Question Why didn't airbags deploy?

LuvMyCharlie · Dec 14, 2009

So I talked to my Dad yesterday and he begrudgingly told me that he wrecked his Mazda Miata on Saturday. Basically, (he admitted) he was being a jerk and gunned it to try and get around someone, only to lose control. He hit two different trees. One, he hit on the passenger side/front, bounced off and hit the other with the back of the vehicle. He's fine except for bruises and a few minor cuts. They've deemed his car totaled, but the airbags never deployed. Do you have to hit something head on for them to deploy?

Dillipop · Dec 14, 2009

I always thought you had to hit head on to have them deploy. Don't know if that's how it's supposed to work, though.

Pixels · Dec 14, 2009

You have to hit the airbag sensors hard enough in order for them to deploy. If you hit something like another car or a brick wall, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll hit in the right spot to trigger the sensors (if you hit hard enough, of course). With something small like a tree or light pole, it's likely that he missed hitting the right spot.

Yes, impact needs to me more or less on the front of the vehicle for front airbags to deploy.

Lys · Dec 14, 2009

And, they also won't deploy if you slam on the brakes and your bumper doesn't take the full force of a frontal impact. I've done that.

Maedze · Dec 14, 2009

There also has to be a certain level of speed involved. I had someone pull out in front of me about 10 years ago. I managed to slam on the brakes but still t-boned him (I was in an Accent, he was in a Grand Cherokee. He won

)

The airbags did not deploy because I reduced my speed significantly via the brakes before impact.

mommy-medic · Dec 20, 2009

Been googling but can't find the links to cite specifics...

Most vehicles have multiple sensors for frontal impact crashes that determine frontal airbag deployment. There are numerous determining factors that can cause your airbag to deploy/not deploy. Some vehicles require that two or more sensors be activated to deploy the airbag, so if it was an off center impact it may not have hit both sensors (that's what I was trying to google, if the Miata has uses the multiple sensor system or if one sensor alone can deploy it). Often times off-center impacts (or glancing blows that spin vehicle around) are in the grey area- some vehicles activate their airbags while other's don't. Also, he may have decelerated enough that his speed at impact was too low for airbag deployment.

erikanohelani · Dec 26, 2009

As others have said the car has certain sensors that detect when the airbags should deploy.

I was hit on the passengers side of my car and the curtain airbags and front torso airbags all deployed... I was pushed into another car on the drivers side, but those didn't deploy because the impact wasn't hard on that side.

It really depends on how hard the impact was and on which part of the vehicle.

brightredmtn · Dec 26, 2009

And this is why I guess Tiger Woods' didn't deploy. I wondered why not when I saw pictures of the damage to his car.

Question Why didn't airbags deploy?

LuvMyCharlie

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Dillipop

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Pixels

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Lys

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Maedze

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mommy-medic

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erikanohelani

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brightredmtn

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