I was involved in a rear-ending, going around 30 mph. The damage wasn’t too serious, other than the airbags cracking my windshield. The one thing that startled me was that the passenger-side airbags went off but the driver’s side airbags didn’t? No one was sitting in the passenger’s side. I know I would need to replace the Airbag module and the passenger-side airbag, but would this mean I would need to replace the driver side airbags as well? I’m not too sure if it was the module preventing the airbag from deploying or if the airbag is faulty. Thank you in advance
I’d be willing to bet none of that will be an issue. You car is most likely totaled.
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Did your car get the Takata airbag recall done? Millions of Hondas and others were affected by this recall.
That said: airbag technology has advanced a lot since this 2003 car was made. And the car has aged, so its structure and electronics may not be up their 2003 status.
I had gotten the car not too recently from one of my parents, so I didn’t know beforehand. I took it to a dealer and they said that all they could do was have them change the module. They didn’t talk much about the driver’s side airbag though
The air bags deploy when the cars computer determines the deceleration forces are severe. All the car makers have extensive research and data to set the trip point. Even on a car this old, airbags deploy when needed and do not deploy when not needed. Since you did not say you were injured I assume you were not hurt, therefore the cars airbag logic correctly did not deploy the driver airbag because you did not need it. Air bags are not soft fluffy pillows, they explode violently and can hurt you. The trade off is you do not die, a trade I will take any day.
A 17 year old car with air bag deployment probably should head to the scrap yard. If a competent body shop looks over the car and determines it is worth fixing, any un-deployed airbags will be fine. But I am putting my money with @Mustangman, this car is done for.
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The way I read your post, you were rear ended. Therefore your airbags should not have deployed.
It is not clear if you were hit by another vehicle or you did in fact hit the back of a vehicle . If you have full coverage insurance then the carrier will handle everything. If you only have liability insurance and you were at fault then the cost of repairs will be on you and any body shop will know what to do after seeing the vehicle . If another vehicle hit you then their insurance will handle the repairs.
Your car has staged airbags that inflate depending on the severity of the crash, also only one airbag may inflate depending on the severity of the impact.
This is from page 50 of the owners manual;
“Since both airbags use the same sensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it is possible for only one airbag to
inflate.
This can occur when the severity of a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by the airbag would be minimal.”
Cars that old generally don’t get repaired after a collision, a 30 mph crash can total a car half that age.
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If there is no other damage besides a spent airbag and a broken windshield, do not let the insurance (if applicable) total the vehicle. Either get a used airbag assembly from a junkyard, or off of Ebay, or simply glue the panel closed and replace the windshield. Here in Arizona, you are not legally required to replace a spent airbag, and I see quite a few cars on the road with the airbag covers duct taped closed.
That is the company’s prerogative. If they total it, you may be able to buy it from them, and thereby get a reduced payout from them. That was the case for me in MN with my Civic. I was able to rehab it and not have to buy a different car. When I got it fixed I had to take it to one of their agencies for a photo so I could continue to insure it.