I’m in the market for a used Civic, but I’m short and afraid of airbags other than the “smart” ones. Also, I see that some Civics were recalled for overly explosive airbags. Is there a way I can know whether a specific car has had its airbags fixed if they were the offending kind?
You can call a dealer with the specific car’s VIN to find that out.
They have that info on their used cars? Great. I shall do that, thanks!
According to this article in Edmunds, the smart airbags were implemented starting in 2003 to be fully implemented by 2006.
I believe airbag force was decreased in 98 or 99. My wife’s 98 Ford Windstar had the full strength airbags (build date was 2/97 though). My 2000 Chevrolet Blazer has the reduced strength airbags.
If you can’t sit far enough back from the steering wheel to be safe, consider putting pedal extenders on the gas and brake pedals.
I did plan on pedal extenders, and I usually have a cushion to make me a bit taller, even in my older car that has no airbags at all. But thanks for the advice, it’s something I’ll definitely do.
Very interesting article, thanks. My prior information was that cars that came off the line in… I think it was November, 2006 or later had “smart” airbags because they were mandated. So I’ve been looking at '07s and '08s. This article indicates that all 2006 ones should be okay, which would be nice if true, because I just fell in love with an '06 and am dithering about whether to buy it.
Other online research tells me that a lot of Hondas, '06 thru '08, were recalled for super-explosive airbags, so I’m trying to find out if this particular car was recalled and if so, if it was fixed. Too darned much research!