Thursday, February 21, 2008
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- What is the best method of airbag deactivation?
- How safe is it?
- What about the new Hybrid vehicles?
- What causes an accidental airbag deployment?
- How can individuals protect themselves from personal harm caused by accidental deployments?
These are the critical questions on the minds of technicians, first-responders and car buffs as they work around vehicles with airbags. New cars can have as many as twelve airbags…now, there’s an accidental deployment waiting to happen!!
Take a look at this video showing how powerful and dangerous these ‘safety devices’ can be when they deploy inadvertently.
(Click on photo -- link to video)
There are many reasons why these systems malfunction, but for the most part, it’s human error and common misconceptions that cause the problem.
Let's explore the questions we posed earlier:
What is the best method of airbag deactivation?
Airbag deactivation:
Disconnect the battery and walk away for for 10-20 minutes.
All airbag systems have a backup power supply. This is primarily designed to allow the airbag system to deploy if the battery or power supply is damaged during the accident, but prior to any impact hat may harm the occupants. These power supplies can remain ‘hot’ for up to 20 minutes after the primary power supply is disconnected.
How safe is it?
For the most part, this procedure will disarm the system, HOWEVER, there are new problems that have arisen that are not the responsibility of the manufacturer. These problems arise when owners, technicians or other individuals begin installing aftermarket components, like cell phone adapters and cradles, i-pod/i-phone docking stations or auto computer / radio memory-savers.
These units are power supplies themselves and will back-feed power into the vehicle rearming airbags even with the main battery disconnected. To clarify this point, no matter how long you unplug the battery of a vehicle, if cell phones, i-pods or memory savers are plugged in or in use, the AIRBAGS ARE STILL LIVE!
What about the new Hybrid vehicles?
3) The new Hybrid and electric cars are a world to themselves.
As this technology develops, each manufacturer's guidelines must be followed for proper and safe deactivation of the power systems.
What causes accidental airbag deployment?
(Click on photo -- link to video)
1) Airbag systems are designed to deploy specific airbags under very specific impact, inertia and gravitational (g-force) conditions. Accidental deployment typically occurs during one of 3 conditions:
a. Manufacturer defects. If you want to check to see if your vehicle has been the subject of an airbag defect, recall or investigation, simply click on this link to enter your vehicle data.
b. Environmental conditions. We have found that moisture, rust, salt residue and other natural occurring elements and conditions can trigger the airbag firing mechanisms, causing an accidental airbag deployment. (see previous blog),
c. Human involvement. Many times though, it’s human intervention that causes an airbag to deploy without proper cause. Installations of aftermarket products, like radios, DVD players or custom interior dash lights are the most frequent culprits. A misplaced screw driven through a wiring harness, a pinched or shorted wire or a probe from a powered test light can all send power to the wrong circuit and cause the airbag to deploy instantly.
How can individuals protect themselves from personal harm caused by accidental deployment?
- Never work on or around an airbag with a “LIVE” battery or power source connected.
- Never tamper with, remove or service an airbag system without first knowing the dangers, precautions and procedures for proper removal, service or installation.
- Follow the manufacturer guidelines for deactivation. Every manufacturer is different and has procedures available in their repair manuals and shop service manuals.
- Use new, sealed, factory parts. Aftermarket, used and reconditioned parts do not always conform to the same strict safety guidelines required by law and may have been damaged, altered or tampered with affecting their dependability and safety. In addition, each state has its own regulations governing the sale and installation of used airbags.
- Contact a professional in the business.
Airbag safety is nothing to ignore. Too many professionals, technicians and 'first responders' have already seen the cost of accidental deployment. Airbag systems are designed to be powerful and effective. They deploy with the same powerful forces regardless of whether it's during a collision or as a consequence of an accidental deployment. Keeping a safe distance, working with knowledge of each vehicle's system and respecting the dangers involved will keep you safe when working around airbags.
For additional information on the best methods of safe deactivation, we always recommend obtaining vehicle specific manufacturer instructions.
Some of the photos and videos used in this blog are courtesy of extrication and accident scene safety rescue experts, Lee Junkins: Midsouth Rescue Technologies and Todd Hoffman: www.sceneoftheaccident.org
Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 16,365 Murano and Infiniti EX 35 sport-utility vehicles to fix a software program that may lead passenger air bags to fail.
The recall affects 11,511 Muranos from model year 2009 and 4,854 Infiniti EX35s from 2008, according to a Feb. 12 letter from Nissan posted on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site.
The air bags may fail to inflate in a crash because of incorrectly programmed software, increasing the risk of injury, according to the agency.
Nissan sold 76,358 Muranos last year, according to Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based Autodata Corp. The Infiniti EX, a compact sport-utility vehicle introduced in December to compete with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's X3 and Honda Motor Co.'s Acura RDX, sold 305 units in 2007.
Jeannine Ginivan, a spokeswoman for Nissan, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Tokyo-based Nissan is Japan's third-largest automaker, behind Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda.
Volkswagen AG's 2003 and 2004 New Beetles are being investigated by U.S. safety regulators for a sensor malfunction that can reduce air-bag protection.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it received five complaints
that the failure of the front crash sensor triggered an air-bag warning light. The
preliminary inquiry may involve 104,000 vehicles, the Washington-based agency said today on its Web site.
"There have been no incidents or accidents resulting from this and we are
cooperating fully" with the agency, Keith Price, a spokesman for Volkswagen's Auburn Hills, Mich.-based U.S. unit, said in an interview.
About half of the initial inquiries by NHTSA result in a recall. Volkswagen, based in
Wolfsburg, Germany, is Europe's biggest carmaker.
Ford Recalls 470,000 Mustangs to update air bag software
Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling 470,000 Ford Mustangs from the 2005-2008 model years to recalibrate how forcefully the air bag deploys on the front passenger side of the car.
GM is recalling 181,516 MY 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHR vehicles not equipped with optional roof rail air bags for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, 'Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.' In tests, one of the upper interior occupant protection test points exceeded the standard's requirement. This standard specifies performance requirements to provide head impact protection for occupants. Dealers will install an energy-absorbing plastic piece to the headliner trim. The recall is expected to begin during March 2008. This recall was the subject of an investigation, OA-201-060918B, conducted by the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance. 08V-046
Mitsubishi is recalling 7,340 MY 2006-2007 Endeavor vehicles. The right side lower seat belt anchor may separate during a severe vehicle crash. A severe crash could allow the seat belt to not properly restrain the passenger and potentially result in injury or death. Dealers will replace the front passenger side seat belt and bracket assembly. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. 08V-022
Maserati is recalling 56 MY 2008 Granturismo vehicles equipped with the advanced passenger seat air bag weight sensor system. A malfunction can occur in the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ECU) software when the battery is not fully charged. In the event of a crash, the passenger side air bag and passenger seat belt pre-tensioner may not deploy increasing the risk of injuries. Dealers will replace the SRS ECU units as necessary. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-550
Honda is recalling 34,300 MY 2007-2008 Fit vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The wire harness for the occupant detection system (ODS) and the occupant position detection system (OPDS) is routed underneath the carpet on the driver's side floorboard. In areas where road salt is used, salt from the snow on the driver's shoes will melt and may penetrate the carpet and leak into the wire harness. If the harness is exposed to salt brine, corrosion may occur and the wire may break causing the SRS indicator light to illuminate. A failure of the ODS and OPDS may not detect the presence of a child seat or an out-of-position passenger and deployment of both the front seat passenger's frontal and side air bags will not be suppressed. In the event of a crash, a deploying front passenger air bag or front passenger's side air bag will increase the risk of injury to small or out-of-position occupants. Dealers will inspect and replace the wire harness. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-549
GM is recalling 57,100 MY 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof rail airbags or optional sunroof. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact." During NHTSA impact tests, the interior occupant protection test points exceeded the standard requirements. The results of this test indicated a possibility of an increased risk of head injury in a crash. Dealers will install an energy absorbing foam piece to each of the a-pillar trim assemblies. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-520
Ford is recalling 45 MY 2008 Focus, Expedition, F250 and F350 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, 'Occupant Crash Protection.' The driver air bag module may not have been properly assembled. This condition may prevent the driver air bag from properly deploying and reduce occupant protection in the event of a crash. Dealers will replace the driver air bag module. The recall began on November 20, 2007. 07V-541