Airbag recall... giant PITA!

[Joe Handley]

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.  

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. 

What year is your Challe ger Bill?  My Sister's '14 isn't on the list, so far as I know.

[Ace-Garageguy]

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

In a "perfect" world, drivers would all be competent and un-distracted. Airbags would be completely unnecessary.

There are NO "accidents". There is only failure of humans to adequately control vehicles.

But choo know what'll NEVER happen? A nationwide campaign to make better drivers who realize they're operating in a potentially fatal environment and behave appropriately, that's what.

No, make the cars "crash-proof". And eventually eliminate the human operator entirely. Great idea. Really. Yeah, right.

Same philosophy as getting everyone convinced they have to take dozens of pills to be healthy, rather than getting some freaking exercise and not getting fat.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ben]

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.

Huge pain in the rear but your safety is more important!!

[DrKerry]

Our 07 Pilot had them as well..... We sold it about two months ago but had them done before the sale..

[RodneyBad]

In a "perfect" world, drivers would all be competent and un-distracted. Airbags would be completely unnecessary.

There are NO "accidents". There is only failure of humans to adequately control vehicles.

But choo know what'll NEVER happen? A nationwide campaign to make better drivers who realize they're operating in a potentially fatal environment and behave appropriately, that's what.

No, make the cars "crash-proof". And eventually eliminate the human operator entirely. Great idea. Really. Yeah, right.

Same philosophy as getting everyone convinced they have to take dozens of pills to be healthy, rather than getting some freaking exercise and not getting fat.

One day we will all have Nurf-Mobiles and just bounce off one another..

[slusher]

Was watching one of the cable news channels and seen some real bad pictures of people who took some bad shots of metal to the face. One man lost an eye and had stitches from his forehead to his chin. Some have lost their lives.  I had no idea it was so serious... 

[charlie8575]

This is making the Valiant I'm looking at look even more appealing...

Charlie Larkin

[MrObsessive]

What year is your Challe ger Bill?  My Sister's '14 isn't on the list, so far as I know.

Mine's an '11.

It's just gonna have to wait till I get better to get time to hassle taking it in to the dealer. 

 

[MrObsessive]

This is making the Valiant I'm looking at look even more appealing...

Charlie Larkin

Well Charlie, as nice as those old cars were, I can remember as a kid seeing cars of those types in accidents, and they and the occupants didn't fare too well.

Bill has it right in his comment above on how people drive. WAAAY too many distractions that can go on while driving, and now with this stupid "Pokemon Go" nonsense, you just wait till you hear about a tragic accident due to such tomfoolery.

I stand by what I said earlier though about the way a car is designed these days. True they have "crumple zones" that take a lot of the impact away from the passengers, but I know of people who were still seriously injured due to the way the car was designed with their way too short dash to front axle distance. The result was serious leg/knee injuries which can take forever to heal if ever.

The way the government can be so intrusive into how cars are designed these days, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a rule down the road where a driver/front passenger HAS to be so many inches away from the dash/steering wheel while driving, due to a possible airbag malfunction.

This will leave the carmakers no other choice but to equip cars with adjustable pedals/steering columns because not everyone is a tall joker like me at over 6 ft.

 

[Reegs]

2010 Versa's are part of the recall - BUT - mine isn't because it was sold in the northeast, where humidity is low. Sure. Right now it's so humid that I'll have to swim to my car to go and buy rolls.

So if I t-bone some a..hole who runs a light and subsequently lose my face, all I can do is blame the weather?

[Ace-Garageguy]

So if I t-bone some a..hole who runs a light and subsequently lose my face, all I can do is blame the weather?

Blame: 1) The distracted or incompetent a..hole who ran the light.

            2) Yourself for not paying sufficient attention to avoid the collision (not always possible, but it usually IS).

            3) Knee-jerk safety legislation that encourages deployment of systems that aren't properly developed, long-term tested, or subject to rigorous enough quality control

            4) Engineering and verification procedures that don't include sufficient long term-testing in real-world conditions and / or quality control.

And yeah, people are going to scream that long-term real-world-condition testing and verification are too expensive.

So...how expensive is it going to be to replace millions of airbags and settle the suits resulting from the inevitable tragic failures?

Edited July 31, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Reegs]

 

 

Blame: 1) The distracted or incompetent a..hole who ran the light.

            2) Yourself for not paying sufficient attention to avoid the collision (not always possible, but it usually IS).

            3) Knee-jerk safety legislation that encourages deployment of systems that aren't properly developed, long-term tested, or subject to rigorous enough quality control

            4) Engineering and verification procedures that don't include sufficient long term-testing in real-world conditions and / or quality control.

And yeah, people are going to scream that long-term real-world-condition testing and verification are too expensive.

So...how expensive is it going to be to replace millions of airbags and settle the suits resulting from the inevitable tragic failures?

 

OK. Howzabout I T-bone Rodan when it fell from the sky after being blasted by JSADF F-86s?

Edited July 31, 2016 by Reegs

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

OK. Howzabout I T-bone Rodan when it fell from the sky after being blasted by JSADF F-86s?

YEAH !! There you go man. That one's kinda hard to be prepared and ready for.  

[ChrisBcritter]

Or how about: you're just minding your own business when one of the Gargantuas walks through traffic ?

[The Junkman]

I got a notice LAST summer saying that my 2013 Mustang needed the replacement.  Called the dealer and was told the parts weren't in but they'd let me know when they were ("Don't call us, we'll call you.")  I just got another notice from Ford saying that my car still needed the replacement but they parts wouldn't be in until the last quarter of this year  ("Don't call us, we'll call you.")  OTOH, it seems most of the problems are in cars that reside in humid areas and that's not me.  Still I scan the occasional arched eyebrow over the airbags whenever I drive....

[charlie8575]

I wonder if the stupid things could fire while the car is parked, as a result of heat/humidity/general crummy QA?

By the way, I place #s 3 and 4 on Bill's list above as the main problems. Accidents will still happen, regardless of the cause, but creating a safety hazard...only insurance companies and/or governments could do that.

Charlie Larkin

Edited August 1, 2016 by charlie8575

[Harry P.]

Ok, so here's my take on this.

Ford unknowingly sold me a car with (potentially) defective airbags. Granted, Ford didn't manufacture the airbags, they were from an outside supplier (Takata). But they were installed in the Ford that I bought. Is Ford responsible for its cars, regardless of who supplied what parts?

If I ignore the recall notices and the driver's side airbag goes off and injures me... who is to blame?

Ford? Well, no... they didn't manufacture the airbags, and they did warn me of a potential problem.

Takata? Seems to me that yes, they are to blame. Or... if I ignore the recall notice and take my chances, would it be me who is responsible if a defective airbag blows up in my face?

The recall notice isn't "mandatory." So if I ignore it and the bag blows up and injures me... can I sue Takata for a bazillion yen?

Just wonderin'...

[1930fordpickup]

Harry you have a good point. Is it your fault for driving the car that may have a defective part, BUT what if it does go off before the replacement parts are even here? Have you been offered a rental car? 

 

[1930fordpickup]

Mine's an '11.

It's just gonna have to wait till I get better to get time to hassle taking it in to the dealer. 

 

Bill if the dealer has the parts to fix will they pick it up for you? Then you only have to get it home. Claim you are do not want to drive it as is. A little lie but hey now is the time to have it in the shop while you can not drive it anyway. My brothers friend talked his GM dealer in to giving him a rental for months when the ignition switch problem was going on. So why would they not come pick it up for you? 

 

[MrObsessive]

Bill if the dealer has the parts to fix will they pick it up for you? Then you only have to get it home. Claim you are do not want to drive it as is. A little lie but hey now is the time to have it in the shop while you can not drive it anyway. My brothers friend talked his GM dealer in to giving him a rental for months when the ignition switch problem was going on. So why would they not come pick it up for you? 

 

Actually, I can drive but I'd rather not with one eye if I absolutely don't have to. Only for emergencies (such as my eye appt this past Friday) did I drive myself as I could get no one to take me. Everyone's at work, and I live alone-------if only somehow I could train the cats to drive!

Your suggestion is a good one, and I'll have to call them to see if they even have the parts available. Once again though picking it up is one thing, getting it back here to my house can be the real ordeal. The dealer is not exactly close (used to be) and taking a cab over to collect it would be outta sight cash wise!

 

[russosborne]

Bill,

Dealers, at least around here, offer a free shuttle service, they will take you home after dropping off the car and they come get you when it is done.  Maybe check on that with your dealer?

Russ

[BigTallDad]

What is interesting is that GM has very few cars on this recall list. 

GM made up for it with the ignition switch recall.

Edited August 1, 2016 by BigTallDad

[MonoPed]

I got the letter for the steering wheel airbag inflator (15S21) in July last year stating the issue and that parts were not available. Fast forward to May of this year, and I get the letter stating parts are available, make appt with dealer for the repair. I got the second letter the same day I was going in for an oil change, so I was able to get mine done at the same time. Just got the third recall notice (16S26) concerning the passenger airbag inflator, with the same issue of parts not available. Also had a nifty picture:

We'll just have to see how long it will take for the new parts to be available, but I don't expect it to be much sooner than the other one. It's not just Ford, most auto makers used Takata inflators, so I'm not surprised at how long it takes to produce the new parts. So my original plan of trying not to run into things is still in effect :-)

[unclescott58]

I don't know if this is legal or not. But, can one disconnect the system so it will not go off? Ever? Not only are air bags potentially dangerous. But, it's expensive to replace them even if they do go off safely. I haven't about any problems with my 2000 LeSabre's air bags yet. But I still don't trust them, like them, or feel that they are necessary with wearing a seat belt and shoulder harness. And how long are they guaranteed to work on old car down the road? I plan on keeping my 16 year old LeSabre for a few more years yet. It's a nice car. Still in pretty nice shape. But like any car, parts get old and need replacing. How does one know when their air bag system needs replacing? I believe there is a light on my dashboard that tells. But, I'm not 100% sure of that. And how tough is it repair or replace the system when it comes time to restore a car with air bags?

This whole air bag thing just seems like a can of worms waiting for a problem. Like I say, wear your seat belt and shoulder harness properly, and you don't need air bags anyhow.

Edited August 1, 2016 by unclescott58

[redneckrigger]

In a perfect world, we wouldn't need such invasive heavy handed government intrusion. But we all know this is not a perfect world, and we all have seen adults who truly need such management, some even to the point where they should be made to wear a helmet 24/7 because of their inability to navigate life by using common sense and foresight. I am a retired Paramedic and have seen the results of idiots who simply have no concept about how to drive a car without using a cell phone, texting, drinking, eating, putting makeup on, shaving, doing their hair, using their laptop, reading the newspaper, showing off by driving like a stuntman in the movies, watching a video, picking up a dropped cigarette and myriad other issues where they should not have been doing ANYTHING other than driving their damned car. And I have also seen the human carnage they have caused. I have seen seatbelts that worked as designed, and some that horribly went bad and the same with airbags. And as Bill said above, there is NO substitute for awareness of one's surroundings while navigating not only the streets, but life in general. Sadly however in today's nanny state government, they will continue to "take care" of us all.

Edited August 1, 2016 by redneckrigger