Dealer installs seat covers on my Kiger with side airbags: What now

The Renault dealer didn't even warn me about it and is now saying that seat covers will not impact the deployment of the side airbags.

BHPian s-k1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I recently purchased Renault Kiger RXZ CVT which as you know comes with 4 airbags. Without knowing about the seat cover's impact on airbag deployment, I requested the dealer to install seat covers before delivery. Later I noticed that the Kiger official accessories document did not mention RXZ as an applicable model for the seat cover accessory and after some research on the internet and from the posts here, I realized that seat covers should not be installed when side airbags are present.

I called up the dealer and questioned him as to why he didn't warn me about this before installing the seat covers. Initially, he just dismissed me saying there is no impact of seat covers on the airbags. I then complained to Renault and asked them to state their official position on this, to which Renault replied by email that seat covers should not be installed for this model due to airbags.

Apparently, they took the dealer to task for flouting this rule and I got a call from the accessory department of the dealer saying they will rectify the issue. I sent the car to the dealer and they apparently "fixed" the problem by cutting out a portion of the seat cover on the sides of both the front seats where the airbags are present. I now asked the dealer to send me an official email that they have authorized this fix and therefore the airbags will be deployed correctly in the event of an accident. But the dealer says they are not authorized to send such an email!

He has now given me 2 options, either I keep the seat covers with the modifications (and trust that the cutouts on the seat covers will not impact the airbags) or remove the seat covers and they will refund the amount (although removing the seat covers now may have some effect on the original fabric seat covers).

To his credit, the accessories head is very cooperative and came down to my house to explain and give me options. He personally feels that with the modifications in place, there should be no impact on airbag deployment.

I have attached the photos of the seat cover modifications with the cutouts made. I wanted to get an opinion from experts here, on whether these modifications are good enough to keep the seat covers or should I just get the seat covers removed.

Here's what BHPian AYP had to say about the matter:

While driving on the roads, when I sense an overtaking opportunity, I always follow the mantra, 'If you hesitate, then don't attempt the overtake'. The same can be applied to this situation of yours. The thing is, it is definitely possible that after the 'modification', the seat covers may not hinder the airbag operation. However, irrespective of whether this is true or not, there shall always be doubt in your mind about it, and rightly so.

I'd suggest you bite the bullet and get the seat cover removed, even if it means suffering a bit of damage to your OG seat covers. You may also approach your local accessory shops to see if they can remove the seat covers with minimal damage to the OG seat covers and take that route.

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