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Had a wreck. Question about airbags

10K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  tickerguy 
#1 ·
On March 17th my wife left the road to avoid an accident in our 07 6S and hit a tree. Other person (who ran her off the road) has to pay for it (insurance). Anyway, she hit a huge tree moving ~20mph and it pushed the left front fender in and pushed the driver's side front wheel up against the wheel well. Crunched the hood and front bumper as well. Total damage ~$8000 (but not totaled) including cracked steering rack.
My question. Why didn't the bags deploy? Has anybody here had a front end collision that wasn't on center and, if so, did your bags deploy?
 
#2 ·
Unfortunately, the airbag sensors aren't fool-proof. Certain offset impacts don't trigger them.

On the other hand, I'm friends with someone that rear-ended a car dead-center going about 40mph and his airbags didn't deploy. Last I spoke with him, he was in litigation with Mitsubishi.

An insurance adjuster should be able to determine whether or not the airbags SHOULD'VE deployed in your situation.
 
#3 ·
Thanks. The adjuster never had anything to say about the airbags. I'd be suprised if she even looked at the car.

QUOTE (BlackCherry06 @ Apr 10 2009, 11:41 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=1545725
Unfortunately, the airbag sensors aren't fool-proof. Certain offset impacts don't trigger them.

On the other hand, I'm friends with someone that rear-ended a car dead-center going about 40mph and his airbags didn't deploy. Last I spoke with him, he was in litigation with Mitsubishi.

An insurance adjuster should be able to determine whether or not the airbags SHOULD'VE deployed in your situation.[/b]
 
#4 ·
As BlackCherry06 stated, certain types of impacts will not trigger the airbags. Basically, the computer is trying to only deploy the airbags during crashes in which the airbag will actually be beneficial.

Most airbags will not deploy below a certain vehicle speed. I thought the threshold was more like 10~15mph, not 20mph, but every model may be different I suppose. Some one in the technical department of Mazda should be able to tell you the minimum speed for the airbags in your car.
 
#5 ·
Air bag sensors are in the front bumper, so unless it's a square hit to that, they will not deploy.

In addition, most rear-ending collisions won't get them off because the car usually goes under the bumper of the car in front and the bumper isn't impacted.

Glad you wife's ok after the accident. Make sure you ask about something called Diminished Value too, since your car is fairly new and this accident will lower its value.
 
#6 ·
Just gone through this with my 2003 Mazda 6 luxury sedan, i was hit at about 60 kmph and forced into the car in front a holden commodore ( australia), the hood folded up the two front air bags went off and the insurance assessor has written it off, wow what a scary experience having airbags go, first time for me,

so i went out and bought another low kilometer luxury sport this time same age (2003) same colour, white, today its getting lowered and hopfully its new wheels
18 X 8 vertini same as my old car hehehe in a couple of days

did i like my last mazda, you bet thats why i bought the same (almost ) car again

Ewen
 
#7 ·
QUOTE (LapisLazuli6 @ Apr 10 2009, 12:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=1545817
Air bag sensors are in the front bumper, so unless it's a square hit to that, they will not deploy.

In addition, most rear-ending collisions won't get them off because the car usually goes under the bumper of the car in front and the bumper isn't impacted.

Glad you wife's ok after the accident. Make sure you ask about something called Diminished Value too, since your car is fairly new and this accident will lower its value.[/b]
It doesn't matter whether you hit the sensors themselves or not. The sensors deploy based on G-forces and that's why they deploy for some collisions and not for others. Given that, a 40MPH rear ender seems rather fast for airbags not to have deployed.

For 20MPH I'd rather the airbags not deploy. I've never experienced it, but I'm guessing that's not really fast enough for your head to slam into the steering wheel. And airbags are expensive...and they burn.
 
#8 ·
QUOTE (N4TECguy @ May 9 2009, 10:17 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=1558849
It doesn't matter whether you hit the sensors themselves or not. The sensors deploy based on G-forces and that's why they deploy for some collisions and not for others. Given that, a 40MPH rear ender seems rather fast for airbags not to have deployed.[/b]
:yesnod: Yep.

I had to retrieve the datalog from a vehicle equipped with a breathalyzer that had been involved in an collision. I was able to eavesdrop on the GM rep explaining to the owner why her front airbags did not deploy. The system uses accelerometers to determine whether the airbags to deploy or not. In her case, getting hit in the rear passenger door did not meet the parameters to deploy the front bags and probably wouldn't have prevented her from getting "whiplash" anyway.
 
#9 ·
I was just involved in a frontal offset collision with my 2016 Mazda 6 iSport, on my driver's side. I was going 34mph and another vehicle plowed into my drivers front end, drove up on my hood, my drivers door came unhinged, totally shifted my frame, bent my wheel well back into my tire, the works. That was on 9/5/19, and my car is still being repaired. My airbags didn't deploy, but the other drivers did, and the excuse the mechanic gave me for mine is because my car wasn't stationary. Which is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. I'd like to know why the airbags in mine didn't deploy but it seems I'll just forever get the runaround.
 
#10 ·
The sensors are quite complex and are designed to only set off the bag(s) that will help prevent an injury in that location. They're also not foolproof.

You definitely do not want them to go off unless they really will help; not only does it almost total the vehicle if they deploy in addition there is a non-zero risk that they can injure or kill you outright. Like all things there is no free lunch -- and they don't do much of anything to prevent or mitigate whiplash; their purpose is to prevent body impact with hard surfaces but to do it they are a literal bomb in the face.
 
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