I have a 2002 Ford Thunderbird that is hardly driven, but has been one repair after the other. Now I went out to go to work this morning and the air bag warning light was flashing and I don't know if the airbag will deploy in a crash situation or not. All research indicates that Ford had an issue with clock springs on this specific model and chose to ignore the problem not covering it under the standard warranty. I contacted Ford and verified this information. Since it is a Federal Safety mandate that airbags be functional it would be a problem for the owners. There are several other owners that have expressed the same feelings about the $700 repair for the system. I do not feel that the owner of the car should be responsible for this repair since it is mandated equipment and Ford should have to maintain the system for the life of the vehicle. I have a private mechanic that I employ that I will discuss this with, but I'm almost sure that he will not work on an airbag system telling me that I must return to a dealership for this costly repair.