Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Airbag recall... giant PITA!


Recommended Posts

I got not one, but two recall notices. Both driver and passenger airbags have to be replaced. Ford says they have the parts to do the driver side now, but are still waiting for parts to do the passenger side.

So now I have to go in twice... once for the driver's airbag, then, when they get the parts, the passenger airbag.

:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya gotta LOVE Takata...  They make most of the airbags for most of the cars plus the ones for new production cars.  There just isn't enough hardware out there to replace everything at once.  That's the nice thing about my German cars.  Takata didn't make the bags. :)

Food for thought, I never have figured out how having an explosive (squib) 12 inches from your face makes you safer.. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya gotta LOVE Takata...  They make most of the airbags for most of the cars plus the ones for new production cars.  There just isn't enough hardware out there to replace everything at once.  That's the nice thing about my German cars.  Takata didn't make the bags. :)

Food for thought, I never have figured out how having an explosive (squib) 12 inches from your face makes you safer.. :)

Uh, not to rain on your parade, but they supplied airbags to Audi, BMW, Mercedes and VW as well as domestic and Asian vehicle manufacturers. Very few manufacturers escaped this PR and repair nightmare.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting, the Mercedes and the VW in the stable have no recall.  Maybe I'm just lucky.

Update: Just checked again and I guess it is only the 2011 and older Mercedes and VW was not affected. 

Looks like the German cars made with airbags made in Germany are OK (still made by Takata though). 

Thanks for the info though.  I still do not want squibs that close to me.  Been working around high explosives 40 years and can't justify the risks.

Edited by GT4494
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't know there was a recall on my ex wife!!! :lol::lol::lol:

I'm guessing since Mercedes and VW was also mentioned, this includes more manufacturers than just Ford. Does anyone have a list of affected vehicles and the problem or a link? I don't plan on using the airbags in my 2008 Chevy Cobalt any time soon, but then again I don't want one coming out and saying "HI!!!" either. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got one for my 2006 Ram 2500. The drivers airbag recall opened in Jan 2015 and the airbag was finally replaced in Nov 2015. Now I just got the recall notice for the pass side this week!

What is interesting is that GM has very few cars on this recall list. All Pontiac Vibes (Toyota Matrix) and a Saab 9-2 (Subaru). I hear some of the newer trucks are now involved but it depends on were it was assembled.

My friend has a full time job at a Honda dealership just shipping the bad airbags back. They are hazardous materials and you have to be certified to ship them! Of course the recall started with Honda back in 2008 and just about all Hondas are affected. This recall is over 60 million cars and it is said 100 million could be affected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2013 chevy silverado that has a total of 6 air bags in it. Hope this misses me. 2 front in dash and 2 in roof over doors and 1 in each seat side towards the doors. Like evryone else I try not to hit anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always felt that airbags were a useless feature in general. If you properly wear your seatbelt/shoulder harness you shouldn't really need an airbag. I remember when GM first offered them on some of their cars back in the mid 70's. If you ordered the airbag option, they took away your shoulder harnesses. And only gave you the lap belts up front. The main idea of the airbag was for people who were uncomfortable or unwilling to use their shoulder harnesses. And back in the day, there were plenty of those people.

Today, the law requires me to wear my seatbelt/shoulder harness. I do have mixed feels about the government tell me I have to do it. But, I've been an advocate for seatbelt usage, and have been using them since our first family car, my folks new at the time '67 a Mercury Comet, came with them. So why am I required to have dangerous and expensive airbags in my car? (My 2000 Buick LeSabre has four of them.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, darn a manufacture has found a defect and is doing the right thing,,,,,,fix it for free .

And all people do is bash it. At least there fixing it,,,so sorry you think you have to go in twice, ( you don't btw ,,,,your more then welcome to wait till they get all the parts and just make one trip)

I get so tired of the whole dealer / manufacturer bashing .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, darn a manufacture has found a defect and is doing the right thing,,,,,,fix it for free .

And all people do is bash it. At least there fixing it,,,so sorry you think you have to go in twice, ( you don't btw ,,,,your more then welcome to wait till they get all the parts and just make one trip)

I get so tired of the whole dealer / manufacturer bashing .

Nice point Bill. We do like to bitch about nothing sometimes. Imagine if they didn't do the recall! This is life. Sometimes things go wrong. Humans make mistakes. Hopefully ones that will not take life or limb. But, even that happen from time to time. Here they offering to take care of a problem (mainly to protect they own behinds I'm sure), and we complain.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently had my driver side claymore replaced, and just got the letter on the the passenger side claymore. I'll stick with the same plan as before... try not to hit things...lol

 

17n83w.jpg

Boy ain't that the truth!!!!:lol: One of those bags went off and broke the wife's arm, and now i have recalls on my truck and her car at the same time.....:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice point Bill. We do like to bitch about nothing sometimes. Imagine if they didn't do the recall! This is life. Sometimes things go wrong. Humans make mistakes. Hopefully ones that will not take life or limb. But, even that happen from time to time. Here they offering to take care of a problem (mainly to protect they own behinds I'm sure), and we complain.

 

Having been a dealer tech for nearly 25 years. I've seen and heard it all. Some people complain that the manufacturer should fix anything and everything if they've heard more than 2 people with the same complain. Yet some complain when the OEM DOES  fix it . Its a double edge sword, darn if they do and darn of they don't.

And btw,,,,,,With ANY recall, you do not have to take it in to fix it, that's entirely your decision. .

 

Harry, this isn't targeted towards you so please dont take it as such ,,,its just the one that sent me over the edge.

 

And just a bit of advise to any driver, avoid driving with your arm across the air bags path ( ie - left arm crossing over to the right side)  be it straight ahead or if making a  turn.  Airbags are designed to stop your bodies forward momentum , And it doesn't care if your arm , your chest or your head is in the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and if you or your spouse is vertically challenged and you need the seat close to the steering wheel I feel for you if you have an accident.  A friend from work had a relatively minor impact that set the bag off.   They ended up black and blue from the waist to the chin.  Seems the airbags are designed to work at a certain (nominal) distance.  They were closer so they could reach/operate the vehicle and paid the price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

and if you or your spouse is vertically challenged and you need the seat close to the steering wheel I feel for you if you have an accident.  A friend from work had a relatively minor impact that set the bag off.   They ended up black and blue from the waist to the chin.  Seems the airbags are designed to work at a certain (nominal) distance.  They were closer so they could reach/operate the vehicle and paid the price.

Agreed,

My wife is only 5' tall. and getting a safe distance  from the airbags has always been a challenge when car buying. We have a 2005 Chrysler T+C with adjustable pedals. and its a god send

 

in a perfect world you want to be approx 12 to 18 inches away from the airbag ,,,preferably the 18"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 2013 chevy silverado that has a total of 6 air bags in it. Hope this misses me. 2 front in dash and 2 in roof over doors and 1 in each seat side towards the doors. Like evryone else I try not to hit anything.

That was why I was wondering if my Cobalt was under this or not too, because it has not only the ones in the front, but in each A pillar and each C pillar as well. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sigh............My Challenger is on the list. I had just taken it in a few months ago for some type of alternator issue recall, and sure enough, I just got a notice about the airbag. With my vision difficulties, heaven knows when I'll take it in to have this done.

Fortunately, I'm a tall guy, so I'm not sitting on top of the steering wheel, but I feel for those who are much shorter and have to sit so close. Kinda unrelated, but this is yet another reinforcing reason I don't like today's FWD cars. The wheels are too dang close to the front of the doors, which IMO leaves you NO crash protection whatsoever, making the need for these somewhat dangerous airbags necessary. :angry: 

I'd sure like to see the other carmakers adopt Volvo's newer FWD platform philosophy where the front wheels are out more to the front of the car, where they should be, and give the car IMO much more pleasing to the eye proportions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All kidding aside, they are not perfect but they do a good job most of the time. You would be surprised at how many people want to fix their cars airbags by just replacing the cover so that the look new after an accident because they are so expensive. I had a owner that had a body man "fix" his car after a T bone and the car looked great but the airbags had gone off. He wanted the covers and what ever else to make the light shut off. Plus the seat belts no longer worked. I told him we can't do that, we have to fix it properly and replace all the spent air bags, plus the seat belts that have the pretensioners, and the diagnostic module (that stores crash info once the bags go off). Once everything is reset the light will go off. Of cource he took his business elsewere!

I also know of an S10 that ran a red light and crashed. The air bags were gone but the covers were redone to look like they were there. It was still with the same owner who wrecked it the first time. He is now being sued buy his good friend "the passenger" because he has $50k in medical bills that the insurance won't pay for because of the injuries he got from the accident. The insurance company did pay for the first accident for the truck to be repaired properly and the owner just pocketed some the money!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...