flashing for a few hours, then stopped. following day while driving passenger's side airbag deployed. dealer stated computer showed vehicle was in an accident, and warranty would not cover the repairs. *ak | |||
| 10/23/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| Consumer stated after turning the ignition on, the vehicles side air bag deployed without warning, releasing powder and chemicals, causing injury to consumer.*ak *jg | |||
| 04/26/2001 | 1 | 08/23/1999 | |
| While driving 58 mph another vehicle broadside my vehicle on drivers side door. upon impact side door seat air bag failed to deploy. frontal air bags deployed. driver was knocked sideways towards door and window in vehicle and sustained injuries. vehicle was totalled. | |||