A lot of people find out the hard way when they don’t where there seat belt during a crash or rollover. Let’s not forget that yes the first air bags did injure some people, but lots were more injured without them. Are they perfect today, no. Will they be better in the future? Probably. Seat belts and airbags save lives every day.
How safe are first generation airbags?
- Thread starter daugen
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A lot of people find out the hard way when they don’t where there seat belt during a crash or rollover. Let’s not forget that yes the first air bags did injure some people, but lots were more injured without them. Are they perfect today, no. Will they be better in the future? Probably. Seat belts and airbags save lives every day.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
Seat belts and airbags save lives every day.
For sure. My biggest challenge is to remember to put my seatbelt on when using the FEL or mowing roadsides near ditches.
Otherwise my area is so flat it lulls you into stupidity...
I spent ten years with a small town volunteer fire company helping the rescue squad pull crushed bodies out of cars. I often helped with the Portapower. Including
kids dying right in front of me from horrible injuries. I've held a towel on a guy's head who was partly scalped going into the windshield, no belts...
You see this stuff up close, really makes you not want to go there yourself.
One of the neat things about TBN is they list similar threads at the bottom of the screen. I think I'll go read Dave's thread on Takata bags.
But I wish someone would start a thread about replacing old airbags, what it costs, how hard it is, can you do it yourself? What about the impact actuators?
I don't know enough, hope someone here does.
considering that airbags can easily save my life, and the folks I care the most about, who are likely to be riding in my car or truck,
what price do I put on a replacement airbag job? How much should I spend to save your life in my truck?
Sounds stupid, but it's not...
And ask your wives how much I should spend too.
there's an ethical dilemma here if you take a passenger and you know the bags don't work.
It's not my issue now at all, I don't own a 70's or 80's American vehicle. Good thing that the fun stuff in the 60's didn't have bags
so not an issue. You just had to keep your 442 out of the ditch...
I'm going to sell a 2004 Jaguar XJR (black on black James Bond car) bought on a whim for not much money, it's running perfectly and that's when you sell...and it has very low miles so I'm
always worried about the market value impact of racking up miles. Not what I want. Want something I can drive and not worry about it for a fun car.
So I'm looking in this age range with the early bags and I'm wondering, what am I buying into?
When you don't know you ask questions. I think Door 1 is disconnect the bag, Door 2 is replace the bag and Door 3 is replace bag and actuator.
If one of you is an auto engineer, and you are even allowed to talk about this...(it's all in the lawsuits) can you tell me/us what door to go through
or maybe as they say in New Jersey, fugeddaboutit.
For sure. My biggest challenge is to remember to put my seatbelt on when using the FEL or mowing roadsides near ditches.
Otherwise my area is so flat it lulls you into stupidity...
I spent ten years with a small town volunteer fire company helping the rescue squad pull crushed bodies out of cars. I often helped with the Portapower. Including
kids dying right in front of me from horrible injuries. I've held a towel on a guy's head who was partly scalped going into the windshield, no belts...
You see this stuff up close, really makes you not want to go there yourself.
One of the neat things about TBN is they list similar threads at the bottom of the screen. I think I'll go read Dave's thread on Takata bags.
But I wish someone would start a thread about replacing old airbags, what it costs, how hard it is, can you do it yourself? What about the impact actuators?
I don't know enough, hope someone here does.
considering that airbags can easily save my life, and the folks I care the most about, who are likely to be riding in my car or truck,
what price do I put on a replacement airbag job? How much should I spend to save your life in my truck?
Sounds stupid, but it's not...
And ask your wives how much I should spend too.
there's an ethical dilemma here if you take a passenger and you know the bags don't work.
It's not my issue now at all, I don't own a 70's or 80's American vehicle. Good thing that the fun stuff in the 60's didn't have bags
so not an issue. You just had to keep your 442 out of the ditch...
I'm going to sell a 2004 Jaguar XJR (black on black James Bond car) bought on a whim for not much money, it's running perfectly and that's when you sell...and it has very low miles so I'm
always worried about the market value impact of racking up miles. Not what I want. Want something I can drive and not worry about it for a fun car.
So I'm looking in this age range with the early bags and I'm wondering, what am I buying into?
When you don't know you ask questions. I think Door 1 is disconnect the bag, Door 2 is replace the bag and Door 3 is replace bag and actuator.
If one of you is an auto engineer, and you are even allowed to talk about this...(it's all in the lawsuits) can you tell me/us what door to go through
or maybe as they say in New Jersey, fugeddaboutit.
Other than short-arm drivers, I don't know of wide-spread problems with first-gen bags. I seem to recall a test somewhere in the last 10 years or so, of a GM gen-1 bag - it deployed fine.
In terms of not deploying, well if you have a 40 y/o vehicle, even in a moderate southern climate, it mostly comes down to how healthy the control system is..... sensor still viable, wiring intact, fuse not corroded.....
At a guess, the one thing I can think of that might disable an airbag itself is total submersion in water.
I wouldn't want to bet my life on a now ancient airbag deploying, but I have no concerns about the original design/build integrity of the thread-title bags.
That historic MB delay is not surprising to me. Often there is advanced tech available in Europe, that is intentionally delayed into the USA market - the concern is liability precedence in US courts - better to let a domestic manufacturer take the lead, IMO.
The Tak bag mess (I've rambled plenty in that thread, so will keep this short...) was nothing more than negligent design combined with lax vehicle OEM QC, and zero govt oversight. Yep, mandatory "safety" enhancements end up working out real well when the project leader is Charlie Foxtrot.
Rgds, D.
1stDeuce
Gold Member
Daugen, I am an auto engineer.
I can tell you point blank that your fears are unfounded.
When I think of "first gen" airbags, I think about those released in the 90's, which were single stage. Earlier versions than that were rare as hens teeth. If I were to buy a "classic" car with an airbag, I would probably just leave it be. Worst case, it may fail to deploy. Best case, it works as intended. Either way, you're not worse off, particularly if you're wearing your seatbelt.
The single stage airbags of the 90's work fine when used with seatbelts. As pointed out above, they can be a problem for very small people, particularly if not belted in. Rear facing child seats should NEVER be put in a front seat location, unless the airbag can be turned off. (Trucks only, as far as I know...)
Worrying about an airbag injuring you in an accident and disconnecting it is akin to not wearing your seatbelt because you want to be able to jump clear of an accident. Poorly advised at best.
Even the famed Takata airbags have injured very few people compared to the number they've saved. If you own a car with one in a VERY humid environment, you should probably deal with it. In normal environments, I don't think there have been many issues.
In general, when a person in an accident does end up with airbag attributed injuries, you can be certain that their injuries most certainly would have been worse without the airbag. Yes, there are exceptions, but the chances of you being the exception are probably far less than getting struck by lightning.
Go about your life and don't worry about it. You'll be fine.
I can tell you point blank that your fears are unfounded.
When I think of "first gen" airbags, I think about those released in the 90's, which were single stage. Earlier versions than that were rare as hens teeth. If I were to buy a "classic" car with an airbag, I would probably just leave it be. Worst case, it may fail to deploy. Best case, it works as intended. Either way, you're not worse off, particularly if you're wearing your seatbelt.
The single stage airbags of the 90's work fine when used with seatbelts. As pointed out above, they can be a problem for very small people, particularly if not belted in. Rear facing child seats should NEVER be put in a front seat location, unless the airbag can be turned off. (Trucks only, as far as I know...)
Worrying about an airbag injuring you in an accident and disconnecting it is akin to not wearing your seatbelt because you want to be able to jump clear of an accident. Poorly advised at best.
Even the famed Takata airbags have injured very few people compared to the number they've saved. If you own a car with one in a VERY humid environment, you should probably deal with it. In normal environments, I don't think there have been many issues.
In general, when a person in an accident does end up with airbag attributed injuries, you can be certain that their injuries most certainly would have been worse without the airbag. Yes, there are exceptions, but the chances of you being the exception are probably far less than getting struck by lightning.
Go about your life and don't worry about it. You'll be fine.
Older American airbags were often designed with more robust casings and different propellants, which may explain why we don’t hear as much about failures. However, over time, the chemicals inside can degrade, potentially leading to failed deployment or even unintended detonation.
Unplugging the connector might disable the airbag, but the propellant remains inside and could still pose a risk. There haven’t been widespread reports of failures in older U.S. vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune. If you’re concerned, a professional inspection or replacement is the safest approach, though unfortunately, there’s no simple owner-replaceable cartridge system available.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
well I decided to just google it, since now AI is being used
looks like we really need to read our manuals, if we have them, and unless after 1992,
some form of inspection seems to be suggested.
. Many automakers such as Mercedes-Benz placed airbag replacement labels on all vehicles sold in the U.S. through 2002. Those labels called for airbags to be replaced after 15 years. But after much research, automakers have concluded that airbags produced after 1992 will last the lifetime of the vehicle. That means that all modern cars that have been built since 1992 contain airbags that should function perfectly.
Today, replacement labels and recommended dealer inspections for airbags are a thing of the past. If you own an older car, check your owner's manual to see if the manufacturer requires airbag replacement or inspection. You can also check for airbag information on the driver's side door jamb or on the back of your sun visors.
looks like we really need to read our manuals, if we have them, and unless after 1992,
some form of inspection seems to be suggested.
. Many automakers such as Mercedes-Benz placed airbag replacement labels on all vehicles sold in the U.S. through 2002. Those labels called for airbags to be replaced after 15 years. But after much research, automakers have concluded that airbags produced after 1992 will last the lifetime of the vehicle. That means that all modern cars that have been built since 1992 contain airbags that should function perfectly.
Today, replacement labels and recommended dealer inspections for airbags are a thing of the past. If you own an older car, check your owner's manual to see if the manufacturer requires airbag replacement or inspection. You can also check for airbag information on the driver's side door jamb or on the back of your sun visors.
aba4430
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I have a 2000 328Ci and the passenger side takata was replaced in 2015. Then got another recall notice for the drivers side, and then again a second time for the passenger side. Got the drivers and passenger side airbags replaced in March, 2022 at a dealership in Pittsburgh. Since the steering wheel trim was not available, only the inflator module got replaced on the wheel.
Anyone can check for open recalls at NHTSA. If you drive a car that has an open airbag recall, get it taken care off, irrespective of whether you live in humid regions or not.
Edit: I also drive a 1998 Z3. The airbags on it are the originals and not under recall.
Anyone can check for open recalls at NHTSA. If you drive a car that has an open airbag recall, get it taken care off, irrespective of whether you live in humid regions or not.
Edit: I also drive a 1998 Z3. The airbags on it are the originals and not under recall.
ultrarunner
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I know a showroom like new 2002 325iT BMW that had recall replacement. On the way home the airbag light went on and service department would not quote repair saying it’s time and material and could easily run thousands of dollars… in other words a blank check?
A very petit older retired woman suffered bad airbag injury but she was so small in stature the seat was all the way forward with a cushion seat insert to get her closer…
Her face looked horrible for a long time with nose and bone fracture and the impact was slow speed single vehicle in a parking lot… I want to say 1980’s Buick… really no damage to the car.
A very petit older retired woman suffered bad airbag injury but she was so small in stature the seat was all the way forward with a cushion seat insert to get her closer…
Her face looked horrible for a long time with nose and bone fracture and the impact was slow speed single vehicle in a parking lot… I want to say 1980’s Buick… really no damage to the car.
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aba4430
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Adding to my previous post. No affiliation with the dealership but it was Bobby Rahal BMW in the Pittsburgh area. They did a fantastic job and used the existing airbag trim on the wheel and just replaced the inflator module. My service receipt includes the inflator module serial number. I had no airbag lights etc. If it is a recall, the company will take care of it if the car is within scope and in service.