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Parenting

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Original poster

anyone had a passenger airbag disabled/removed?

9 replies

Paula1 · 09/07/2002 18:01

I spoke to the dealership where we bought the car today, they told me that they would not remove the air bag as they could be sued (and so could I) if someone had an accident in the car and was injured due to the airbag not being present. Anyone had it done?

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efmach · 09/07/2002 20:43

We've been through this problem.
I think once the airbag has been installed it has to stay in. Something to do with legal/insurance reasons and also because it is an explosive device that can not be disabled. We were given exactly the same answer by SEAT's legal department and ended up buying a lower spec VW instead.
I believe that in America, because of the number of deaths attributed to front airbags, there are moves to allow them to be disabled easily.

Joe1 · 09/07/2002 21:10

We had the same Paula1 so bought a car without a passenger airbag fitted. We have changed since then and this car has an airbag fitted. However it does state in the book that we can use the front seat with a baby seat in if we push the seat right back. Being a 4x4 I suppose there is alot more room once the seat is pushed back and safely away from the airbag. Saying that we will probably put baby in the back.

pamina · 09/07/2002 21:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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carrieboo · 09/07/2002 22:16

Efmach is right it can't be legally removed. We too wanted ours removed as the seatbelts in the back where too short, the dealership told us that they would not do it, they said that we may well find a garage that would do it for us, however if a car has an air bag then it has to be in good working order for the car to pass its mot.

Let us know if you find out any different as I'd still like it done.

It it only rear facing seats that can't be used with an air bag or is it all children's seats?

jasper · 10/07/2002 00:16

some new cars have a switch which will deactivate the airbag so you can seat a smaller person in the front. You can switch it back on again easily and a light on the dashboard shows if it is on or off

SoupDragon · 10/07/2002 08:31

Renault said they couldn't disable the airbag in our new Laguna as it would alter the spec of the car.

You can, supposedly, have forward facing seats in the front with an airbag if you have the seat back as far as possible - makes it impossible for anyone to get in the back mind! This is "if your vehicle manufacturer confirms it is safe to do so". Never have a rear facing one in the front though.

The safest place is in the middle, in the back. If you have more than one child, tough!

Barca · 10/07/2002 11:34

Try looking at the diagram for your car fuse box. All air bags need a power supply to work so they all have a fuse. Usually this is clearly marked. I took mine out no problem in 2 minutes. The garage and the MOT inspector have never noticed!

Original poster

Paula1 · 10/07/2002 18:46

I thought that children under 5 feet tall (and also 100lbs weight) were never supposed to go in a front seat with airbag either? We wouldn't have bought the car with the passenger airbag through choice, but it was pre-registered and £2500 cheaper than the new equivalent that we could have had made without an airbag, so the money won. I guess the baby will just have to go in the back, problem is though, that I'll be sharing the school run with a friend, which will mean having 2 kids in booster seats with backs, and the baby seat - not sure if it will all fit. Soupdragon, is the middle really the safest place?

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bluebear · 10/07/2002 20:46

We wanted a renault but couldn't get the airbag switched off, so bought a peugeot 306 which has a switch to turn the airbag off and on.
This wasn't just so we could put the baby seat in the front but because I am very short and have been told that an airbag inflating would hit me.
A taller friend of mine was stopped by the police for speeding and the officer told her that she was sitting too close to her airbag and she should either move her seat back or get it disconnected.

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