Removing front passenger seat on 2014 TC- will it mess up airbag system?

[hdrider]

I am searching for information on whether removal of the front passenger seat on the 2014 XLT TC cargo van will disable the airbag system.

By removing the seat, and leaving an opening in the lower portion of the bulkhead, I could easily haul 10' material in the van. The seat seems to remove fairly simply by removing 4 bolts and unplugging the wiring harness. However I also know that the seat contains airbags and sensors.

When I was at my up fitter, I noticed one being fitted that way, but apparently the customer had removed the seat, or it was a fleet vehicle that had been ordered that way. So I know it can be configured that way, I just want to be sure it does not compromise the airbag system.

The front passenger airbag will disable automatically anyway (as indicated by a light on the dash), if the sensors do not show an adult is sitting in the seat. However, I'm not sure what happens if the seat is unplugged. I do not want to disable the entire system.

I emailed Ford, and they gave me the useless CYA answer copied below.

I contacted the dealer, and they tell me not to do it because it will disable the system, but based on other questions I have asked them, they don't seem to really know anything about these vehicles, and may just be making this up. I have searched, but cannot find anything, and have no idea where to get an answer.

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Hello Dan,

My name is Corazon, I am from Ford`s Customer Relationship Center (CRC). I have reviewed your email inquiring about your 014 Ford Transit Connect.

First, I would like to congratulate you for the purchase of your new 2014 Ford Transit Connect.

Please note that all alterations or modifications to Ford vehicles must be done in compliance with Federal Emission Control Standards or any applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. If an after-market modification is responsible for a component failure, the Ford warranty would not cover that repair. Therefore, Ford Motor Company does not recommend modifications to your vehicle. However, if you would still like information regarding modifications to your vehicle, please speak with the Service Department of your local Ford Dealership.

Thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company.

Sincerely,

Corazon

Customer Relationship Center

Ford Motor Company

[genewood]

I was browsing this forum looking for the answer to a question and came across this post about removing the passenger seat. Our company has a fleet of these with the seat removed so I know something about this.The information I will provide applies to the 2013 Transit and maybe other model are the same. First off Ford will never give any information on this because of liability. Imagine if they disable the airbag and later you reinstall the seat without enabling the airbags. Major lawsuit if something happens and the airbag does not deploy. You will want to do this the right way because removing the seat and driving around with the airbag warning light on is asking for trouble. My testing indicates with the warning light on the system is not operative. There is some disagreement on this point but we can't take that risk. Keep in mind airbags are dangerous if they deploy in error. The warning light is telling you to get it fixed and for your safety the system is not going to launch a bag into your face while operating the vehicle. Also remember the system is keeping a log of everything that happens including error messages. If you have an accident the cops and or insurance company can pull the data.

There are 3 components of the passenger seat airbag system. The bag itself inside the seat back, the air mat in the seat bottom and the seatbelt pretensioner. There are really 2 ways to approach this. You can remove these 3 components from the seat and reconnect them to the correct sockets. Leave this mess in the floor and drive on. The pretensioner and air mat are pretty easy to remove but you will have to destroy the seat back to get the airbag out. A much easier way to fix the problem is using resistors to trick the airbag system into thinking everything is okay. The airbag itself can be simulated using a 2.2 ohm resistor. This value is the same for all cars and all airbags that I know of. Next the seatbelt pretensioner can be simulated by a 1.5k ohm resistor. Finally the seat air mat can be simulated using 2 resistors. Funny thing is the sensor they use for this is a common GM map sensor that has been around for years. Just like manifold pressure the air mat creates pressure for the sensor. The resistor configuration I will show for this causes the correct indicator “Passenger Airbag Off” This will keep the airbag in the dash on the passenger side from deploying in a collision. If you don’t want the “Passenger Airbag Off” indicator just swap the resistors and you will have no indicators lit at all. I find it easier to cut the socket off that the air mat plugs into and solder directly to the wires. With the bag and pretensioner I cut the wires a couple inches from the brown and the yellow plugs and solder the resistors there. If you ever want to reverse this you can easily solder the wires back and replace the seat. Hope this information is not too late to help hdrider.

Seatbelt Pretensioner Disable (Brown Plug) Airbag Emulator (Yellow Plug)

---/\/\/\--- --- /\/\/\---

1.5k 2.2 ohm

Passenger Seat Air Mat Emulator

Yellow/Green Wire ---/\/\/\---o---/\/\/\---Brown/Green Wire

4.7k ^ 6.8k

^

White/Green Wire

This resistor configuration results in the proper display of the indicator “Passenger Airbag Off”

To remove the passenger airbag off message you can swap the positions of the 4.7k & 6.8k resistors

[hdrider]

Thank you for the response. It is helpful to know that this is at least possible. However I do not have the time or confidence to begin soldering resistors into the system. The furthest I would go is plugging in some sort of black box that accomplishes what I need. I would ideally like to be able to install the seat for occasional use, and plug the seat back into the airbag system. Then unplug it, take it out, and replace it with the black box.

This is a work vehicle after all, and I'm sure many people are trying to do the same thing. Maybe someone will begin selling something like this (bootleg or underground, if the liability issues are too big).

Edited December 4, 2014 by hdrider