Do both of these lights just mean the passenger airbag is off?

[quangdog]

This is probably a dumb question, but it's bugging me: I just spent 10 minutes digging through the printed owner's manual, but did not find a good explanation about these icons. Do *both* the yellow icons just mean that the passenger airbag is off? They are both illuminated all the time when I drive alone.

Why did Ford include 2 lights to indicate exactly the same thing?

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[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Kimball,

On page 9 of the owners manual it indicated the passenger side air bag deactivated.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[VAMike]

I think the picture that's lit up indicates that the airbag is off because the system thinks the seat is empty. It's also possible to be off because the system thinks there's a child seat (the other picture, not lit up.)

 

[quangdog]

On page 9 of the owners manual it indicated the passenger side air bag deactivated.

Sure enough. Page 9. Oddly, this icon does not appear anywhere in the section on supplemental restraint system.

Thanks!

 

[quangdog]

I think the picture that's lit up indicates that the airbag is off because the system thinks the seat is empty. It's also possible to be off because the system thinks there's a child seat (the other picture, not lit up.)

See, the odd thing about that is that when I *do* have a passenger, both of the "ON" and "no child seat here" icons appear.

So, if I had a child seat in the front (which you are never supposed to do, right?), "OFF", and the "no child seat here" icon would illuminate?

I guess my software engineer brain is just annoyed with the poor UI.

 

[samsd]

I swear when my Ranger was new, the Off light was the only one illuminated, then I noticed the second light illuminated, I could be wrong, my wife says that is a frequent occurrence.

 

[VAMike]

See, the odd thing about that is that when I *do* have a passenger, both of the "ON" and "no child seat here" icons appear.

So, if I had a child seat in the front (which you are never supposed to do, right?), "OFF", and the "no child seat here" icon would illuminate?

I guess my software engineer brain is just annoyed with the poor UI.

I could certainly be wrong. I won't argue that the UI sucks. I know they're trying to avoid words because of potential language issues, but this is a case where the right 5 words would be better than a picture painting a thousand words.

 

[quangdog]

does it not depend if anything is in the seat?
a small bag will indicate the seats occupied, but not necessarily heavy enough weight to be a full size person, therefore it wont trigger deployment in an accident??
just so you dont mash the face of your 6yr old with an airbag if they sit there???

My confusion is not about whether the airbag is on or off... it's why the heck are there 2 icons to indicate that it is off, especially when the first one is literally the word "OFF". The second one is a guy in a seated position with a seatbelt on, the number "2" as his lumbar support, and an "X marks the spot" hovering in front of his face. What the hell does that icon even mean?

Phil pointed out page 9 of the manual which says that icon indicates the passenger airbag system has been deactivated.... which is exactly what the glowing "OFF" means. So why even have the second icon?!

As I've mentioned though, this probably only bugs me because I develop software for a living, and stuff like this gets stuck in my craw.

 

[CO2Ranger]

I looked at this yesterday only because you mentioned it. I interpret it this way:

OFF lit -> it shows you that an adult shouldn't sit there. Xd out man with seatbelt also illuminated

ON lit -> it shows you that a child shouldn't sit there. Xd out car seat also illuminated

So I guess its basically one light for the state of the airbag and one to explain what that means for who shouldn't be in the seat for that state.

 

[shirleyb]

I also have some of these funny lights. My solution is to use a quality electrical tape and cut to the necessary length and cover the light. It will solve the issue, and make you feel better.

 

[quangdog]

OFF lit -> it shows you that an adult shouldn't sit there. Xd out man with seatbelt also illuminated

Except that as soon as an adult *does* sit there, the "adults should not sit here" light turns off, as the system is re-enabled when the truck detects an adult sitting in the seat. So that light can't mean that an adult should not sit there...

 

[quangdog]

I also have some of these funny lights. My solution is to use a quality electrical tape and cut to the necessary length and cover the light. It will solve the issue, and make you feel better.

Just like a VCR in the 80's!

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