Side Impact Airbags

[SillyLily]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I've done a search and couldn't find any threads that answered my question.

I have a 2001 Audi A6 that we bought used. It has side curtain airbags in the front and back. There is a sticker on each side of the back doors that says the rear side curtain airbags have been disabled by the dealership. I was surprised by this, as one of the reasons I bought the car was because I wanted the added safety of the curtain airbags in the back seat.

So I started doing a little research online and found a few references to the side curtain airbags being unsafe if children ride in the back seat, which is why I assume the airbags were disabled (the previous owners probably had children and requested the dealership to turn them off).

Is this legitimate? Is it better to have the back airbags turned off? Or should I see if I can get a dealership to turn them back on?

Thank you!

[snowbird25ca]

What does your vehicle owner's manual say about the side curtain airbags? I believe in some of the older vehicles you had to request that the dealership activate the airbags. I'm not sure what vehicles were affected by that though.

The vehicle manuals I have read all have very specific warnings to not allow children to lean against the doors or door pillars. Kids in carseats are going to have a pretty tough time doing that anyways provided they're harnessed properly.

One other thing to consider, is that if an impact occurs on the side the child is on, I'd think the airbag deploying and preventing cabin intrusion would be better than the car door deforming and the other vehicle potentially entering the cabin space or impacting the carseat.

Some food for thought anyways...

[twokidstwodogs]

The first thing you need to do is figure out whether you have side *curtain* airbags or side *impact* airbags. Both types would have been fairly unusual in rear seats in 2001, but a 2001 Audi might well have either, or both. Side curtain airbags deploy mostly over the windows and run parallel to the car. Side impact airbags deploy lower down, and project into the passenger space.

Side *curtain* airbags appear to pose no risk to child passengers, and provide many benefits. If they are truly side curtain airbags, then by all means get them enabled.

If, however, they are side impact airbags, it's a bit trickier. A while back, there was some concern that side impact airbags might pose a risk to out-of-position occupants or perhaps children in harnessed seats. The risk was mostly theoretical, but the few manufacturers who had side impact airbags in rear seats (mostly European cars) reacted quickly. Since that time, a group called the Technical Working Group developed a set of voluntary standards for ensuring the safety of side impact airbags. This is listed on the NHTSA website (www.safercar.gov) under the detailed test ratings for each car. Over on the right, there is a box labeled "SAB Out of Position Testing". If it says "meets specifications, then the airbags have been tested and shown to be safe, even for passengers leaning against the door. Side impact airbags that have met the specifications are very safe next to carseats. These days, just about every manufacturer who offers rear side impact airbags has met that standard.

But....your car is a 2001. The NHTSA website doesn't list the 2001 A6, but the 2001 A8 has apparently not been tested. So that means that Audi is not guaranteeing that the airbags meet the standard.

If it were me, I'd probably still enable them because the risk was always theoretical, not actual, and the lack of testing doesn't mean that they aren't safe. But it's really a judgment call.

[DaniCPST]

I used to have a BMW 540i that had side impact airbags, NOT side curtain airbags, and in the manual it stated that if you had child carseats in the back to have the dealer disable the airbags. I had this done since I had a carseat in the back and when I was going to sell the car I took it back into the dealership and they turned them back on. It should say everything you need to know in your vehicles manual.

[SillyLily]

Wow! Thanks, this is exactly the information I was looking for. Now I actually need to remember to check the manual next time I am in the car. Thank you much!