# Air bag light

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** mercury, villager, lights\
**Created:** [August 11, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916 "2009-08-11T21:42:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph\_smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@ralph\_smith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ralph_smith)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/1 "2009-08-11T21:42:29Z")

</div>

I have a 1994 Mercury Villager van with 190k miles. The car has only one air bag (driver side) and it has never deployed. A few months ago the air bag light began blinking and hasn’t stopped. I’ve heard it’s very expensive (a few hundred?) just to get the thing diagnosed. Any suggestions?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/2 "2009-08-11T21:54:54Z")

</div>

The light means there is a fault in the system and it has been disabled. The cost to repair will probably exceed the value of your vehicle. Use your seat belt and drive on…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph\_smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@ralph\_smith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ralph_smith)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/3 "2009-08-11T22:07:04Z")

</div>

That’s what I was afraid of. Thanks for the quick reply.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Manolito](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/manolito/32/3070_2.png) [@Manolito](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Manolito)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/4 "2009-08-12T05:01:42Z")

</div>

My understanding is that 15 years is about the life expectancy of the bag. If it worked, I have this mental image of the bag deploying in shreds and looking like someone’s dirty laundry blasting in your face.

New bags are very expensive and it sounds like you have an additional problem. I cannot say that it is a good idea, but I drive old cars, and when my SRS bulbs light on a 15 year+ car, I just remove the bulb.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralph\_smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@ralph\_smith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ralph_smith)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/5 "2009-08-12T13:52:01Z")

</div>

Thanks. To get rid of the light, do I have to get way up in there behind the dash, or can I just disconnect a wire somewhere? I can see the “SRS air bag” box with a couple of tubes(?) plugged into it. Can I mess with that without blowing my face off?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/air-bag-light/34916/6 "2009-08-12T13:53:49Z")

</div>

On most Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, removing the bulb will result in a series of five sets of five beeps every time you start the car. That is worse than seeing the bulb on.