Possible Causes
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2004 Ford Pickup, 2004 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2004 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2004 Ford Excursion. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
An PAD switch fault could be caused by damaged or inoperative PAD switch, damaged or inoperative RCM, or short to battery, short to ground or open in White/Light Blue wire (circuit No. 1112).
- 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 B1871 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is hard. Go to next step. If DTC B1871 was not retrieved, fault is intermittent. Go to step 6. - Check PAD switch ON position
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disable air bag system. See DISABLING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Access RCM and disconnect harness connector. See RESTRAINTS CONTROL MODULE (RCM) under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Turn PAD switch to ON position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector terminals No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire) and No. 21 (Black/Orange wire, circuit No. 649). See Figure. If resistance is 900-1100 ohms, go to next step. If resistance is not 900-1100 ohms, go to step 4. - Check PAD switch OFF position
Turn PAD switch to OFF position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector terminals No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire) and No. 21 (Black/Orange wire). If resistance is 400-600 ohms, replace RCM. Go to step 7. If resistance is not 400-600 ohms, go to next step. - Check circuit for short to battery
Disconnect PAD switch harness connector. See PASSENGER-SIDE AIR BAG DEACTIVATION (PAD) SWITCH under REMOVAL & INSTALLATION. Turn ignition switch to RUN position. Measure voltage between ground and harness side of RCM connector terminal No. 8 (White/Light Blue wire). Measure voltage between ground and harness side of RCM connector terminal No. 21 (Black/Orange wire). If voltage is less than 0.2 volt on both circuits, go to next step. If voltage is more than 0.2 volt on either circuit, repair short to battery in appropriate wire. See WIRING DIAGRAMS . Go to step 7. - Check circuit for open
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Measure resistance between harness side of RCM connector terminal No. 8 and harness side of PAD switch connector terminal No. 6 (White/Light Blue wire). See Figure & Fig 1 . If resistance is less than 5 ohms, replace PAD switch. Go to step 7. If resistance is more than 5 ohms, repair open in White/Light Blue wire. Go to step 7. - Check for intermittent fault
Turn ignition switch to OFF position. Disable air bag system. See DISABLING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Perform on-demand self-test. If DTC B1871 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is hard. Go to step 2. If DTC B1871 was not retrieved, fault is intermittent. Check for cause of intermittent faults in White/Yellow 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. - 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. See DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) IDENTIFICATION table. DO NOT clear any DTCs until all DTCs have been resolved. If no continuous DTCs were retrieved, reconnect air bag system. Activate air bag system. See ACTIVATING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Clear all DTCs. See CLEARING FAULT CODES under DIAGNOSTICS.