Question About the Passenger Airbag Light

[sabbathfan0220]

Hey guys, first time poster here. I have a question about the passenger airbag indicator light on my 2013 Fusion Hybrid SE and I can't find the answer on here (feel free to link me to another thread if this has already been asked/answered).

 

The little screen in the dash has three elements: PASS AIRBAG, ON, and OFF. The PASS AIRBAG text is always visible and the ON and OFF portions only illuminate when appropriate. My question is: is the PASS AIRBAG text supposed to be illuminated? My car is about a year old now and I could swear the PASS AIRBAG text used to be illuminated all the time, now it is visible in daylight (it's colored white) but I can't see it at night. I attached a photo.

 

I took the car to my local Ford dealer and was told that this light is working as it was designed, but I am skeptical so I am coming here for a second opinion. Can any Fusion owners out there tell me what theirs looks like?

 

Also, side question, when my girlfriend is sitting in the passenger seat, it still illuminates the OFF light to show that the airbag is inactive. She weighs around 120 lbs. Should I be concerned about that?

 

Thanks very much.

[murphy]

Read the "Front Passenger Sensing System" section in your Owner's Manual. It answers all of your questions.

[Texasota]

I have been wondering about this also and found this in my 2015 owners manual:

 

This system works with sensors that are part of the front passenger’s seat and safety belt to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant and determine if the front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or not. The front passenger sensing system uses a pass airbag off indicator which will illuminate and stay lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled. The indicator lamp is located at the top center of the instrument panel.
Note:When the ignition is first tuned on, the indicator lamp will illuminate for a short period of time to confirm it is functional. The front passenger sensing system is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger's frontal airbag when a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing child restraint, or a booster seat is detected. Even with this technology, parents are STRONGLY encouraged to always properly restrain children in the rear seat. The sensor also turns off the passenger front airbag and seat-mounted side airbag when the passenger seat is empty.

 

There is a table in this section of the owner's manual that describes what the "OFF" indicator does when the seat is empty, occupied by a child and when occupied by an adult. What I got out of this entire section in the owner's manual is that the "OFF" indicator illuminates only when the passenger seat detects a child in the front passenger seat. I could not find any discussion about an "ON" indicator. It would seem that an "ON" indicator does not exist or else it never illuminates.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Texasota

[sabbathfan0220]

Thanks guys. I couldn't get a clear answer to my question in the owners manual, I was hoping another Fusion owner could tell me how their's works to double check.

 

I'm convinced that the ON and OFF portion of the light is working properly (even though the "proper" function is a little funny). My primary question, that I can't find at all in the owners manual, is whether the PASS AIRBAG text is supposed to be illuminated under any conditions. My PASS AIRBAG text is always white in color with no backlight and I'm pretty sure it was illuminated orange when I first purchased the car.

[murphy]

When you start the car and all of the icons in the dash dispaly come on for a few seconds the airbag indicator should also be on during that test.

[hybridbear]

The area that says "PASS AIRBAG" has never illuminated on our car.

[sabbathfan0220]

The area that says "PASS AIRBAG" has never illuminated on our car.

 

Huh, I must be remembering it wrong. Thanks.

[sabbathfan0220]

Can anyone else confirm that the PASS AIRBAG text never illuminates?

[jeffo65]

Can anyone else confirm that the PASS AIRBAG text never illuminates?

Mine was not illuminated.

[Texasota]

Can anyone else confirm that the PASS AIRBAG text never illuminates?

It does not illuminate on my 2015.

[sabbathfan0220]

Awesome, thanks guys.

[GrySql]

This Topic was moved to the appropriate Forum.