Air bag deployment

I know Andy Watson had a fairly decent front crash.. And the air bag didn't go off..

Just wondered how many others know of a crash (front/side/rear) and the air bag didn't go off?

Just curious.. Following on from a discussion about those (incl myself) who have chosen to fit after market steering wheels without air bags fitted..

Given that some MGF air bags are nearing 20 years old.. And none of them are tested until the crash.. How do you know if the one in your car will actually work?

Removing an air bag is not an MOT fail.. But disabling it is..

If like me you remove the air bag steering wheel you must also remove the SRS light.. So that there is no evidence of an airbag being there..

Air bag fitted you must have SRS light come on and go off for MOT

The impact speed need to be quite high, 25mph IIRC.
Do you know if for those have had crashes in which the air bag didn't go off if the seatbelt pre-tensioners have gone off.

Andys seat belt tensioners didn't go off either

Am I right in thinking even a heavy rear impact would cause the air bag to deploy?

As it's the module in the centre of the car (in front of the gear stick) that measures the impact.. Not a sensor in the front bumper..

http://www.carsdirect.com/car-safety/how-does-your-cars-airbag-system-work

Also I suspect that the absolute correct path is to remove the SRS light if all parts of the system are removed, if any part in the system is still active, then the SRS light should remain operational. As such the pre-tensioners are part of this system so if the steering wheel airbag is disabled it also needs the badge removing.

I'm not sure about shelf life, in theory the charge in the bag should last the life of the car.

Not sure where the sensor is in the F, on the ZS there is one on both sides, next to the front seats on the inner sill.

edit - just looked at my wiring PDF and can't find any such sensor so guess it is in the DCU.

However it point's out that the system is triggered if there is a heavy impact within 30' of the front.

You hear people saying 'if you remove the air bag you'll die in a crash'

Er.. This is Harriet's car.. Some will know the crash., looks pretty major to me..

Harriet spent a fair time in a back brace after the crash..



Hard to tell in the pictures.. But looks like it might have front end damage..



Air bag deployed??

That'll polish out...

People wanting to remove safety features like airbags or ABS etc always look on past events to justify their decision. Why do you need to? Your airbag, remove it if you want to.

Statistically, airbags have seen a reduction in deaths and serious injuries, but you have to remember that the MGF/TF is a basic system. No curtains etc, just straight forward steering wheel airbag and pre tensioners.

These sort of systems will only deploy in a straight on crash at speed. Any other deployment could prove dangerous to the driver and make things worse.

The pictures you show of Harriet's car clearly show that it was a front/offside impact and possibly a spin, not a head on crash.

You believe that an airbag doesn't offer any benefits, that is fair enough and is your call, but you don't need to convince the rest of us. I'll be keeping my airbag for the one in a million chance that I need it.

I'm not encouraging people to remove them Clive,.

Does anyone actually know how the F/TF system works?

Does it only deploy in a head on collision?

Pretty much, yes. If there was any side force present then your head would not land central in the airbag, so it could prove dangerous to the driver.

It is common across a lot of car makes and leads to the false illusion that airbags don't work.

The amount of times I have seen people posting that they had a crash and the airbag didn't go off is huge and this leads them to the wrong conclusion that they are pointless or not very effective. A lot of times it is just down to not understanding what the airbag is there for.

It used to be the same with seatbelts (and sadly still is).

You would always hear people justifying not wearing a seatbelt because they had heard from a friend that they didn't work, or they knew somebody that died even though they were wearing a seatbelt.

This doesn't stem from a fear of the seatbelt system, it stems from that person not wanting to wear it and manipulating the available data to justify their decision.

I don't think anyone on here would argue that seatbelts save lives, but there are people who do, just because they don't want to wear one.

Would you even be asking the question if you didn't want to fit a steering wheel without one? For most people, the airbag is something you don't even think about. It is hidden and doesn't even cause a problem or discomfort during normal driving (unless that bloody light comes on).

People in the past have used the same sort of justification to remove their ABS systems. There have been BIG discussions over this one about how it effects the feel of braking and doesn't offer any real benefit if you are a good driver. Yeah, right, because each individual knows that they are a great driver that can use cadence braking quicker than a onboard computer can operate it. I have seen arguments such as "my F doesnt have ABS and I haven't died". Well, obviously not. Not yet, anyway. I can see the advantage for switching the ABS off on track days, but not on public roads.

The plain truth of the matter is that, for ALL road drivers, the addition of safety systems on cars does reduce the likelihood of losing control, or being seriously hurt if an accident happens. Removing any of these systems is your own personal choice, but has to come with the acceptance that it could increase (even slightly) the risk of serious injury in a crash.