Yesterday I had the alternator replaced in my 2.0L 1998 Escort (129,000km). It runs fine, but today, about 15km into driving downtown in mostly stop and go traffic, the air bag warning light came on and stayed on until I stopped after about 3km. According to the owner's manual a chime is supposed to sound along with the light but I never heard anything. After about 10 minutes stopped, I started it up again and the warning light stayed on just a little bit longer than it usually does and stayed off for the rest of the day's driving.
Is this something to be concerned about? If it's just a question of the air bags not working, I can live with that (we never have kids in the car) but might it be a symptom of some other electrical fault?
Bill in Vancouver
"The President is very much a figurehead - he wields no real power whatsoever. He is apparently chosen by the government, but the qualities he is required to display are not those of leadership but those of finely judged outrage. For this reason the President is always a controversial choice, an infuriating but fascinating character. His job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it."
- Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy