NHTSA Complaint #11083343 — 2018 FORD EXPLORER

ON 2, 2018 FORD EXPLORER BASIC MODEL VEHICLES, THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR HAS COME ON AND THEN GONE OFF AND STAYED OFF WITH MY 14 YEAR OLD 118 LB, 5' 9" CHILD IN THE FRONT SEAT. FIRST INCIDENT: MARCH 23, 2018. IN THE FIRST VEHICLE THE JOURNEY WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES ON A 4 LANE ROAD. NO TURNING OR BRAKING AFFECTED THE CONDITION. SECOND INCIDENT: APRIL 4, 2018. IN THE SECOND VEHICLE, VIN [XXX], ON A HOUR AND THIRTY MINUTE JOURNEY, ON I-75 BETWEEN NAPLES, FL AND FT. MYERS, FL, MY CHILD SAT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND THE AIRBAG INDICATOR SHOWED THE AIRBAG WAS "ON". ON THE RETURN RIDE, WITH SITTING IN THE SAME POSITION, THE AIRBAG INDICATOR SHOWED THE AIRBAG WAS "OFF". BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE STRAIGHT LINE DRIVING, NO BRAKING OR TURNING AFFECTED THE INCIDENT. WE BROUGHT BOTH VEHICLES BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH WE LEASED THEM AND SHOWED THEM THE ACCOMPANYING PICTURE. THEY TOLD US THAT IT COULD BE THAT MY CHILD IS TOO LIGHT FOR THE SEAT SENSOR, BUT THEY WERE NOT POSITIVE. THE HEAD OF THE SERVICE DEPT AND HIS LEAD TECHNICIAN WITNESSED THE AIRBAG INDICATOR IN THE "OFF" POSITION WITH MY CHILD SITTING IN THE SEAT. THEY SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. THEY ADVISED THEY CONTACTED FORD WITH THE FIRST VEHICLE VIN AND WERE DOING THE SAME WITH THIS SECOND VEHICLE AS WELL. I FEEL THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AS THERE IS NO CERTAINTY, SHOULD WE GET INTO A VEHICLE CRASH AND NEED THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG TO DEPLOY, THAT THE AIRBAG WILL ACTUALLY DEPLOY GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR