Possible Causes
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Ford Ranger. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
A passenger-side air bag circuit shorted to ground could be caused by a short to ground in Light Blue/Orange wire (circuit No. 607), a short to ground in Pink/Black wire (circuit No. 616), a short to ground in passenger-side air bag module or RCM internal fault.
- Check for hard or intermittent DTC
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Connect scan tool to Data Link Connector (DLC). See USING SCAN TOOL under DIAGNOSTICS. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Retrieve and record any continuous DTCs. See RETRIEVING FAULT CODES under DIAGNOSTICS. Perform on-demand self-test. See ON-DEMAND SELF-TEST under DIAGNOSTICS. If DTC B1888 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is hard. Go to next step. If DTC B1888 was not retrieved, fault is intermittent. Go to step 5 . - Check passenger-side air bag
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disable air bag system. See DISABLING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Perform on-demand self-test. See ON-DEMAND SELF-TEST under DIAGNOSTICS. If DTC B1888 is retrieved, go to next step. If DTC B1888 is not retrieved, replace passenger-side air bag module. See PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG MODULE under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Go to step 6 .NOTE: Do not remove or separate shorting bars from RCM harness connector. - Check passenger-side air bag circuit
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Access RCM and disconnect harness connector. See RESTRAINTS CONTROL MODULE (RCM) under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Measure resistance between RCM harness connector terminals No. 6 (Light Blue/Orange wire) and No. 21 (Black/Orange wire, circuit No. 649). See Figure . If resistance is less than 10 k/ohms, go to next step. If resistance is more than 10 k/ohms, replace RCM. Go to step 6 . - Check passenger-side air bag wiring
Disconnect passenger-side air bag module connector. Inspect all crimps, terminals, fuses, wires and connectors feeding RCM harness connector terminals No. 6 (Light Blue/Orange wire) and No. 7 (Pink/Black wire). See WIRING DIAGRAMS . Also, check for pinched wires and damaged connector terminals. If any damage is found, repair/replace as necessary and go to step 6 . If no damage is found, go to step 6 . - Check for intermittent fault
Refer to continuous DTCs recorded in step 1 . If DTC retrieved in step 1 was an intermittent fault, check for cause of intermittent short to ground in Light Blue/Orange wire and Pink/Black wire. See WIRING DIAGRAMS . Attempt to recreate fault by flexing wire harness and cycling ignition switch frequently. Repair any intermittent problems found. Go to next step. If DTC retrieved in step 1 was not an intermittent fault, go to next step. - Check for additional DTCs
Refer to continuous DTCs recorded in step 1 . If any continuous DTCs were retrieved, go to diagnostic trouble code identification table for direction to appropriate test. DO NOT clear any DTCs until all DTCs have been resolved. See DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) IDENTIFICATION table. If no continuous DTCs were retrieved, reconnect system. Activate air bag system. See ACTIVATING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Perform system operation check. See SYSTEM OPERATION CHECK . Clear all DTCs. See CLEARING FAULT CODES under DIAGNOSTICS.