12 to 16 explosive devices in our vehicles?

[Mr Big]

We had a very alarming incident in our 2019 Expedition Platinum.
A couple weeks ago, we were stopped at a traffic light, talking and listening to music, when something exploded inside my vehicle. I thought I was shot, and my wife thought someone hit us. It felt like someone kicked me in the chest very hard. I could not breathe and was panicking. But my wife felt nothing but heard the extremely loud shotgun sound. When the light turned green, I proceeded to pull off the road into a parking lot. You could smell gun powder inside the vehicle and the driver's seat belt was stuck in the retracted position.
I took the vehicle to my local Ford dealership and explained what happened. They told me that the seat belt tensioner mechanism, on the bottom of the driver's seatbelt, activated due to a factory defect shorted wire. It caused the charge to ignite and pulled the seatbelt extremely tight by 4 inches, hence the kicked feeling in the chest. They repaired the issue and performed a full 172-point checkup on the vehicle and gave it a clean bill of health. The tensioner location is about 1 foot from your left seat bottom on the side panel.

I checked for recalls and there are none for 2019 models. However, there is one for 2020 models, pertaining to seatbelt malfunctions.

While I was waiting to pick up the Platinum, I went into the showroom to look at the new models. I was telling the salesman what happened. That's when he told me that pretty much all late model vehicles have at least 12 to 16 of these explosive devices, that can go off at any time. I contacted Ford and they promised me they would look into the matter. You can go on YouTube and see many videos of how powerful the seatbelt tensioner device charge is, among other safety bag tests. The factory argument is the charge will deploy faster than an air tank or other type of mechanism, causing the device to deploy faster to prevent injury.

I hope no one ever experiences this. I'm still nervous, anticipating another explosion every time we go for a ride.

 

[dlcorbett]

I hope u weren't hurt? I'd damn near have a heart attack.

 

[Mr Big]

I hope u weren't hurt? I'd damn near have a heart attack.

I had chest pains, a red mark, ears ringing and rapid heart rate but wasn't hurt physically. But mentally, yea! Imagine that happening going down the highway at 60 to 70 mph.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

We had a very alarming incident in our 2019 Expedition Platinum.
A couple weeks ago, we were stopped at a traffic light, talking and listening to music, when something exploded inside my vehicle. I thought I was shot, and my wife thought someone hit us. It felt like someone kicked me in the chest very hard. I could not breathe and was panicking. But my wife felt nothing but heard the extremely loud shotgun sound. When the light turned green, I proceeded to pull off the road into a parking lot. You could smell gun powder inside the vehicle and the driver's seat belt was stuck in the retracted position.
I took the vehicle to my local Ford dealership and explained what happened. They told me that the seat belt tensioner mechanism, on the bottom of the driver's seatbelt, activated due to a factory defect shorted wire. It caused the charge to ignite and pulled the seatbelt extremely tight by 4 inches, hence the kicked feeling in the chest. They repaired the issue and performed a full 172-point checkup on the vehicle and gave it a clean bill of health. The tensioner location is about 1 foot from your left seat bottom on the side panel.

I checked for recalls and there are none for 2019 models. However, there is one for 2020 models, pertaining to seatbelt malfunctions.

While I was waiting to pick up the Platinum, I went into the showroom to look at the new models. I was telling the salesman what happened. That's when he told me that pretty much all late model vehicles have at least 12 to 16 of these explosive devices, that can go off at any time. I contacted Ford and they promised me they would look into the matter. You can go on YouTube and see many videos of how powerful the seatbelt tensioner device charge is, among other safety bag tests. The factory argument is the charge will deploy faster than an air tank or other type of mechanism, causing the device to deploy faster to prevent injury.

I hope no one ever experiences this. I'm still nervous, anticipating another explosion every time we go for a ride.

I have never heard of a seatbelt pretensioner activating without a collision, which would activate the air bag(s).

I have read about safety recalls that involve improper design or installation of the seat belt pretensioners.

I am not minimizing your occurrence. I would probably have had a heart attack!

You may want to report this serious safety defect the US Department of Transportation at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/

There is a link on the top right which enables you to file an online report of the matter.

 

[SyndicateZ]

My first stop would be my lawyers office

 

[Mr Big]

I have never heard of a seatbelt pretensioner activating without a collision, which would activate the air bag(s).
I have read about safety recalls that involve improper design or installation of the seat belt pretensioners.
I am not minimizing your occurrence. I would probably have had a heart attack!
You may want to report this serious safety defect the US Department of Transportation at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/
There is a link on the top right which enables you to file an online report of the matter.

I never heard of anything like this as well. But it happened. Anyone with a weak heart may have had a heart attack.
According to the info on the invoice they found a 2.4-volt leak to ground. So, they disconnected the main seatbelt/airbag module located under the center console. When they did the error code went away. So, they replaced the air bag module as well as both driver and passenger seatbelt tensioner modules and seatbelts. It also took out the driver and passenger seat circular massage harnesses buttons. Those were replaced as well.
I already reported it when it happened. I also filed a police report because, at first, I thought someone shot at us.

 

[LazSlate]

My first stop would be my lawyers office

Why? Auto companies spend billions to make cars safer for us and there will always be the occasional fault. We as humans cannot sue every company into extinction. History has shown us that. In the early 1980's Cessna was getting sued left and right for accidents caused by the pilot but blaming the company. The said Fck it and stopped selling GA aircraft for almost 30 years+.

My point is everyone is quick to blame, sue, cry, complain, expect this and that but have ZERO respect for the safety features these auto manufacturers supply us with. I am not saying there are not grounds in certain incidents for lawsuits, but in this case no one was harmed and as long as things are addressed, fixed and corrected to not happen again then we move on.

 

[Mr Big]

Why? Auto companies spend billions to make cars safer for us and there will always be the occasional fault. We as humans cannot sue every company into extinction. History has shown us that. In the early 1980's Cessna was getting sued left and right for accidents caused by the pilot but blaming the company. The said Fck it and stopped selling GA aircraft for almost 30 years+.

My point is everyone is quick to blame, sue, cry, complain, expect this and that but have ZERO respect for the safety features these auto manufacturers supply us with. I am not saying there are not grounds in certain incidents for lawsuits, but in this case no one was harmed and as long as things are addressed, fixed and corrected to not happen again then we move on.

I agree with you 100%. However, even though I have no plans, I am reserving judgement until I get my out-of-pocket expense back and see if they issue a recall. I have a factory Executive Laison assigned to my case.
There's no way to explain what went on inside that cab and how horrified my wife looked. Just imagine a 12-gauge shotgun going off 3 feet from your left ear, inside a tight closed almost soundproof area. My chest is sore and the hearing in my left ear has 50% loss. I'm hoping it's temporary and will pass. There is no way I would have kept my composure at an interstate speed. She's scared to ride in my X now because it was that traumatic. The feelings will fade, but right now all we think about when in the vehicle is when will it happen again.

 

[rd618]

I agree with you 100%. However, even though I have no plans, I am reserving judgement until I get my out-of-pocket expense back and see if they issue a recall. I have a factory Executive Laison assigned to my case.
There's no way to explain what went on inside that cab and how horrified my wife looked. Just imagine a 12-gauge shotgun going off 3 feet from your left ear, inside a tight closed almost soundproof area. My chest is sore and the hearing in my left ear has 50% loss. I'm hoping it's temporary and will pass. There is no way I would have kept my composure at an interstate speed. She's scared to ride in my X now because it was that traumatic. The feelings will fade, but right now all we think about when in the vehicle is when will it happen again.

Sorry to hear about your experience, traumatic for sure.
Be lucky it wasn’t a takata air bag, those have been known to kill people.
Unfortunately, most decent brand vehicles have similar type of pretensioner setup. While rare, it’s not never there is a fault. Airbags fault too, very rarely, but you only need it to happen once.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I agree with you 100%. However, even though I have no plans, I am reserving judgement until I get my out-of-pocket expense back and see if they issue a recall. I have a factory Executive Laison assigned to my case.
There's no way to explain what went on inside that cab and how horrified my wife looked. Just imagine a 12-gauge shotgun going off 3 feet from your left ear, inside a tight closed almost soundproof area. My chest is sore and the hearing in my left ear has 50% loss. I'm hoping it's temporary and will pass. There is no way I would have kept my composure at an interstate speed. She's scared to ride in my X now because it was that traumatic. The feelings will fade, but right now all we think about when in the vehicle is when will it happen again.

I’m curious - did you purchase the vehicle new? Has it ever been involved in an accident or property damage (such as a tree fell on it)?

 

[Mr Big]

Sorry to hear about your experience, traumatic for sure.
Be lucky it wasn’t a takata air bag, those have been known to kill people.
Unfortunately, most decent brand vehicles have similar type of pretensioner setup. While rare, it’s not never there is a fault. Airbags fault too, very rarely, but you only need it to happen once.

I've been doing a lot of research and the one vehicle that has had the most seatbelt tensioner discharges is the BMW. This appears to be nothing new and has been going on for a while.

 

[Mr Big]

I’m curious - did you purchase the vehicle new? Has it ever been involved in an accident or property damage (such as a tree fell on it)?

No Accidents ever. No issues ever. Only maintenance has been tires, brakes, fluid changes, etc. Just a fluke.

 

[JamaicaJoe]

No Accidents ever. No issues ever. Only maintenance has been tires, brakes, fluid changes, etc. Just a fluke.

I see you are in Florida. The humidity has been awful and the rain pretty heavy. I would suggest that maybe water or humidity go into the module somehow. You might want to check carpets, and under carpets for moisture anywhere the module or wiring pass through. If any I would look to sunroof drains not working.

 

[Mr Big]

I see you are in Florida. The humidity has been awful and the rain pretty heavy. I would suggest that maybe water or humidity go into the module somehow. You might want to check carpets, and under carpets for moisture anywhere the module or wiring pass through. If any I would look to sunroof drains not working.

None of that was the issue. The dealership did a complete check and only found a nicked wire from the factory install, that was causing 2.* volts shorting to ground. To be safe they fully tested and replaced pretty much every airbag and seatbelt module and harness. The vehicle has never been in any accidents, no flooding, no leaks, only normal maintenance just the faulty harness. Like I said there have been tons of 2018 Ford F-150 trucks and 2020 Expeditions with a faulty seatbelt tensioner issue. Unfortunately, none for any other year.
Besides you are missing the point. We are driving down the road with many gallons of gasoline, with 12 to 16 on board explosive devices that use gun powder.
These new vehicles are basically controlled by a computer. My new Explorer is constantly disabling features due to lower voltage, since we don't drive it much. We drive across town or on a trip, they start working again. This is normal. With my background of decades of programming, diagnosis and repair of computers and electronics, I can say for a fact that computers malfunction. So, it leaves a lot to think about, considering all the airbags, seatbelt tensioners, suspension, "electronic steering", etc., are controlled by a computer.

 

[rd618]

We are driving down the road with many gallons of gasoline, with 12 to 16 on board explosive devices that use gun powder.
These new vehicles are basically controlled by a computer.

You’ve been through a trying experience, no doubt. But Let’s not spread misinformation, there is NO gun powder in any airbag or seatbelt pretensioner.
The computers used in cars or industrial settings are by no means the same as operating systems, people should not assume their vehicles will start blowing airbags randomly. There are multiple redundancy measures in place to prevent that. Your issue was a faulty wire. Way different.

 

[Kevin-Michigan]

Wow. Please report incident to the NHTSA.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

You’ve been through a trying experience, no doubt. But Let’s not spread misinformation, there is NO gun powder in any airbag or seatbelt pretensioner.
The computers used in cars or industrial settings are by no means the same as operating systems, people should not assume their vehicles will start blowing airbags randomly. There are multiple redundancy measures in place to prevent that. Your issue was a faulty wire. Way different.

Incindiary charges powering bags and tensioners have changed several times over the decades. Incindiaries used in modern (20teens+) vehicles are made up of primarily Guanidinium Nitrate, which is basically solid rocket fuel. Many of the combustion gases produced are the same or similar to those produced by modern smokeless gunpowders, so, a closed vehicle that has cycled one or more of its incindiaries will smell similar to burnt gun powder.

 

[ROBERT BONNER]

While not directly related to this particular incident, this string does highlight just how prevalent these incindiaries are throughout your vehicle. When servicing or modifying the insides of your vehicles, tremendous care is required to avoid inadvertant discharges. Do your homework on how to disarm these systems prior to doing any work in their general area. It's normally as simple as pulling the airbag module fuse and allowing some time for capacitive discharge before touching the related wiring to ensure your safety. Simply pulling the ground off of the battery won't necessarily disarm them. Always handle them like you would any other incindiary: carefully.

 

[Deadman]

This just confirms my love of older cars. Screw these modern computer nightmares. I just bought an old cop car for my daily so I can park my Expedition and not have to deal with all the screens n crap that I hate! . A cheap 500hp rear drive sedan makes me forget all about the comfort of the Expedition. lol. It'll probably need a battery tender

 

[Mr Big]

You’ve been through a trying experience, no doubt. But Let’s not spread misinformation, there is NO gun powder in any airbag or seatbelt pretensioner.
The computers used in cars or industrial settings are by no means the same as operating systems, people should not assume their vehicles will start blowing airbags randomly. There are multiple redundancy measures in place to prevent that. Your issue was a faulty wire. Way different.

First off my post was made to inform all vehicle owners of any make or model, that this could happen to them and to take precautions when personally working on their vehicles.
Also, NO DISRESPECT, but you should research facts, because you are the one that just posted misinformation. There absolutely is a substance similar to gun power in the pretensioner and you can smell it when it goes off. It is a pyrotechnic explosive device, (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2fH6giWmSP0). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVH9CX7iMp4 <--go on YouTube or ask some Ford expert that knows.
The computer used in cars is very similar to any PC, tablet or cellphone, with an operating system, processor and ram, reacting on signals and commands true or false. The short sent a signal to the computer and the computer reacted. I agree multiple redundancy measures are in place, especially after the TAKATA incidents. However, if a computer gets a false signal from the sensor, it could cause the pyrotechnic explosive device to ignite.