Horn, cruise, alarm, airbag/seatbelt indicator not working properly

Tiny
HOLLYBTIERNEY
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 MERCURY SABLE
  • 3.5L
  • V6
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 128,000 MILES
My horn, cruise and alarm do not work, the seat belt/airbag indicator flashes on and off. I have replaced the same O2 sensor two times and it keeps reading bad. Auto parts says it must be the wiring, I don't know what it causing these problems, they all malfunctioned at the same time. What could be the problem?
Thursday, September 4th, 2014 AT 5:49 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,757 POSTS
The horn, cruise control, and air bag all have one thing in common. That's the clock spring. That's a wound-up ribbon cable in a plastic housing under the steering wheel. All three of those systems have circuits running through it.

By "reading bad", I assume you mean the Check Engine light is on and there was a diagnostic fault code related to the oxygen sensor. Those codes never say to replace parts or that they're bad. They only indicate the circuit or system that needs further diagnosis, or the unacceptable operating condition. When a sensor is referenced in a code, it is actually the cause of that code only about half of the time. You also have to look for broken or rubbed-through wires, stretched connector terminals, corroded splices, and things like that.
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Thursday, September 4th, 2014 AT 9:11 PM
Tiny
HOLLYBTIERNEY
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you, I will have the mechanic look at those issues.
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Friday, September 5th, 2014 AT 4:30 AM
Tiny
TROYSTAPP42
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
My horn does not work.
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 AT 8:07 PM
Tiny
TROYSTAPP42
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
And cruise does not work either.
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 AT 8:11 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,757 POSTS
Check out these articles:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-airbag-clock-spring

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/steering-wheel-clock-spring-removal
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 AT 8:31 PM

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