# Disabling air bag



## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

I want to babysit 2 kids this summer. I only have room for one extra kid in my car because of the airbag. I wouldn't mind putting my 7yo in the front seat if we can disable that air bag. So I called 2 honda dealers (we have an older CRV) and they both said it's impossible to disable the airbag, and they would not do it for liability reasons. If that's the case, so be it. I have heard of people disabling airbags before though. Any thoughts on this?


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## Blueena (Apr 3, 2007)

in my car the air bag disables automatically if there isn't enough weight in the front seat, like if a child was sitting there, but yeah, I don't think you can tamper one in an older car though


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm sure it can be done. Did you explain why you needed it?

How frustrating....

-Angela


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## fek&fuzz (Jun 19, 2005)

My boyfriend has a truck, and there is a lock you can turn to turn off the airbag on the passenger side.

I think if you slide the seat way back so the child is far away from the airbag, that is safer.


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## sweetfeet (Jan 16, 2003)

You would need to petition the NHTSA and organize it. The primary reason people are given permission is disability. I highly doubt you'll find anyone to disable the airbag.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Blueena* 
in my car the air bag disables automatically if there isn't enough weight in the front seat, like if a child was sitting there, but yeah, I don't think you can tamper one in an older car though

A dealer CAN though. And should be willing to if they understand why.

-Angela


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## dachshundqueen (Dec 17, 2004)

DH disabled the driver side one on our MR2 (1991). It's either a fuse or a wire off of the wiring harness that runs through the steering column. I would assume it's similar for the passenger side. I wonder why a mechanic wouldn't do it though....just sign a waiver or something.

Liz


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## pjs (Mar 30, 2005)

Dealers won't do it. Iwanted my airbag disabled when i was preggers-you can try to petition the safety board , but even that seemed ;ile it would be fruitless.


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## sweetfeet (Jan 16, 2003)

You would need to petition the NHTSA and organize it. The primary reason people are given permission is disability. I highly doubt you'll find anyone to disable the airbag.


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## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

I have to ask why someone would be comfortable with a 7 year old in the front seat? Perhaps this question would be better asked in the Family Safety forum?

http://www.autotrader.com/research/a...n-the-back.jsp

Quote:

A recent study by the Campaign found that the lives of more than 1,700 children have been saved between 1996 and 2001 solely because they were sitting in a rear seat. Even with this progress, statistics show that 324 children died in the front seat in 2002 alone.

"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of American children ages 4-15 years," said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D. "Children ages 12 and under are 26 to 35 percent less likely to be fatally injured in a crash if they are in the back seat."
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnanc...-seat-1180.htm

Quote:

The Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend that children 12 and under ride properly restrained in rear seats. That includes infants in rear-facing seats, children in convertible seats, children in booster seats or children restrained by seat belts. Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that rear seats are 35 percent safer.


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

I'm 4'9" - my (driver side) air bag SHOULD be disabled for safety reasons. however, in order to get the dealership to do it, I have to have a letter from a doctor. In most pick up trucks though, there is a key to disable the passenger airbag. not sure why it isn't like that in cars too.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Thanks for your advice/input. I will think more about this. If it comes down to it, I'll just babysit one child instead of two. I have a mom who wants me to babysit her two kids but maybe I will have to tell her no, and advertise to only babysit one. Oh well.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texaspeach* 
I'm 4'9" - my (driver side) air bag SHOULD be disabled for safety reasons. however, in order to get the dealership to do it, I have to have a letter from a doctor. In most pick up trucks though, there is a key to disable the passenger airbag. not sure why it isn't like that in cars too.

Trucks have it so that a carseat can go in the front (as it's often the only choice...)

-Angela


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Your 7 yo isn't rear facing, right? so technically, you can put her in the front, it's just not as safe, obviously. Put the seat ALL the way back so the child is as far from the airbag as possible. I'm not sure I would do it personally, but technically, it is considered a possible seating position.


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Trucks have it so that a carseat can go in the front (as it's often the only choice...)

-Angela









that makes sense.

(coulda had a v8







)


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

You should probably check with your state for laws on putting children under 12 in the front seat.


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## libranbutterfly (Jan 12, 2007)

What are the oter childrens ages/car seat arrangements. The ideal thing would actually be to put the oldest child thst is in a 5 pt harness in the front seat with the seat moved all the way back. The child in a harness will be positioned properly, whereas a child in a booster could bend down to pick something up and then not be properly restrained.


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

_Buckle Up Baby Campaign

If you observe a child under the age of 8 not properly restrained while riding in a motor vehicle, you can do something about it.
Call the "Buckle Up, Baby" hotline number 1-800-505-BABY, a GOHS program supported by the Phoenix Police Department.

How the program works: Persons may call the 1-800 number and leave the following information:

Vehicle license number and state.
City observed in.
Where the child was sitting in the vehicle._

Edited to add: I also found this: *http://www.infant-car-seats.com/stat...s-Arizona.html*


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## Codi's Mama (Jun 15, 2006)

I asked our dealer one time if they could disable our passenger side airbag (don't remember why though







). They said they couldn't do it for safety/liablility reasons, but that they could show dh where the wire was so he could disable it himself.


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## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *libranbutterfly* 
What are the oter childrens ages/car seat arrangements. The ideal thing would actually be to put the oldest child thst is in a 5 pt harness in the front seat with the seat moved all the way back. The child in a harness will be positioned properly, whereas a child in a booster could bend down to pick something up and then not be properly restrained.

in a seat with a front airbag, that still could be very dangerous, even deadly.


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## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DaughterOfKali* 
_Buckle Up Baby Campaign

If you observe a child under the age of 8 not properly restrained while riding in a motor vehicle, you can do something about it.
Call the "Buckle Up, Baby" hotline number 1-800-505-BABY, a GOHS program supported by the Phoenix Police Department.

How the program works: Persons may call the 1-800 number and leave the following information:

Vehicle license number and state.
City observed in.
Where the child was sitting in the vehicle._

Edited to add: I also found this: *http://www.infant-car-seats.com/stat...s-Arizona.html*

But if the child is properly restrained in a carseat in the front seat with the seat all the way back how would this apply? She isn't asking if she can let her daughter ride in the front seat unrestrained just if the airbag can be turned off so that she can ride safely restrained in her carseat. the link you provided just states that riding in the front seat under the age of 12 is not recommended but that it i not against the law as long as the child is in an appropriate car seat.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jwebbal* 
in a seat with a front airbag, that still could be very dangerous, even deadly.

I would disagree. If you look at the statistics for children hurt in the front seat and killed, they were either rfing or totally unrestrained or were too ltitle for just a seatbelt etc. My boys have ridden in the front seat before, in DH's truck they have no choice. AJ rode in the front of our van for 2 days when we were moving so I could get more stuff moved while DH was at work. Granted I'm a bad example b/c DH keeps his airbag off when one of the boys is w/ him and mine has a sensor and AJ and his seat were not heavy enough to turn the airbag on. Libra is right though, we will tell parents when they can, to put the oldest harnessed child in front.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Our law here in WA (and in AZ too, where I took my tech class) is that children under the age of 13 must ride in the backseat whenever possible. So, if you have 4 kids, obviously one will have to ride up front. The safest arrangement would be to put the oldest harnessed child in the front seat, with the seat pushed back as far as possible.


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

The airbag is the only reason the front seat is no longer safe for children. Before airbags, riding in the front passenger seat, in a carseat, was just as dangerous as riding in a carseat in an outside seat in the backseat. No more, no less. The reason why statistically the front seat has more injured people is b/c often a car only has people riding in the front seat when it's in an accident, no one in back.

If you can disable the airbag, it should be OK. I agree w/ the poster who wishes all vehicles w/ airbags would have the airbag disable key, but unfortunately, even trucks that used to have those no longer do. Instead they have the automatic weight disable. If your passenger weighs less than I think 80lbs, the airbag is automatically disabled. My dad always drives Ford F-250's, and he trades them in every few years b/c he drives a lot for his business and puts TONS of miles on every year. Anyway, his trucks haven't had the key disable thing for about 4 years now. Everything has switched to the weight disable, which I think is really too bad, especially considering how many obese kids there are these days. I know 80lb 6 year old who are not tall enough to be safe in front of an airbag, yet they weigh enough that the airbag would be on. It's really too bad. I don't know why vehicle manufacturers decided the weight thing was better. It's not, IMO. My 8.5 yo only weighs 50lbs, so he's fine riding in my dad's truck, but it's really scary to think about all the heavier kids his age who would NOT be safe.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wendy1221* 
The airbag is the only reason the front seat is no longer safe for children. Before airbags, riding in the front passenger seat, in a carseat, was just as dangerous as riding in a carseat in an outside seat in the backseat. No more, no less. The reason why statistically the front seat has more injured people is b/c often a car only has people riding in the front seat when it's in an accident, no one in back.

Not really. The backseat is safer, air bags or no. Statistically, the back seat is farthest away from the point of impact. That is the biggie.


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## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Not really. The backseat is safer, air bags or no. Statistically, the back seat is farthest away from the point of impact. That is the biggie.

Okay, I'm curious, considering not all crashes involve the front end of a car how can you say that the back seat is the farthest away from the point of impact - wouldn't that depend on the type of car crash?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Sure, because 97% of car crashes are frontal. That is pretty skewed, because if you get rear-ended, the person who rear-ends you has a frontal impact. The back seat is in the middle of the car, so if you are seated in the middle of the back seat, you are the farthest away from *any* potential impact point.


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## TCMoulton (Oct 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Sure, because 97% of car crashes are frontal. That is pretty skewed, because if you get rear-ended, the person who rear-ends you has a frontal impact. The back seat is in the middle of the car, so if you are seated in the middle of the back seat, you are the farthest away from *any* potential impact point.

Makes sense - thanks! You learn something new every day!


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Sure, because 97% of car crashes are frontal. That is pretty skewed, because if you get rear-ended, the person who rear-ends you has a frontal impact. The back seat is in the middle of the car, so if you are seated in the middle of the back seat, you are the farthest away from *any* potential impact point.

That statistic can't be right. Not possible.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...statistics.gif

86% of crashes are frontal, frontal offset, and side impacts.

Here's an interesting article on the backseat being safer. http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-exe...ticle=80260009


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

I don't even know where that number came from. Maybe that's fatal crashes only. Here's what I found. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd...nn/TSF2005.pdf page 72 passenger cars, all crashes.

frontal impact: 50%
right side: 13
left side: 13.6
rear: 21


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wendy1221* 
That statistic can't be right. Not possible.

It's frontal crashes and rear-end crashes combined.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wendy1221* 
I don't even know where that number came from. Maybe that's fatal crashes only. Here's what I found. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd...nn/TSF2005.pdf page 72 passenger cars, all crashes.

frontal impact: 50%
right side: 13
left side: 13.6
rear: 21

It came from my tech training manual.


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

Ha, I was working looking up stuff while Jennifer was posting.

THe rear back seat is the safest, yeah, but when it comes to the outer back seats, they are only slightly safer than the front passenger seat, based on the frontal impact being 30% more common than a rear impact. When it comes to a t-bone crash, where injuries are most likely to occur, it doesn't matter if you're in the back outboard seat or the front, it's just luck in where the other car hits your car along that side.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Well, if you were t-boned, yes they would be the same safety-wise. But since frontal crashes are most common, the back seat would be safer in most circumstances. And frontal crashes are still the most dangerous (after rollovers of course, in which instance I don't think it matters where they are sitting, as long as they are restrained).


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

I can believe that 96% of 2 vehicle crashes involve at least 1 frontal impact, but that's not the same as saying that any individual's chance of frontal impact in a crash is 96%. 2 very different things.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *wendy1221* 
I can believe that 96% of 2 vehicle crashes involve at least 1 frontal impact, but that's not the same as saying that any individual's chance of frontal impact in a crash is 96%. 2 very different things.

Agreed, and that's not what I meant. I simply meant that 97% of crashes involve the front of _someone's_ car
 






You are much more likely to be rear-ended (which I have been twice), which causes less damage and less injury.


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## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
I would disagree. If you look at the statistics for children hurt in the front seat and killed, they were either rfing or totally unrestrained or were too ltitle for just a seatbelt etc. My boys have ridden in the front seat before, in DH's truck they have no choice. AJ rode in the front of our van for 2 days when we were moving so I could get more stuff moved while DH was at work. Granted I'm a bad example b/c DH keeps his airbag off when one of the boys is w/ him and mine has a sensor and AJ and his seat were not heavy enough to turn the airbag on. Libra is right though, we will tell parents when they can, to put the oldest harnessed child in front.

But Jennifer, personal experience aside, and please know I mean no disrespect (I admire your work here on MDC and would become a tech myself if and when I could swing four days away from my SAHM gig/kid), IT IS safer for a child under 13 to be in the back, right? I mean, your experience here would make someone think it's okay to have a kid in the front, and statistically it's not as safe, period. Right? Yes, your experience with the air bag turning off is part of this, but most people don't have that option, and frankly I would only do it in an emergency. I mean, how do you manage a proper install in the front seat of a marathon? No tether?


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Yes, back is safer, there's no doubt, but if you HAVE to do it, it's not necessarily a death sentence. There are things you can do to try and make it safer, but back will be safer. I did the safest thing by having his seat all the way and the oldest harnessed child up front and the airbag sensor turned the airbag off. I've had a mom come in w/ 4 kids in a 2dr car (where only 1 door worked) and her oldest (5yo) did have to leave in the front seat in a booster. Where else was she going to put her and buying a new car wasn't an option. No, AJ's seat was not tethered. I moved him to the BV (from his Radian) b/c of the side impact protection, but it could not be tethered. He rode that way for 2 days and only when necessary, but when they do ride w/ DH (1-2x a month max) it's the same thing (I miss his BIG truck w/ the back seat).


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