I had (yes, unfortunately past tense) a 2005 Tony Stewart Edition which was in an accident a few weeks ago. The impact was at a mere 35 mph but both front airbags deployed. There was significant front end damage but the impact missed the main supports so it was repairable. Well, repairable right up until the insurance adjuster looked inside my car and realized the airbags had not just simply deployed and destroyed my steering wheel (to be expected) but blew my dashboard apart and shattered my windshield. The damage from the airbags was so extensive that the adjuster totaled my car with a total estimate of $12,000 worth of damage. (the car was valued at $13,500.)

My question is, is this normal for airbags to do this kind of damage? I have not been in an accident in 15 years so this airbag thing is all new to me. I also do not feel that holding the costs of the airbags and the set up against the value of my car necessarily fair. I lost my car over airbag damage. I am so upset about this. I truly loved that car but I was curious if this has happened to anyone else.

 

Every car that I have seen the airbags deploy, the windshield is cracked from the passenger one.

 

Yep when wifey got in an accident in our 2001 Monte the bags went off, burnt her face and craked the windshield

 

Yup airbags destroy everything thats y i hate em, especially the seat ones

 

That's pretty common in most vehicles, every passenger side airbag that's gone off that I have seen has cracked the windshield.

 

yep, and honestly airbag deployment is main reason cars get totaled now a days hell think about all the airbags that are in cars now, side curtan, in the seats, wheel and pasanger, some cars even have knee one's....

with airbag deployment you have to replace not only the airbag but alot of times the windshield,dash parts, obviouly the airbage it's self, any sensors/triger, seatbelt mech, steeringwheel controls if they have them, sometime the steering wheel, seat if side airbag, headliner or trim parts if curtan, and all that must be shiped as hazardious becuase it is an explosive

 

The cost of an air bag itself (upwards of $900 each) is exactly why auto manufacturers started going with the passenger seat occupancy sensors and, because of that sensor, the passenger airbag does not deploy when there isn't a person sitting in the passenger seat. That started around 2006 or so. The 7th Gens are equipped with the passenger seat sensors.

This was my 03 SS after I plowed into someone that turned in front of me. I was doing 45 mph. Both airbags deployed. The passenger airbag is located beneath the top piece of the dashboard and deploys out under it, so it blows off that entire top dash piece in the process. The driver side and passenger side of the windshield had stress cracks near the pillars. Other than what the airbags did deploying, the interior and dash was completely fine.

 

As a general rule, if the airbags deploy in your car, your insurance company will total your car. For the reasons Justin just described above.

It's not fair, but that's how it goes now. That's why so many independant local auto body repair shops are going out of business. Cars are totalled out by the insurance companies, and sent to the junk yard instead of being repaired.

 

Uhhhmm where are u getting your prices??? Airbags dont cost anywhere near that much

 

Miss typed for the wording I chose, corrected that. However, depending on the vehicle and how many airbags it has, it can cost upwards of $2k to $3k+ to replace ALL the airbags. The numbers are right, I just had the wrong words associated with them.