Quote:
Originally Posted by akash_m ...curious to know what happens to the Airbags once they inflate? I mean does the car need to go to workshop to get them working again. Also, I suppose considerable amount of facia/ part of steerring wheel is damaged once the airbags are deployed.
If so, what is the cost involved..? |
Quote:
Originally Posted by rr_zen ...would like to know more on the facts behind it. I understand that there are a lot of things that come into play for an airbag to get deployed. However, what are the major facts that contribute to the exorbitant cost of replacing one ? Can the experts throw more light on this one ? |
With regard to damage:
@akash_m, you are right. Some amount of fascia/ part of steering wheel is destroyed once the airbags are deployed.
While designing an airbag system the designers, design to minimize injury to the humans in the car, due to violent encounters with mangled pieces of fascia and steering wheel.
Protecting damage to the fascia and steering wheel from the exploding airbag is not a design consideration.
Needless to say, the entire airbag unit and polyurethane steering wheel cover and dashboard cover must be replaced.
With regard to costs:
The airbag in the steering wheel, like that on the dash, is fired by an explosive squib (like a Diwali firecracker) ignited by electronics.
substantial R&D expenditure on engineering and testing go into designing:
1. the car-model-specific 3D safety geometry
2. its embedded computing control system
Nevertheless, costs would depend on manufacturer perception of the brand. The cost of plastic and cost of manufacturing have little to do with street price.
Airbags cost about Rs. 20,000 +taxes and levies per vehicle.
Manufacturers typically buy from the supplier for less than Rs. 4,000.
Are there aftermarket airbag systems?
The airbag system is an integral part of the vehicle design.
So it is, in general, not possible to retrofit airbags to a vehicle not designed for them.
But there was one exception. In the early 1990s there was an aftermarket driver side system, the Breed SRS-40. It was designed specifically only for 7 top-selling (in the US market) vehicles of that time.
It was a non-electronic system. At a pre-set deceleration threshold for a specific amount of time, the sensor mechanically released two firing pins, initiating the deployment. The sensors had to be calibrated from vehicle to vehicle to allow for differences in structural design.
The Breed kit came with a new steering wheel.
How long do airbag systems last?
By Volkswagen's (and some other mfr's) design specs,
undeployed airbags must be inspected after 10 years and replaced after 14 years to ensure their reliability in an accident.
Accidental deployment while servicing could result in severe head injury and an improperly installed or defective airbag unit can kill.
Of course replacing the airbags would cost far more than a 14-year old car's market value, but the laws leave no choice.
Law in the USA
USA law requires all cars and light trucks after 1997 to have dual air bags.
If airbags in any vehicle deploy in error or in genuine circumstances, US law requires the registered vehicle owner to repurchase them, before the vehicle can be driven again.
There have been cases of small children killed by airbags.
US Government's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 (FMVSS 208)
requires that 100% of all passenger vehicles sold in the USA after 2005 be capable of distinguishing if a small child is in the front passenger seat so that the air bag deployment can be disabled to protect the child.
What is it to us?
Our intrepid IT industry practitioners apart, the USA is not so distant anymore.
Indian auto manufacturers are studying all kinds of USA compliance requirements, as they do have intentions to attack the US market.
Eventually but unavoidably, this can only improve the cars we get to buy!
Ram