Auto Repair Articles

Question:

I just bought a 92 ford full size van E-150.after i got it the air bag light and buzzer started going off. The code is 5 then 2 is what it keeps doing. Do you know what that means, and is there a relay switch that a can disable this until i can get it fixed ??

 Answer:
There is no disable relay or fuse. If you try to remove the bulb it will continue to make noise and beep the 52.

It is not your cars battery. It is a capacitor that is located inside the air bag’s diagnostic monitor (AKA computer). When you turn the ignition switch on the air bag computer monitors the voltage at this capacitor. Within about 45 seconds there has to be about 23 volts (yes 23 volts) present. In the air bag computer there is a voltage boost circuit that provides the extra kick to turn the voltage up to that level. The capacitor is a storage device or back-up power supply for the air bag system. If the voltage doesn’t reach the correct level the air bag warning light will flash code 52 to alert you that the air bag system is not operating correctly. To find the cause for the failure or bad part will require some diagnostic time.

Code Component Fault/Description
12 Low Battery Voltage
13 Air Bag Circuit – Shorted to Ground
14 Primary Crash Sensor – Shorted to Ground
21 Safing Sensor – Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
22 Safing Sensor Output Circuit – Shorted to Battery Voltage
23 Safing Sensor Input Feed/Return Circuit – Open
24 Safing Sensor Output Feed/Return Circuit – Open
32 Driver-Side Air Bag Circuit – High Resistance or Open
33 Passenger-Side Air Bag Circuit – High Resistance or Open
34 Driver-Side Air Bag Circuit – Low Resistance or Shorted
35 Passenger-Side Air Bag Circuit – Low Resistance or Shorted
41 Primary Crash Sensor #1 Feed/Return Circuit – Open
42 Primary Crash Sensor #2 Feed/Return Circuit – Open
44 Primary Crash Sensor #1 – Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
45 Primary Crash Sensor #2 – Not Mounted to Vehicle Properly
51 Diagnostic Monitor Internal Thermal Fuse – Open Due to Intermittent Short to Ground
52 Backup Power Supply – Voltage Boost Fault
53 Primary Crash Sensor Circuits – Resistance to Ground, or Internal Diagnostic Monitor Fault
 Rapid Continuous Flashing of AIR BAG Readiness Lamp – All Primary Crash Sensors Disconnected

If you plan to work on your airbag system, exercise extreme caution. Personal injury may result if you accidentally deploy an air bag. The airbag system is live all of the time – it is not switched on and off by the key. There are also backup power supplies. The 1989 – 91 system will discharge in about 20 minutes after the battery is disconnected. The service manual says that it must be disconnected to safely work on the vehicle. The 1992+ system will discharge in about one minute after disconnecting the battery.

Never attach a self-powered test light to any part of an airbag system.

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