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.
A passenger-side air bag circuit short to ground could be caused by a short to ground in Light Blue/Orange wire (circuit No. 607), short to ground Pink/Black wire (circuit No. 616), short to ground in passenger-side air bag module or faulty RCM.
- 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 module
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 harness side of RCM connector terminals No. 6 (Light Blue/Orange wire, circuit No. 607) 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 simulator from harness 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 or replace as necessary. Go to step 6. If no damage is found, go to step 6. - 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 B1888 was retrieved during on-demand self-test, check for cause of intermittent faults at or near passenger-side air bag module harness connector. Repair any intermittent faults found. If intermittent faults are found and corrected, go to next step. If intermittent faults are not found, go to step 2. If DTC B1888 was not retrieved during on-demand self-test, fault is intermittent. Check for cause of intermittent short to ground in Light Blue/Orange and/or Pink/Black wire(s). 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. If no continuous DTCs were retrieved, reconnect system. Activate air bag system. See ACTIVATING SYSTEM under DISABLING & ACTIVATING AIR BAG SYSTEM. Clear all DTCs. See CLEARING FAULT CODES under DIAGNOSTICS.