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Weird Underdash Wiring Runs?

Konamoth

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Fun times ahead:

So, I've had an intermittent issue with the SRS system thinking the driver's knee airbag circuit is faulty. It can be made to go away by jiggling a connector under the dash—as discovered from here, so haven't thought much of it. Mainly because I didn't want to take the car into the dealer and have them have it for a whole week (again...)

Lately though, it has been troubling me. For good reason. I got to thinking about how it feels under the airbag cover—and thought something might just be amiss.

Screenshot_20210927-180140.png


This photo shows the (most) worrisome part, as it seems this wire should be run behind this bracket, not below it... though, I am no bigwig engineer at FoMoCo. This is just about dead center under the steering wheel.

Now now, I do intend to take this into a dealer to have it fixed—when they can get it back to me in a, reasonable amount of time. In the meantime, though—does anyone else have this kind of wacked up wiring under their dash? Is this normal, or did I just get a car wired on a Monday/Friday...
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Cobra Jet

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Check 2 areas for SRS issues, threads below for reference.

Knee air bag connections:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/2018-gt-airbag-light-on-cluster.107200/page-3#post-3333786

Overhead map light air bag "jewel":
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/2018-gt-airbag-light-on-cluster.107200/page-2#post-3017970


I don't know if this will help, post below is an older thread where I had posted airbag diagnosis from shop manual:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/next-step-in-repairing-my-2018-airbags.120096/#post-2514527
 
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Konamoth

Konamoth

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Check 2 areas for SRS issues, threads below for reference.

Knee air bag connections:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/2018-gt-airbag-light-on-cluster.107200/page-3#post-3333786

Overhead map light air bag "jewel":
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/2018-gt-airbag-light-on-cluster.107200/page-2#post-3017970


I don't know if this will help, post below is an older thread where I had posted airbag diagnosis from shop manual:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/next-step-in-repairing-my-2018-airbags.120096/#post-2514527
Oh yeah, I'm well familiar with the knee air bag connection wiggle. It's what I've been doing. In fact—that's my reply to the thread that you linked to. 😁

I should have stated, I'm 99% sure it's the knee airbag connection. FordPass throws that specifically when it catches it and yells at me, and reaching under the dash and jiggling the connection resolves it.

Given that I've been tolerating this for a few weeks now, I worry it's not just a loose connection, but potentially shoddy wiring as well. The picture is the most strange run I saw by fishing my phone back there, and wanted to know if others also have a cable run in that way. Hell, I've even resorted to removing my clutch pedal extension in the vain thought that, maybe I was just brushing a low hanging wire with the tip of my foot and pissing the airbag circuits off.
 

cactus_kid

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I've used small zip ties to make sure the male/female connectors stay tightly together. And, that harness should be on the back side of the bracket IMHO. Is there enough slack to ease it to the other side using a plastic trim tool ? Sure hope that a terminal doesn't have a bad crimp. HAd that issue on my C6 Z06. GM had to replace the entire loom that ran from the front to the rear. Several wire terminals had cold flow as it is called. I was given a service loaner at least.
 

cactus_kid

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This btw is why I now purchase the Ford Platinum warranty coverage. If a dealer has to keep the car overnight and or longer, I get a free rental. I've used it on a number of occasions.
 

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Konamoth

Konamoth

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I've used small zip ties to make sure the male/female connectors stay tightly together. And, that harness should be on the back side of the bracket IMHO. Is there enough slack to ease it to the other side using a plastic trim tool ? Sure hope that a terminal doesn't have a bad crimp. HAd that issue on my C6 Z06. GM had to replace the entire loom that ran from the front to the rear. Several wire terminals had cold flow as it is called. I was given a service loaner at least.
I'm afraid there isn't, unfortunately. I've tried moving it—it goes about half an inch and then feels taut. I could try pushing the connector's holding pins out, moving it, and snapping the connector back onto the frame, as there is slack on the other side of the cable. Getting back there requires you to be a bit of a contortionist, though.

I certainly hope not either.

This btw is why I now purchase the Ford Platinum warranty coverage. If a dealer has to keep the car overnight and or longer, I get a free rental. I've used it on a number of occasions.
I actually do have platinum coverage, so that's a plus. The last time I had to bring in the car was during hard lockdown when I was working from home and going nowhere, so I had no real need for a rental. Now, of course, I am getting out a bit more—so I'd need a car. Either way, the dealer I brought it to at the time didn't have any available rentals... 😬

Admittedly, there's also a small amount of irrational anxiety in leaving my car away for a few days. Even knowing the "likelihood" of something happening is through the floor, it's still gonna eat at me to not have my car in my driveway lol.
 

cactus_kid

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Time to let the dealer do it, like it or not. The SRS is simply not to be messed with by a non certified person IMHO. It is a federally mandated safety feature. If you tinker with it and it goes off while you are driving ? That could be deadly. Worse, it fails to deploy in an accident. Are you the sole occupant when driving ? If not, there are liability issues to consider. I am not trying to be an alarmist. I had the misfortune several years ago to be called as a witness in a litigation case where a young lady was seriously injured because her boyfriend had installed an aftermarket steering wheel that was for "show/off road use only." He'd disabled the SRS in order to install it. She will carry the accident scars for life.
 
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Konamoth

Konamoth

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Time to let the dealer do it, like it or not. The SRS is simply not to be messed with by a non certified person IMHO. It is a federally mandated safety feature. If you tinker with it and it goes off while you are driving ? That could be deadly. Worse, it fails to deploy in an accident. Are you the sole occupant when driving ? If not, there are liability issues to consider. I am not trying to be an alarmist. I had the misfortune several years ago to be called as a witness in a litigation case where a young lady was seriously injured because her boyfriend had installed an aftermarket steering wheel that was for "show/off road use only." He'd disabled the SRS in order to install it. She will carry the accident scars for life.
Oh, definitely. I've no intent to go unplugging or fiddling with things beyond, jostling wires. The pins I'm referring to are little plastic, almost body pins on the plug that hold it in place under the dash.

Like said, I will be getting it to a dealer to service—just wanted to know if I've got a case of bunked wiring on my hands, or if any one else had that same weird run in theirs and that's just normal. Weird, unsettlingly so, but normal.
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