Results of Unprofessional Airbag Installation

The unprofessional installation of airbags can end up with catastrophic results.

With more than 16 years of airbag installation experience, our installers have run into a multitude of absolute "NO NO'S" in the installation of airbags.

The most popular in the so-called rebuilt airbag. These airbags are made up of a myriad of mixed and matched charges and components taken from various different airbag manufacturers and are sold as rebuilt units. These airbags can be potentially lethal. Within every vehicle equipped with airbags, the charge is specifically designed for that vehicle. They are designed to inflate at a given speed and each bag is made to fit a specific cabin size whether the vehicle be a compact vehicle or a large S.U.V. (Sports utility vehicle).

When bags and charges are mixed and matched in the so-called rebuilding process, it is only a matter of time before a serious injury or death will result due to this practice.

At present, there are no laws banning the use of used airbags or the rebuilding of deployed airbags. The other most common and dangerous practice that has been noticed on re-installations is missing handware. Key anchors nuts and bolts missing could result in an airbag becoming air born upon deployment. These airbag assemblies weigh up to 10lbs each and have the force of a shot gun blast upon deployment. Such an object coming in contact with passengers would most certainly cause serious injury or death.

Another important point often missed by technicians reinstalling new airbags includes debris. Often the windshield or side door glass will be broken during the deployment of airbags. If this glass is not vacuumed up and out of the heater ducts and away from the mounting pads of the airbags it can become a weapon on the next airbag deployment. This glass can also be ejected by the heater fan the first time it is turned on, so the passengers will be showered by broken glass fragments.

So has you can see, there are many points and considerations to be taken into account before installing an airbag or airbag system. The best rule-of-thumb to follow is, if you are not experienced in the replacement of airbags, have an experienced technician install them. Not only is this a large liability issue, but someone's life depends on the installation being done right.