Ok guys, ive lurked here from time to time but now i had to stop and share an issue I just had the other day. I was driving a 2004 ZTS 4 dr sedan and the drivers side seat airbag just deployed for no reason! I was on a highway in Canada on my way back from Whistler with my girlfriend and a couple of friends in the back seat and we were on a winding highway coming around a corner and all of a sudden BOOM!

It was dark at the time and the whole car lit up with a explosive flash and smoke. I was in absolute shock, I thought someone set an M80 off in the back seat. The girl behind me started screaming because the bag was so hot it was burning her. I could not hear out of my left ear because of the explosion, nor could I process what was going on. I just kept the car in the road until her screaming snapped me out of it. I managed to get off the road (which had no shoulder to pull onto).

Outside the car, there is no damage whatsoever, we didn't hit anything, didn't run over anything, nothing. The road was a little rough and bumpy but that's about it. We weren't even using the seat heaters.

So my girlfriend took the car in to the local dealership today and dropped it off. The service advisor told her that it may or may not fall under the 5yr. restraint warranty depending on what they conclude after checking it out. The rest of the car is just outside of the factory warranty by about 5,000 miles. Apparently after she told them about the incident and was waiting for me to come get her, she overheard them speculating about how it may have happened and suggested that maybe she had cut and pulled the airbag out of the seat... what kind of bullshit is that?

So when I got there I went in and discussed the situation with a more stern demeaner letting them know that I was very upset about it going off and that we almost crashed, etc. I just wanted to get the point across because it seemed like they didn't really believe the story (the advisor said he had never seen/heard of anything like this).

Anyways, we are just going to have to wait until tomorrow to see what they say. He said he wasn't sure if it was going to go to the mechanics or the body shop. Quite frankly I hope for their own sake that they decide to cover it because I am going to raise hell if they try to tell us that this somehow does not fall under the restraint system warranty, let alone a MAJOR safety malfunction that could have killed all 5 passengers in the car. He seemed nice about it and just said that we wouldn't know much until they checked it out.


Wish me luck.


p.s. does anyone know where the sensor is for the drivers seat side airbag?

i have no idea where that sensor is but it sound like the wiring shorted out somehow... foci harnesses suck and the wires are too small. never seen this befor thoguh

wow that is pretty damn scary, I would freak out for sure! Glad to hear everyone is ok.

Dude, that would scare the crap out of me, if that would happen to my side airbags.

The scariest part was driving the 250 miles back home while hoping nothing else would go off. I think it was a fluke but it makes me REALLY nervous. I'm just glad I was driving... if my girlfriend was driving she would have freaked and ran off the road for sure.

This makes me glad I don't have side airbags....LOL. Man, that must have been scary......is everyone ok?

Ensure that you contact Ford using the info in your Owner's Manual. The airbag module's memory will stored all the parameters at the time of the "event", and you should insist that a Ford Tech. Rep. be present along with yourself, when that data is downloaded. Also, file a complaint here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

I can almost swear this happened to another Focus Fanatic on here. I read a similar thread not too long about an airbag going off spontaneously on the freeway. There have also been instances where airbags HAVEN'T gone off in moderate collisions too. Who the hell knows... these things just fail occasionally.

In any case I wish you the best of luck on getting the whole thing sorted out. I can't blame you for being angered by the stealership's BS. It IS a safety hazard and I do believe you're entitled to some serious compensation out of their expense. I can't even see anyone being able to justify this as being normal.

My suggestion is to gather up as much evidence as possible, by taking pictures of your vehicle from different angles to show that no physical damage could've possibly triggered the airbags to deploy as it was designed to. You also mentioned that the side airbag burned the passenger behind you. I'd also try to get clear pictures of that too, if the injuries are serious enough to be visible. That should help you demonstrate that YES IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD!!

I'd be calling up some lawyers.

Man that is some serious shit. In an accident wouldn't all of the bags go off? So they can't even say you hit something.

If they didn't fix it, I'd do some serious ass kickin at Ford.

That's awful. Go to your dealership.

Did you get a police report? Cause at least then you could somewhat prove you didnt rip it outta the seat, but honestly...why the hell would you do that. So you rip it out and then have to be without your car for a while...doesnt make sense to me. Idk I might of called the police, I guess you can say its technically and accident cause damage was done to your car...not to mention you said the girl in the back seat was screaming cause the thing was burning her...did she get burnt bad?

I can almost swear this happened to another Focus Fanatic on here. I read a similar thread not too long about an airbag going off spontaneously on the freeway.

Yup, I remember that too.

Wow, so they called back earlier and apparently they are claiming there is damage to the under side of the car where the sensor is. They claimed there is a 4 inch dent on the underside. I can't even believe this right now... im going down to take a look at it tomorrow to figure out wtf is going on.

Does anyone tell me where I can find out the sensor locations?? Is there really a side impact airbag sensor underneath the car?

Its a Ford [paranoid]

I can almost swear this happened to another Focus Fanatic on here. I read a similar thread not too long about an airbag going off spontaneously on the freeway. There have also been instances where airbags HAVEN'T gone off in moderate collisions too. Who the hell knows... these things just fail occasionally.

I don't know if this is the one you're thinking of:

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43312&highlight=side+airbag+deployed

This has happened before i remember reading another thread on it


and it was just as random

I also heard about this happening to somebody else. It was an SVTF though I believe....

This did happen to another FFer here. It was an SVT with Recaros.

"SIDE AIRBAG deployed for NO REASON!!!"

I'm sorry but when I read the title of this thread I busted up laughing and I couldn't stop. I don't know why but I laugh at the weirdest things.....glad that no one got hurt though.........

See, I was hoping you took pictures before dropping it off at a dealership. Because now they claim there's a dent around the sensor area? I hate to sound stupidly paranoid, but if that's something they did intentionally to cover their ass then it can no longer be proven without pictures taken immediately after the accident.

I suppose if it turns out that the dealership is right about the damaged sensor, I guess that would explain why it went off like that. Do you remember ever driving off the road or on rough terrain, that may have caused rocks or gravel to kick up into your undercarriage at high speeds? All kinds of nasty things can go wrong in that situation, with problems that won't show up until much later on. And that includes freak accidents with tiny sensors being slightly damaged.

On the other hand if the Focus has only been through regular everyday driving with the occasional bump throughout its ownership, then technically it's Ford's fault for not providing enough protection for those sensitive sensors. It's going to be hard proving that though, considering the low number of reported cases of random airbag deployment.

Oh and the previous thread I was making reference to involved a random airbag deployment also. And I believe it was also an SVT, but I'm not 100% positive on that. I also remember reading about a window spontaneously shattering on a freeway too. I guess some Foci are haunted and carry evil spirits with them.

that sucks

your in trouble now....once they realize it's somehow their fault they will find the stupidest things to get away from it. The usual is ''YOU DID IT''. Happened to me before...I had a big thread going about it...wasnt about airbags but i'd get legal help if they persist with their story. Best of luck man

Ford[nutkick]

it was a blue SVT with blue seats...i know the guy

man thats crazy. its absolutely crazy.

Sometimes, I could swear that the focus had it's electrical system put together by Lucas. I've had nothing but trouble with the focus electrical system, and this is a concern for me (I have side impact airbags on my 07).

Best of luck, be firm, and if need be - get an attorney.

Apprently the side impact sensor is located in the rocker panel, and since some sort of object seems to have made enough of an impact to dent the rocker panel, that reaction is enough to set off the airbag. This basically scares the sht out of me that I may just be commuting one day on the highway and have a rock or other object set off my airbag. None the less the dealership has the evidence they need to claim it as a normal function at my fault.

I guess I got the short end of the stick on this one.

p.s. such an incident costs over $2000 to fix just fyi (out of pocket in my case)

I'm glad you are OK and that they are going to fix for you!

I guess I got the short end of the stick on this one.

p.s. such an incident costs over $2000 to fix just fyi (out of pocket in my case)

Check with your insurance company, if you are carrying comprehensive on the car this might be a legitimate claim!

I'm glad you are OK and that they are going to fix for you!
At his expense..

That sucks, I'm glad I don't have side airbags. Good luck to you.

Well I guess it makes sense to have 'em in the rocker panels. Where else would they be? It sounds like you just had a huge freak accident with a very low probability of something like that ever happening. Unfortunately you were one of the few who hit the lottery on it, and I'm very sorry to hear that...

Side airbags are still a great feature to have anyway. I lost my first Focus to an Econoline van that broadsided my driver side door at about 25-30 mph. Hit my head against the glass fairly hard, but luckily I was able to walk away with only a bruise on my temple. Somehow I think I got very lucky on that one.

This is becoming too common.....Ford needs to take care of this problem....its getting scary.

The problem is that the evidence is against me with having a dent in the rocker panel where the sensor is claimed to be. I agree that something significant enough to cause the airbag to go off should probably be so extremely noticable that it would involve the car being at or near major damage or collision. Like I said, the only thing I can think of is that whatever object hit that exact spot was nullified by the intensity of the situation where the explosion of the airbag completely blocked out my senses. But I do know for the fact that the car kept going straight, there was no interference in steering or car direction, and there is no other visible sign of damage on the car or to its components. So perhaps it was an incredible fluke that a rock or object had just enough force with enough concentrated surface area to impact/dent the panel in the exact spot where the sensor is located. Does that sound pretty far fetched? It might, but it's the only thing that makes me feel even slightly justified in signing my $2000 bill. Next time it happens (probably on my next commute to work) ill just stuff the airbag back in the seat and sew the seam back together my self.

that is insane!! i would have Pooped a brick!!

I wouldn't have paid that bill, or even having paid it, I would have some words with the BBB and at least see what they have to say. There is no way that you hit something hard enough to cause a "Dent" ( I don't know how big the dent is ) and blow an air bag, but the car went perfectly straight.
I know you didn't take pictures or anything, but 5 witnesses should be sufficient enough to make a case.
it could be a media nightmare for Ford, and they are not doing that well.. but they would soak up a $2000 before this was made into a bigger issue about how they could have had 5 serious injuries on their hands.
Call me a shit disturber but I would not be walking out of that dealership with my tail between my legs and out 2 gr

Go in on a Saturday during peak sales hours and throw your fit then. They will be more understanding then. Only talk to each person 5 min tops then ask for their boss.

Talk about it endangering you life and your passengers, be graphic about how it deployed.

what heelflip said!!! will work asap, promise. im in sales!