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Yeah, it can be done. But airbags were mandated in accordance with FMVSS 208... every vehicle produced after 1 April 1989 must have them, and removing them is highly illegal... no shop is going to do it, and I'm not going to tell you how to. If you do get into an accident, and Barney concludes that an airbag could've saved your life, anyone doing such a modification for you or guiding you through it is going to have their feet held to the fire and be deemed liable... whether or not it holds up in a court of law doesn't really matter... it'll make life a PItA for them until that conclusion is reached (and likely, even after, as there'll be the family to contend with, as well).
Sorry, that's a frag I'm not jumping on top of.
Wrong, I have a 92 that doesn't have airbags. The mandate you mentioned only made passive restraint mandatory. Airbags didn't become mandatory until 1998 for the 1999 model year.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CALGUY
With the recent recall for air bag problems, it makes me want to not just disable, but completely remove the air bag systems in my Corvette, as well as my pickup truck.
Is this possible? I drove over fifty years without air bags, and I'M still here. Sue would like to know if they can be removed safely.
Your thoughts.
Bob.
You probably never had a child car seat either, would you deny your grand child one?
Of course air bags can be removed. But is it really a good idea?
Personally, if my vehicle was on a recall list I'd have it fixed, otherwise I have no issues leaving the air bag system intact.
I had the same question for different reasons (I'm short, under 5'3", and no matter how I position the seat the steering wheel is always close to my face and chest). I called multiple shops and was refused -- both for legal/safety reasons and because they said the car would no longer pass state inspection. I don't know if this helps you since I'm in NC and you're in CA...
I highly doubt BMW would disable the airbag systems. This is not a pacemaker cars are easily sold.
The best way to check if your Toyota is part of the recall is to plug-in the year and model at ToyotaHawaii.com. If you drive another car brand, SaferCar.gov is another option, although the website has been crashing as car owners go there to check their vehicles.
There's currently a shortage of parts to perform the airbag fix, but the NHTSA says drivers should still contact their dealerships as soon as possible.
"One of the things we'll do in the interim is actually disable the front passenger airbag," said Ching. “Our recommendation would also be not to have anybody occupy that space until we can do the final fix, which is a replacement of the airbag inflator module.”
Most of the cars I've owned with air bags have been removed via an aftermarket steering wheel that either myself or I had a shop installed. I don't particularly want them. However, most cars have the wiring directly connected with the module and with a couple of cars I've owned the wires are a part of a bundle where the wires is in the freaking middle of the bundle. It's like they wired them as an annoyance. I feel you OP.
If it's anything like the radio in gm cars, it won't even run without it, but it's as simple(or used to be) as pulling of the cover(unclscrew it first), unscrewing the airbag, and unplugging it carefully enough it won't go off.
Wrong, I have a 92 that doesn't have airbags. The mandate you mentioned only made passive restraint mandatory. Airbags didn't become mandatory until 1998 for the 1999 model year.
Same here. I have a 91 with no airbags.
Quote:
Originally Posted by barndog
I had the same question for different reasons (I'm short, under 5'3", and no matter how I position the seat the steering wheel is always close to my face and chest). I called multiple shops and was refused -- both for legal/safety reasons and because they said the car would no longer pass state inspection. I don't know if this helps you since I'm in NC and you're in CA...
Up here in Ontario Canada, I worked with a woman who was just about your height. She had the drivers airbag in her Sunfire legally disconnected, but she had to get permission from the government. Talk to the State about your situation. The airbag is a safety hazard to you.
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