She received 8 stitches to the head as a result of the accident. A silverado hit her in the front on the passengers side of the vehicle. she has a 2002 saturn 200 series i believe and has both driver and passenger airbags. This not the first accident she has been involved in with this particular car and each accident she had they never deployed. She has been told but a few people that the only time they will deploy is when the frame of the car is hit. Is this true? Or should she have it checked into. Yes she bought the car used.
2007-03-17 15:42:14 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
The car does NOT need to be hit in the frame, bumper, or anywhere specific in order for them to deploy. Most vehicles do have airbag sensors in the front, but they measure the rate of deceleration. The deceleration has to reach a certain point for the bags to deploy, otherwise they won't go off to reduce risk of unneccessary injury from the airbag from low-speed collisions.
Being a side impact, it may not have reduced the speed enough to deploy the bags.
Now, that being said, I'd still have the dealership check out the airbag system to see if it is functioning properly. Being a used vehicle, the previous owners may have disabled the airbag system, or had the light come on and removed the light. In this case, it'd be time to sue the previous owners of the vehicle for any injuries and to correct the system. Unless, of course, they had put it in writing that the system was not working when they sold it to her.
2007-03-17 18:38:13 · answer #1 · answered by Mark B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The airbag did not deploy which means, it was defective to begin with. Airbags are supposed to deploy at certain speeds. If the car your mother was driving was hit and it was totaled which is what it sounds like, then of course the air bag was supposed to deploy. But since it didn't the manufacturer of the car is at fault for this. They sold your mother a faulty car, and it put her life in jeopardy. Mechanical errors do take place so this is no surprise but the car should have been tested before it was sold, and as a result your mother is in pain because of the negligence of someone else.
2016-03-29 03:42:12 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The vehicle SRS (airbag system) will self diagnois everytime the key is turned on (the SRS lamp will glow, then go off). This means the system is armed and functioning properly. Deployment is caused by massive negative acceleration, not impact to frame. Most airbag systems don't deploy under 15 MPH, none deploy in a rear-end or side impact. As to the idiot that thinks you should get a lawyer and sue somebody -- why? If you would feel better about having a nylon bag burst out and into your mothers face with the force of a shotgun blast then buy another car.
2007-03-18 12:02:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If she bought it used without looking at the carfax, the air bags may have deployed before she even bought the car from the previous owner. How many accidents has she been in with this car? If she is prone to accidents, or has them frequently to the point where she is expecting an airbag to deploy, she needs to consider a safer vehicle. I would have it checked into anyway. And you can't just start suiing saturn b/c you don't even know if the airbags were deployed in the past, so def. check that out too in the carfax.
2007-03-17 15:48:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They only deploy in straight on hits that would push the front frame in. My son has been rear ended in his Saturn a couple of different times now and his did not deploy either. Once he was shoved into the guard rail on the freeway and did sustain some front end damage but it did not effect the passenger compartment. This last time he was thrown around to the point his seat broke and it still did not deploy. He bought his Saturn new.
2007-03-17 15:49:24 · answer #5 · answered by JAN 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
nope. the front bumper needs to be hit. the mechanisms won't fire until the pistons the the front bumper are compressed enough to make contact.
the 5 MPH bumper is mounted on a shock absorber to minimize repairs below 5 MPH, but if the bumpers weren't struck then there's no signal. The bumper on a Silverado is WAY higher than the bumper on the Saturn.
Saturn's are good cars, built well and designed well. If she gets it fixed have the dealer check the electronics and insure the airbags are still in tact and operating. They should get a signal. Thieves have been stealing them, and some unscrupulous people will sell a car that they've been removed from, so have it checked.
Side air bags should deploy when the driver or front passenger door is hit hard enough to intrude on the passenger compartment.
2007-03-17 15:47:57 · answer #6 · answered by Sarge1572 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I would check CARFAX. Then after the first accident I would have had the bags checked to either make sure they are actually in there and working properly. If not, then I would probibaly seek legal help into why after the first accident, were the airbags not functioning properly. If this is a reoccurring issue, someone knows why or failed to log the problem.
2007-03-17 15:53:53 · answer #7 · answered by psychoholiday1976 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i honestly dont know but i suggest taking it in anyway and get the professional's opinion on what she should do. if her airbags are faulty she needs to either get them fixed or look into getting another car to avoid injuries or death!
2007-03-17 15:45:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She needs to scrap the car and get a more trusty car like a Honda or Toyota. Volvos are also safe.
2007-03-17 15:45:23 · answer #9 · answered by Isabela 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
ya my pop hit a deer and ours never went off
2007-03-17 15:53:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋