2006 / 2007 Airbags

[R3 Forward]

I own a 2007 Avanti built on the Ford Mustang platform.  It was involved in the recent airbag recall.  I had the driver side airbag changed out two years ago, but they did not have parts for the passenger side at the time.  Took the car in today to replace the passenger side and learned that the removable panels on my dash where the airbag is stored were glued in place and could not be removed.  Has anybody had this problem?  I am wondering if they glued them on in the factory or if some previous owner glued them down.  Hard to tell. 

 

 

[edprize]

I have the last Avanti manufactured in Cancun. The airbag update went very smoothly.

[studegary]

On ‎11‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 7:53 PM, R3 Forward said:

I own a 2007 Avanti built on the Ford Mustang platform.  It was involved in the recent airbag recall.  I had the driver side airbag changed out two years ago, but they did not have parts for the passenger side at the time.  Took the car in today to replace the passenger side and learned that the removable panels on my dash where the airbag is stored were glued in place and could not be removed.  Has anybody had this problem?  I am wondering if they glued them on in the factory or if some previous owner glued them down.  Hard to tell. 

 

 

I suggest running a CarFax or similar report on your car utilizing both the Mustang and the Avanti VINs/Serial Numbers to see if the car was involved in an accident that would have deployed the air bag before or after the car's conversion into an Avanti.

[Randy Atkin]

On 2/5/2019 at 9:03 PM, edprize said:

I have the last Avanti manufactured in Cancun. The airbag update went very smoothly.

Ed, If your car has an Avanti VIN number, I am curious what the last two digits are which will reveal how many 2006-2007 cars were produced.  How about a picture also?  Also, how were you able to determine it was the last car produced? Thanks.

[Gunslinger]

While I can't say for sure, the VIN will not necessarily show numerical order of production as it probably still carries the Ford VIN which will decode to a Mustang and engine and maybe some other trim levels and factory.  The production sheet for the car holds an Avanti "RQ" number showing its numerical sequence.  

[edprize]

The last three of my serial number is 299. It was originally a 2007

Had a problem being imported to the country and they made it a 2006. I have factory pictures of this v6 unit at the end of the assembly line. It was written up in the Avanti magazine couple years ago.

[Randy Atkin]

Ed, Beautiful car. Is your car bra available from a supplier who may have kept the patterns, so they could make future ones, or did you make it yourself?  It looks great and I would sure like to purchase one.  Regarding your VIN number, I think you may be looking at the Ford VIN. If it begins with 1ZV, that is the Ford VIN. If your car also has an Avanti VIN number it will begin with 1A9 and the last 2 digits with be the production number. Both numbers may be located on the drivers door jamb. John Hull in his book states approximately 38 Mustang based cars were built, so yours being the last one should have a VIN ending around 38, although as previously noted the cars may not have been completed in exact order as VIN numbers were assigned prior to the cars being built.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by Randy Atkin

[Randy Atkin]

I need to correct myself. I should not have included 2005 in the production total. The 2006-2007 production is estimated at 30 cars, so the last car produced should have an Avanti VIN number ending in 30 or near that. Sorry for my mistake.

[R3 Forward]

Randy,  I started this post over a year ago and am looking at it again after all this time.  My 2007 VIN number ends in 19 so I have assumed it was the second to last car made during full production runs.  I do know a number were also assembled and sold after the factory was shut down and I don't know if they had Avanti VIN numbers.

 

[studegary]

10 minutes ago, R3 Forward said:

Randy,  I started this post over a year ago and am looking at it again after all this time.  My 2007 VIN number ends in 19 so I have assumed it was the second to last car made during full production runs.  I do know a number were also assembled and sold after the factory was shut down and I don't know if they had Avanti VIN numbers.

 

I think that three Avantis finished assembly after the "normal" 2007 models that consisted of 19 (or 20) cars.  I do not believe that these three had numbers following those, but then I do not know what numbers they would have had.  I am sure that someone (not me) must have looked at those last Avantis to see what the numbers were.  What is the tenth (from the left) digit of your Ford VIN?  

[wapanzica]

The last that were sold a few years ago were 26, 27 and 28 so there could be other cars out there.  27 is registered as a Ford Mustang but 28 is registered as an Avanti.  I guess some state go by what the original VIN #.  For all we know there are are 5 other 2007 bodies (if not more) out there.

 

 

[Randy Atkin]

R3 Forward- I think I am correct in that the last two digits of the VIN  numbers did not start over again at 1 for the 2007 models but continued on from from the last numbered 2006 model. So if we are in the ballpark of a combined total of (30) 2006 and 2007 cars built, then yours is the 19th of 30 produced. Studegary -If your question of what is the 10th digit of my Ford VIN number was directed to me, it is a 5 meaning it was a 2005 Mustang prior to conversion, yet my Avanti is considered a 2006 based on it's Avanti VIN number.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Randy Atkin
Correction

[studegary]

2 hours ago, Randy Atkin said:

R3 Forward- I think I am correct in that the last two digits of the VIN  numbers did not start over again at 1 for the 2007 models but continued on from from the last numbered 2006 model. So if we are in the ballpark of a combined total of (30) 2006 and 2007 cars built, then yours is the 19th of 30 produced. Studegary -If your question of what is the 10th digit of my Ford VIN number was directed to me, it is a 5 meaning it was a 2005 Mustang prior to conversion, yet my Avanti is considered a 2006 based on it's Avanti VIN number.

No  My question was directed at "R3 Forward",  who I quoted in my response..

[R3 Forward]

Thank you, this is great information to know, so my Avanti is about in the middle of the 30 Ford based cars built.  My 2007 Avanti has a VIN sticker on the door, which states the frame was built by Ford in 2006, and the Ford VIN indicates it was sold as a 2007 as the 10th digit is a 7.  BTW, I found a great web site to decode your Ford VIN number (https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Ford)  Also, to get back to my original question.  I finally did a CarFax report on this car to see if it had been in an accident to determine why the passenger airbag is glued shut.  There was no report so all I can figure is that somebody along the way did some work on the car and messed with the airbag for some reason.  

 

[Pat Tucci]

I finally got around to looking at this post. The serial numbers and vins on this Avanti version is certainly confusing. My Avanti vin ends in 013, and the vin label has it as a 2005 Avanti. It also says that it was made in Oct 2006. John Drake, the cars original owner said that it was a 2006, which is what I tell people, and that it was the prototype for the Mustang-based cars. Could it be that it was the first one, but that final assembly/sale wasn't done until 2006?? I just don't know what to believe or what to tell people. 

As far as the original question, when I brought it to a Ford dealer for the airbag recall, they didn't say that they had any problems fixing it.

Edited July 23, 2020 by ptucci

[studegary]

21 hours ago, ptucci said:

I finally got around to looking at this post. The serial numbers and vins on this Avanti version is certainly confusing. My Avanti vin ends in 013, and the vin label has it as a 2005 Avanti. It also says that it was made in Oct 2006. John Drake, the cars original owner said that it was a 2006, which is what I tell people, and that it was the prototype for the Mustang-based cars. Could it be that it was the first one, but that final assembly/sale wasn't done until 2006?? I just don't know what to believe or what to tell people. 

As far as the original question, when I brought it to a Ford dealer for the airbag recall, they didn't say that they had any problems fixing it.

The 2005 Avanti bodies are different from the 2006-2007 Avanti bodies.  From the tiny picture of yours, I can not tell.  With a VIN of ---13, I do not see how it could be the prototype.  From what I have to work with, I believe that your Avanti is a 2006 model.  

[R3 Forward]

To anybody interested, I did finally get my airbag fixed/replaced.    Been a while sense I have been on this thread, but I finally took some time and removed the passenger airbag myself.  Somebody along the way had glued the plastic dash panels in so the airbag would not slide out as designed.  I gingerly pried the pieces apart and after an hours work managed to get the glue all separated and the airbag slide right out with minimum damage.  Replacing it seemed to go normal so not sure why anybody would have glued those panels in.  I suspect that if I had ever needed that airbag it would not have functioned properly prior to the replacement.  At any rate, I am now upgraded and safe.  

Take Care.....