Glad to hear that it is fixed and the explanation makes sense. The car is 13 years old; parts wear out due to use and deteriorate over time. Could have been a sensor in the bumper-exposed to the elements- that corroded or something like that. Air bags are a one-time use item. Frequently a car is totaled when the air bags deploy. Way to expensive to put new ones in even if the rest of the car can be fixed.
They probably replaced the clock spring in the steering wheel.
The clock spring is what allows the electrical connections between the controls/airbag on the rotating steering wheel and the rest of the vehicle.
Sometimes these clock springs wear out over time just from the act of turning the steering wheel.
Tester
The clockspring which allows electrical continuity between a turning steering wheel and all the stationary mechanisms inside it like the horn, airbags and any steering wheel mounted controls is getting worn every time the steering wheel is turned.
Things wear out from use and deteriorate due to age. Rubber oxidizes, metal corrodes, plastic parts get brittle. The Lincoln is 14 years old and things will go wrong. A repair bill of $1000 is not unusual today. I am going on 74 and have had to get used to today’s prices. I used to do my own auto maintenance and many of my own repairs. I am now,happy to hire the work done, both for our vehicles and for the house. I am physically in great shape, but my brain has deteriorated from the disease called geezeritis. (The major symptom is wanting things,to be the way they used to be).
One thing that does disturb me is that many people don’t value manual labor. I am a member of a small church and I do donate a lot of labor. I had to replace toilets in the restrooms and found the floor had deteriorated under the toilets, so I had to replace the flooring first. I spent two days in a crawl space running additional circuits to the church offices because the breakers kept tripping. I know how hard tradespeople work for a living. On several occasions I have said that a,job was beyond what I wanted to tackle. I had to tell a couple of the whiners that we could either hire a professional or the whiner could do the job. Fortunately, my term is up in December as chair of the building committee.
Sounds like a legit repair and the cost would not be outside the dealer/reasonable level. I do believe that somewhere, there was a recommendation that air bags should be replaced after years of just sitting around.
Might want to just make a deposit to your Mom’s account. Roles reverse, from parent to child. My folks bailed me out, I bailed them out, and bailed my son out. I hope I don’t need bailing out again but that’s what kids are for.
The murkiness has all gone away now for the most part.