ChrisG

Has anyone ever had their passenger airbag disabled?
Does a dealer have to do the job or is it just a case of pulling a fuse?
Also does it effect your insurance premium?
Thanks in advance.
Chris

Lee

remind me never to take a spin with you

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

To disable any airbag, you must disconnect the battery and wait at least 15 minutes for all things to drain of charge. Then disassemble the wheel or facia to get access to the rear of the airbag module. It should be a straightfroward job to unplug the squib wire, and tape it up so it does not contact anything else. The bag can then be refitted. Wear ESD straps or a heel strap when doing this to be on the safe side. Check if the module has an earthing lead or tag too, as this is still needed for safety.

As for legalities, you could be liable if a passenger is injured or killed if the airbag was 'deactivated' by yourself. I'm sure car insurance would be affected too, as there is the potential of a higher payout on major injuries to an unprotected occupant, rather than minor ones if an airbag was present and did its job.

There are cases in USA where friends are suing each other where passenger airbags are deacivated to have baby seats, and the seats were removed, and a case of 'want a lift mate?' turns into an expensive court case! I kid not!

Deactivation is done at owners risk!

firefox

howdy..

15 mins is a little excessive.. I think its actually about 30 seconds to wait.... but 15 mins will do... lol

As for unplugging the actual bag.. if you leave it unplugged, it will flag as an airbag fault...

What most dealers have/use a dummy load, that they connect into the plug/socket instead of the airbag... this doesnt flag as a fault... and allows the system to run normally...

Be very careful in relation to voltage spikes, etc... you should see the disposal instructions for setting off an airbag... remind me not to be near one when it accidently goes off!!

J.

ps - I have no idea about insurance/legality issues... except that I would have thought the insurance wouldnt pay out..

ChrisG

Thanks for the replies.

We have our first sprog due in a couple of months time so I'm just looking ahead.

I thought this would have been a regular occurance for dealers but my local Honda dealer would not do it to my car (Integra Type-R), saying the carseat must be put into the back by law. Although I was under the impression that new Focus/Golfs etc are fitted with disarming key swithces.

Anyway, perhaps its time to get rid of the Honda and get a sensible 4 door saloon.....

pwebb

I considered this too - but was warned off disabling the air bag in my sti (and girlfriend's suzuki)....consider this instead....baby seat is rear facing - so when it goes in the back you can't see the baby but it is less distracting this way when you are driving! - you can only use this type of baby carrier for a short time (6-9 months) - then you will be buying a proper rear mount child seat (as soon as the child can hold its head up) - thus is it really worth carving up the air bag system just for a few months ? - I decided not to do the change to either car - baby is now 4 months old and already getting a bit big for the baby carrier.

hope this helps you decide,
cheers,

Paul W

btw - the throb of SS backbox and downpipe is very good for putting baby to sleep :-)
(any excuse to go out for a drive eh?)

ColinU

Pwebb... agree with you on both counts:

a) put the baby in the back. It's safer there than in the front seat (airbag or not!). Also my local scooby dealers would not disconnect the airbag (they both said they don't want to end up in court if injuries happened that could have been prevented by an airbag!).

b) the SS backbox certain put our daughter (7 month old Holly) to sleep a lot quicker .

Kevin Greeley

Please be very careful if you mess with the Airbag. It contains a small explosive charge that could cause you some serious damage.
My local Peugeot dealer has to have an explosives licence and a safe to keep the charges secure.
I would imagine that there is special training and are procedures required to service the airbag systems.

Kevin
Never mess with something you don't understand (as I've found out to my cost on many occasions).

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Don't ever tamper with the things, they can cause serious injury. Some passenger airbags use part explosive, part stored gas cannisters as their inflation aid, so fiddling could break the gas seal.
Ouch!