Passenger Side Air Bags on 1998 Ford E-350 Chassis

[mfbabcock48]

I have a 1999 Winnebago Minnie Class C RV on a 1998 Ford E-350 chassis. My question is can the passenger side airbag be turned off so an infant car seat be installed. I have noticed airbag disable switches on other truck/van vehicles of similar age but cannot find one on this RV.

[carringb]

The pre-'09 E-series did not have a factory switch available, but if you've been in any moving truck, they had them. I'm not sure who made them. For a while, you could buy them through Ryder parts, but I doubt it anymore since the '09+ vans have a factory switch. Might have to find a used U-haul somewhere and try to buy the switch off them.

Other than that, you can disable the airbag (I'm pretty sure all '97+ with the RV prep package had both) by buying a dummy resistor. This will keep the airbag light off, and keep the driver side functioning. You'll have to DIY. In order to get a shop to do it, you have to request a waiver from the NHTSA. Or find one that doesn't know the rule.

https://www.automotivecircuitsolutions.com/products/bypass-simulate-srs-airbag-emulator-simulator-re...

[ron_dittmer]

I STRONGLY feel the safest place for a child in a class C motor home is in the passenger seat......NOT anywhere in the house because the Ford cab is designed with consideration to crash-integrity. The house is not. Cabinetry and contents will injure house occupants.

Seating the child in the passenger seat also makes for a much more pleasant trip. They see so much more sitting there, and your conversation with them and pointing out things to them is priceless.

Assuming a 1998 E-Series has a passenger-side air bag, I also agree that you need to disable it to seat a child there. The first place to look is in your 1998 E-Series owners manual. If there is no mention of disabling the air bag (I think there is no provision for 1998 model year) then you need to resort to plan-B......unplug the passenger air bag by hand. Look up from bellow for the connector and simply unplug it. Hopefully it is reachable without too much disassembly.

But BEFORE unplugging the passenger air bag, FIRST disconnect both your chassis battery and house battery and wait an hour before attempting it. I include the house battery in-case there happens to be a back-voltage present. Waiting the hour allows time for capacitor-held power to drain. Then it is very safe to unplug the passenger air bag.

The actual wait time in most vehicles is one minute, but being a 1998 motor home, just wait an hour to play it safest.

[bobndot]

Timmy and Lassie rode in the front of grandpa's pickup without seatbelts for 7 seasons. :E

[IAMICHABOD]

You can Try this site they may be able to help you.

[Grit_dog]

^Yup. Better off in the Ford portion than the tin foil and toothpicks part.
It would be like suggesting a young in can't ride in a single cab pickup. Ridiculous.

[pauldub]

I'd say the front seat for any age passenger is safer than any rear seat in any
Class C, as long as the air bag can be deactivated. I have no data, just observations of structural integrity of the house portion versus the cab.

[jdc1]

That kid should be strapped in at the couch....not the front seat.

[Home_Skillet]

Make sure that you have a passenger air bag.
Some certain GVW vehicles didn't have one.

Should say "airbag" on the dash cover.

[Lwiddis]

Isn’t the least safe place for an infant the front passenger seat?