Airbag light keeps flashing and i have no horn

As my 1994 Aerostar clock spring assembly had failed, I spent a day this weekend, pulling them from 1994 and 1995 models at the local junk yard.

(At least) 1994 Ford Aerostar owners are OUT OF LUCK! Unless, of course Ford wants to replace their clock spring assemblies for free. (out of concern for driver's health). This may be the only year that Ford tried to lubricate said assembly with, what appears to me to be a silicone like lubricant that turns to more like glue. This, of course causes the ribbon cable (shaped like a clock spring) to fold over and fail as the driver turns the steering wheel.

This causes the failure of the horn, cruise control and air bag. Sometimes the horn shorts and even gets stuck on. I haven't analyzed the circuit enough to assure that the air bag will not deploy because of these failures but doubt it as, this should certainly be a recall scenario for Ford.!?

I've taken the same assembly out of a few 1995 Aerostars and find they were not lubricated at all but built to work dry. Unfortunately, they do not appear to be compatible (that would have been too smart of Ford). That would allow all those defective clock spring assemblies to be easily replaced with the subsequent year's parts. To their defense, this problem probably didn't appear until the part / lubricant were at least 10 years old(somebody help me here with how few years auto manufacturers are likely liable).

This is a common problem with nearly all plastics. We consumers try to get as much life as possible out of many products. At the other end of the spectrum is: the Post-it that doesn't stick anymore... As my 1994 Aerostar clock spring assembly had failed, I spent a day this weekend, pulling them from 1994 and 1995 models at the local junk yard. (At least) 1994 Ford Aerostar owners are OUT OF LUCK! Unless, of course Ford wants to replace their clock spring assemblies for free. (out of concern for driver's health). This may be the only year that Ford tried to lubricate said assembly with, what appears to me to be a silicone like lubricant that turns to more like glue. This, of course causes the ribbon cable (shaped like a clock spring) to fold over and fail as the driver turns the steering wheel. This causes the failure of the horn, cruise control and air bag. Sometimes the horn shorts and even gets stuck on. I haven't analyzed the circuit enough to assure that the air bag will not deploy because of these failures but doubt it as, this should certainly be a recall scenario for Ford.!? I've taken the same assembly out of a few 1995 Aerostars and find they were not lubricated at all but built to work dry. Unfortunately, they do not appear to be compatible (that would have been too smart of Ford). That would allow all those defective clock spring assemblies to be easily replaced with the subsequent year's parts. To their defense, this problem probably didn't appear until the part / lubricant were at least 10 years old(somebody help me here with how few years auto manufacturers are likely liable). This is a common problem with nearly all plastics. We consumers try to get as much life as possible out of many products. At the other end of the spectrum is: the Post-it that doesn't stick anymore...