Revise the standard, lower the force, problem solved - we thought.
They made them two stage design, If the system reads the belt is in use, full force deployment. If the belt is not in use, it lowers the deployment force to avoid injuring the occupant that will be moving forward into the deploying bag.
I see people that decide not to use the belts and are tired of the warnings so they connect the belt behind their backs. This is the worst thing you could do! The system THINKS you’re belted in and so uses full force deployment.
It’s easy to rationalize that even if low numbers of people are killed by these defective designs, larger numbers of people are being saved by them so they are worthwhile. I just don’t want to be one that wins the statistical lottery so to speak…
I think some of the other systems used Lead Azide (a primary explosive ) as the nitrogen producing compound ,apparently Lead Azide is a pretty consistent compound ,I dont know how they light the Ammonium Nitrate off ,beings that it is not a primary explosive
(according to my schooling anyways ).I have watched these junk yard shows were they would take old airbags and blowup stuff with them ,I will say this ,If I could delete airbags in favor of a 4 point harness ,I would do it . I dont like airbombs going off in my face .
If the car is so safe it takes my driving skill out of the picture ,I will probably get killed . Just my thoughts,I hate it when a young teenage driver gets killed maybe some of our priorities on safety are misguided ,perhaps we should focus more on the driver ,it is already very difficult ,for a statistically safe group of drivers (truckers) to get CDL license now,so maybe we should focus a bit bit more attention on the “operator " license” ,(they dog you about moderate high blood pressure when you apply for a CDL,probably ,they will start belly aching about moderately high cholesterol next)I plan on dropping my CDL in a couple of years the standards are getting ridiculous ,one of my trucker friends was killed when when a non cdl driver (driving a rental truck )plowed into the back of his dumptruck when they were working on road repairs for the highway dept ,so it goes .
Ammonium nitrate appears to be OK unless it absorbs moisture. If the canister had been designed to be completely sealed, there would be no moisture absorption. Takata seems to own the air bag market. If they have trouble designing a sealed canister, it can’t be easy.
I got the recall notice for my Insight…parts available this summer. I read that testing of inflators from humid areas showed about 1% failure if you’re in an accident. I assume the chances of the shrapnel hitting you are significantly less than that. I’m not in a humid area and not losing any sleep over it.
Lead azide? Ammonium nitrate? Gee, I didn’t know there were so many interesting things in an airbag. Surprised they don’t require a 10-day waiting period and a background check for airbag purchase, LOL.
MJ ,the old style airbags were quite spectacular when detonated,the explosive charges are meant to produce a fairly large amount of nitrogen gas quickly to inflate the airbag(I would sooner not have these "airbombs "
I am so confused, my 2003 trailblazer is listed as having Takata airbags, but no recall, called the dealer no we cannot disconnect airbags, but your car does not have Takata airbags.
@Barkydog I suspect not all Takata air bags are of the problematic design.
Only the passenger airbag on my Matrix was recalled.
Is the drivers airbag Takata? I don’t know.
Actually I think the dealer/manufacturer would be a more reliable source of what bags were put in what car. I do believe bags from several manufacturers were used in the same car and also could have been changed during a production runs. The gov would have to rely on the actual build information from the manufacturer. It would be interesting to have this information but then likely it would be a telephone book size listing all the sourcing information of the various components in a particular car.
The Takata airbags were first advertised in 1998 Hondas models. However the NHTSA recalls only cover vehicles 16 years of age- from 2001. Older vehicles are not covered and will not be fixed by the manufacturer. Note that for Honda Civics 1996-2000 is one model design, with a new model design for 2001-2005, another design for 2006-2011, another design for 2012-2015.
I may be wrong but seems to me there was a change in management and they started to used a different propellant so not all Takata bags were a problem. One of the guys warned back then that if there was a problem, it could bankrupt the company-which it probably is now doing.
I dont think the Ammonium Nitrate was a good idea,this stuff has issues over time .A primary explosive would be a better choice ,cartridge primers have proven this over decades of use(not talking about the old corrosive type ) .
