When a car bangs into a wall for example, and the airbag pops open, what happens to the front cover of the steering wheel?
Does the plastic front pop up with the airbag and hit you in the face or does it fall off first, but that would make a delay in which time your head could hit the wheel?
How does it work??
2007-01-02 04:02:08 · 17 answers · asked by BrilliantPomegranate 4 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
yeah the airbag doesnt burst through the SOLID centre of the steering wheel atall!! the part of the steering wheel that covers the airbag is on a hinge-like peice of plastic that once deployed flips upto the top oif the steering wheel but is behind the bag so your not injured by it, i discovered this when i went to a slavage yard for a door for my dads focus when i saw a mondeo there that had been in an accident and the airbag had gone off but had beeen cut out so i could see the flap open... and as for the dashboard airbags they work on the same system but there is a weaker part of the cover round the edge which makes it easyer for the bag to push away.
2007-01-02 20:22:42 · answer #1 · answered by Escort_Turbo 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Hi, if you are interested in such things the you must look at the European new car assessment site, It explains how each model of car performs under collision.
http://www.euroncap.com/content/safety_ratings/introduction.php
As Renault make the safest cars in the world, I would recommend looking at the Renault safety zone on their website.
http://www.renault.co.uk/Safety.aspx
The seven seater Espace is reportedly the safest car in the world.
To answer your question, the latest airbags are called stage two airbags, the plastic will split open like a flap, and only inflate the bag as much as needed.
My car has got 8 airbags and seatbelt tensioners, six of the airbags are in the front. In the seats and the rooflining.
A computer tells them how much they need to be filled depending on the severity, and also if it is a side impact, which side needs to be inflated (or not as may be the case). If you want a safe car, buy something newer than 2001, and look for SIDE airbags or curtains. I suggest the Mercedes A class, Renault Clio, Modus or Megane.
2007-01-02 12:18:55 · answer #2 · answered by My name's MUD 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hi!
Oh - not really a short answer, but ...
It's the first time that I have heard of four triangular pieces
According to a recent answer..
Sure, the bits move apart, releasing the bag very quickly, and inflate in a small fraction of a second on impact.
The gas cylinder discharges, driven by what is fundamentally a thing on a spring, with a bit a weight attached. Normally held well in place, until it de-celerates at a goodly pace, opening the gas valve, Pop. and open they go.
The shards of plastic, either within the steering wheel, or other passenger compartments are usually designed to throw the bits away.
I was persuaded to try one at my mates' research thing in Cardington, and the plastic all flew to the sides, I bumped my head on the gas-bag, and all was well.
But I have trouble remembering my name.
Oh, It's Bob !
So all the best of a New Year.
2007-01-02 13:40:02 · answer #3 · answered by Bob the Boat 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The designs vary.
Sometimes the airbag comes through a hole ripped in the weak cover, leaving the cover in several pieces attached to the wheel.
Another design pretty much shreds the cover and throws it about the car, but it really doesn't do any serious harm.
Another couple of designs pop the cover either upwards or downwards on a hinge.
2007-01-03 09:24:54 · answer #4 · answered by guymof 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The plastic cover of the steering wheel is "scored" on the back so when the air bag is triggered the plastic peels back in a pre determined pattern to allow the airbag to inflate.
2007-01-02 12:29:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Been there do not want to do it again.
The plastic spreads open at the seem on the front of the steering wheel to allow the air bag to deploy. The plastic does not pop off. the bag deploys within a fraction of a second and can actually do more harm then good.
2007-01-02 13:17:18 · answer #6 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It splits open in the midle on the cover only the Air Bag hits you
i fould that out in Oct i had a 1990 Dodge Omni and the air bag came out when a car hit me that old of a car i didn't even think it worked but it did lol
2007-01-02 13:46:15 · answer #7 · answered by davedebo198305 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It opens like a box top. If you are sitting close enough for it to hit you in the face, you are sitting too close to the steering wheel. Sit back. It happens so fast, that the air bag is there before your face gets that close to it.
2007-01-02 12:05:24 · answer #8 · answered by Blunt Honesty 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The cover breaks in the middle, hinging at the edges. The bag travels a lot faster than your face, you will get nowhere near the wheel.
2007-01-02 12:04:52 · answer #9 · answered by lulu 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
The plastic cap is cut on the inside in a cross so the bag bursts through it leaving four triangular pieces clinging to the wheel.
i.e. it doesn't fly off at all, just bursts open.
2007-01-02 12:04:34 · answer #10 · answered by evilted_2 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋