Spontaneous Airbag Deployment!!

Precisely correct.

 

Is disabling the best course of action if you are concerned about deployment? I would think removal is what you would want to do.

 

Disabling disconnects the electrical connection and sends a dummy signal to the car's computer that they are present. If not you get the air bag lights on the dash, etc.

There is a small switch placed in the glove box that has a key and a small LED. You have then the choice to activate the bags if you prefer at any time. When the LED is illuminated, it indicates that the bag is electrically disconnected.

If you remove them then you have to deal with the physical aspects of the car's appearance and you'll get the constant dash air bag light.

I think Dr. G was right about what Daniel was smelling! I should have stated that "in addition there is the odor of perchlorate"!

Disable those air bags guys!

call Bob Brown today!

 

Well has it been established if the spontaneous deployment was from premature ignition or from false triggering?

It would seem if the ignition source was still there then the possibility still exists for deployment.

 

The electrical connection to the bag is disabled by the switch!

 

The deployment scenario mentioned in this thread is quite alarming. How would one go about disabling the airbags in a 1999 F355? (there's no glove box or switch with LED as described above).

 

It's very alarming. I had my wife read this thread, and she wants her BMW air bags eliminated ASAP.

Air bags have absolutely no functional purpose in a vehicle!

The switch can go anywhere. It's about 1" high by 2" wide by about 2 1/2" long. See the photo.

Contact Bob or Marilyn Brown at 1-877-773-7908. It's www.airbagonoff.com. He did a great job for me, and he'll be doing the 530i BMW and the CL500.

BTW, the LED and switch are all contained w/in the switch box.
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Greg -

While I appreciate the danger of spontaneous airbag deployment, I'm not sure I'd personally want to disable them in Mrs. JRR's car or my daily/beater Saturn. In the event of a frontal collision, airbags absolutely save lives. It is an irrefutable fact that when used in conjunction with seatbelts to position the driver for impact, the airbag substantially reduces injuries from steering columns, side impact, frontal head impact, side head impact, etc.

I'm 100% in agreement that spontaneous deployment is massively dangerous. However, I'd venture it's less common than deployment for legitimate collision reasons. I'll take my chances, and leave my bags turned on.

Just my 2 shillings.

 

great, thank you. my wife doesn't like me taking the kids to school in the 355.

JM

 

Daniel,

While what you say is true to an extent, I have seen people who were hit by air bags in a slow speed accident. It is repulsive.

Ask Bob Brown how his wife took a hit and how that got him into this business.

I have had tons of cars w/o air bags and never needed them. So why do I now? The early cars did not even have seat belts let alone air bags.

I had VW's, a Model A Ford, tons of British sports cars, tons of M-B's, etc.

Air bags are a marketing ploy to make a buyer think that a particular vehicle is the safest of all manufactured.

Simply, it's BS!

 

I used to work with the Occupant Safety Systems branch of TRW and was given the opportunity to see all of their operations in Europe (from the production of gas generators to the final assembly of the ABC headbags).

I asked their engineers whether I really need to replace the sensor electronics, ignition modules or gas generators in my Alfa Spider after 10 years and the answer was NO. Components don´t age that fast.

To all those who think airbags are oblivious: Survival rates after severe crashes went dramatically up in Europe. A big part of this is attributed to the improvements in the rigidity of the bodywork of cars and to improvements in passive passenger safety systems. The death toll per 1 Million inhabitants is almost five times as high in the US compared to Germany although speed limitations are far more rigid in the US.

 

That makes it sound bad for airbags, as there are more airbags in use in the U.S...

 

I agree. I only state the auto makers position.

 

I agree with that too. Air bags work.


I remember when seat belts became required equipment. People said they were dangerous too. Kept you from jumping clear of an accident. Makes about as much sense as arguing against airbags.

 

i dunno
i know i feel safer with air bags in my cars and my kids cars

i also dunno about a disabling switch.....
what if you forget to turn 'um back on ?

all in all air bags saves lives

i've seen the aftermath of several ugly accidents where air bags were deployed and i don't think those people would be alive if they didn't have air bags

seat belts too

 

I would feel safer without them. I always wear a seat belt. I suspect that cars are built to a very crashworthy standard when it comes to frontal collisions, and agree with Greg that having a projectile pointed at your face isn't the best solution. Mostly I worry about rollovers in the Jeep.

Also, my mother is 5'0" tall and usually has the seat adjusted forward almost all the way when she drives. There's no way anyone should be sitting that close to an airbag, but most drivers aren't aware of this.

Daniel, have you worked out the pricing on the 328 airbag deactivation kit or is it still $499?

 

Actually, I have. There's a dude who lives in a hut in Indonesia that makes these black boxes (I think they simply contain one relay... maybe two). Anyway, I'm going to sell these black boxes and the installation instructions (just velcro it under your dash), and it will disable the airbags in the following cars:

246
308
328
348
TR

We're working on a model for the 512BB and BBi too.


Step right up! Git yer amazing airbag cutoff switch now!!

$599/ea, or $1250 for a pair!!

 

There are very good safety reasons to have airbags and seat belts, but airbags and seatbelts have downsides, too.

There's been more than 1 slow speed crash in which the frame of the car was bent inward far enough to jam a seatbelt, followed by a catastrophic fire that killed the trapped driver, for instance.

That doesn't mean "skip wearing your seat belt," it just means that nothing is perfect...and sometimes makes a bad situation worse.

Same for airbags. In many cases they are going to save you from some frontal trauma, perhaps even save your life...but in a few cases it's been the airbags that have killed people (especially children in car seats before people knew better).

And if there is a problem with the aging of airbag circuitry that causes increased spontaneous deployments, then that will have to be factored in over the long-term.

There will always be the exception to the rule. Hey, smoking cigarretes is bad for you unless you are a uranium miner...then it extends your life expectancy.

It's just not a simple world.

 

Yes and sometimes not wearing a seat belt so you can jump clear can save a life too.