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Won't start, airbag light stays on, no other dash lights

150K views 44 replies 17 participants last post by  R.S.LOGAN 
#1 ·
Full backstory: Key for car was lost, and the car (2008 Escape) has been sitting for about 6 months... battery died.

Got locksmith to come over and he tried to program new keys. Since the battery was dead, he put a charger on the battery first. His device for reprogramming the car's computer wasn't working, so he removed the charger, and then replaced the charger, and then the dashboard lights lit up properly, and he was able to program the keys, and start the car.

I drove the car around for a bit to charge the battery, and then parked it in my driveway. The next day, I tried to start the car, and the airbag light was the only light on the dashboard that came on (and stayed on). Horn, windows, lights, and radio all worked. Tried jumping the car... nothing. Replaced the battery with a brand new one... nothing.

I've checked the fuses, airbag connectors under the seat, wiggled the key, disconnected the battery over night... basically every recommendation I can find on the internet.

Anyone have any ideas as to what this might be?
 
#43 · (Edited)
The person you are replying to was last seen on forum on Jan 5, 2015
I've recently started having the same exact problem the OP described with a 2008 Ford F-250. Engine cranks but doesn't turn on. Dashboard only has an airbag light and nothing else. I can use my lights, radio, even the A/C. It happened one day, magically fixed itself (as soon as I got the truck to a mechanic lmao), worked for a month, and the issue just popped up again. Error codes, fuses, batteries, the PCM don't make any difference.

I'll replace the instrument cluster to see if this resolves the issue. Banging the top doesnt work so far, haha.
 
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