Air Bag Code 42
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: 0,0,1
Code 42 is the front impact sensor which is located on the vertical support in front of the radiator. Be sure to disconnect the battery for at least 10 minutes before touching anything to do with the airbag system, or you can deploy the airbags.
The sensor could be bad, or sometimes it just loses ground. In the second case remove the sensor and clean it's mounting area. Then put it all back together, reconnect the battery, and see if the code is gone. If that doesn't solve it then try a new sensor. Once again don't forget to first disconnect the battery for at least 10 minutes.
The sensor could be bad, or sometimes it just loses ground. In the second case remove the sensor and clean it's mounting area. Then put it all back together, reconnect the battery, and see if the code is gone. If that doesn't solve it then try a new sensor. Once again don't forget to first disconnect the battery for at least 10 minutes.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 24,322
Likes: 5,132
From: 0,0,1
If you think 10 minutes is a long time, then try and figure how much time it's going to take to earn enough to buy new airbags and then the time to replace them. After you add that all up you can easily see how 10 minutes is a 'better safe than sorry' approach.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: St Louis
If it took more than a minute to safely discharge the backup power supply in the RCM, Ford wouldn't instruct dealer's technicians and mechanics to wait only one minute. See the WSM.
Sample from the 99 WSM"
and, when replacing one of the airbags,
You can wait 10 minutes, an hour, a week, or a year if you want to, but the backup supply discharges within the first minute and there is no increased safety margin by waiting any longer.
'Nuff said.
Sample from the 99 WSM"
The RCM includes a backup power supply. This feature provides sufficient backup power to deploy the air bags in the event that the ignition circuit is damaged in a collision before the safing and air bag sensors determine that an air bag deployment is required. The backup power supply will deplete its stored energy approximately one minute after the battery ground cable is disconnected.
Disconnect the battery ground cable (14301) and wait at least one minute. For additional information, refer to 414-01.
'Nuff said.
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Thank you to alloro, ProjectSHO89 and Eddie2285. Your advice helped fix the problem. It was the sensor. When I disconnected the sensor and looked into the area where the connector plugs in, one of the sensor pins was still stuck in the connector. It had corroded into two. I went to a dealer and bought a new Sensor. It cost about $70.00. I ran into a mechanic on my way out and he said they fix corroded crash sensors all the time.
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naturalscience42
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Jan 14, 2011 07:34 PM
