Last updated on July 20th, 2023 at 07:22 pm
A deployed airbag is the same as other damaged areas of your vehicle. However, when an airbag deploys doesn’t mean that the car is a total loss. But once the airbags of your car deploy and the amount to replace them are higher than the total loss threshold of your residing state, this means that your state would declare it a total loss. Guide On VW Airbag Light Reset Without The Tool
So Can You Sell A Car With Deployed Airbags?
My answer is yes, you will still be able to sell the car. However, it should be disclosed during negotiation. But if it wasn’t disclosed, you may have a claim against the car dealer.
Does Airbag Deployment Total A Car?
My answer is no! When airbags deploy, it doesn’t mean that the car is a total loss, but it will be added to the grand total of the car repair. Always remember that airbag replacement isn’t cheap.
It takes around $1,000 to $6,000 on average to replace airbags. Note that this cost must add up to every other damage your car has sustained.
But because of the high cost of installation and getting new airbag components, lots of vehicles with deployed airbags that have low actual cash value (ACV) will be considered a total loss. However, once the car has a higher ACV, then the cost of getting new airbags won’t make the vehicle be declared a total loss.
Will A Car Start After The Airbags Have Been Deployed?
My answer is yes, and a no. This is because once there are airbags deployed in most modern cars, their engine will automatically shut down. The reason for this is for the protection of the driver and his passengers in case of collision.
In case you use the old modern car, you will notice that once your car airbags deploy, the engine may not shut down. This means that you can still drive your car. But note that this can be very dangerous as your deployed airbags have the possibility to block the windshield. So you might end up cutting the airbag to be able to drive the car.
Is It Illegal To Sell A Car With Deployed Airbags?
Its not illegal, you will still be able to sell the car even with deployed airbags. However, it should be disclosed during negotiation. But if it wasn’t disclosed, you may have a claim against the car dealer.
Note that it can be illegal in some jurisdictions since the car won’t be able to pass a safety inspection, and without passing a safety inspection, you won’t be able to transfer the car to the new owner.
This simply means that the hiding airbag deployment issues would potentially be a fraud, which is against the law. Remember, this would be a very bad thing to do. read this article too Is It Illegal To Drive With Airbag Light On
Is It Illegal To Sell A Car Without Airbags In California
My answer is yes, it is illegal to sell a vehicle that has deployed airbags in California. However, in private deals, this happens all the time.
This is because no one will examine it except the vehicle is being re-registered with a salvage title.
So it is illegal since the car won’t be able to pass the safety inspection in California, and without passing a safety inspection, you won’t be able to transfer the car to the new owner.
As said earlier, the hiding airbag deployment issues would potentially be fraudulent, which is against the law.
How To Tell If Airbag Has Been Deployed
Whenever you are buying a used car, it is very vital to know if the car has had an issue with airbag deployment.
It is important to replace deployed airbag and the modules. Also, every electronics found in the deployed airbag should be inspected and replaced.
But lots of dealers and mechanics won’t want to perform the necessary airbag deployment issue before selling because it can be very expensive.
So how would you tell if an airbag has been deployed in an old car? Below is some guides that would help you to determine if the car has an airbag deployment issue.
Examine the Airbag Cover
Whenever there’s airbag deployment, the deployed airbag cover will split apart. But note that you can repair the split cover. Just check out for any unevenness in its cover.
Look out for repainting, once the cover looks newer than the rest of the dashboard interior then there’s the possibility of deployment.
You should also inspect if you would see the SRS (Safety Restraint System) logo and the vehicle manufacturer’s emblem on the dash.
Any airbag cover that has been deployed won’t have the emblem or the SRS logo.
Examine the Dashboard
As mentioned before, one other way of knowing if there’s airbag deployment in old cars is via the dashboard. Whenever there’s deployed airbag, passengers and driver side will have deployed.
As you know, the passenger’s airbag can be found inside the dashboard, and when there’s airbag deployment, it will split the dash apart.
Examine the car’s Airbag Indicator Light
One other thing that can give you a clue if there’s an airbag system issue is the airbag indicator light. All you have to do is to turn on the ignition key without starting the car. Once this is done, you’ll be able to see all the indicator lights turning on, and this includes the airbag light.
Next is to start the vehicle, and then notice if the airbag indicator light will be turned on. Note that it is normal whenever the light turns on momentarily and goes out. But in case the indicator light remains on or flashes, then there could be issues with the airbag system.
If Airbags Deploy Is The Car Salvage
Not really, it depends. Whenever an airbag is deployed, it doesn’t mean the car is salvaged. A lot of people think that if airbags deploy that the car is salvaged due to the high percentage of cars that are salvaged has airbag deployment issues.
However, there are ways to determine if a car is salvaged.
- A car can be salvaged if the damages done is exceeding market value.
- When replacement of the airbag exceeds the value the car after an accident.
Conclusion
Airbags are made to last longer in modern cars. But in case you own an old car, then I would recommend that you change your airbags regularly as part of maintenance.
When airbags deploy, it doesn’t mean that the car is a total loss, it just needs to be replaced. Causes Of Mazda 6 Airbag Light Flashing+Mazda 3, 5 Airbag Reset &Recall
Hi dear, my name is Jeffery Ekweghi, and I am a certified mechanic and autobody parts technician. I created this site to share my expertise and experience with car lovers looking to resolve their car-related issues. I am certified in private cars and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. I have worked as a mechanic since 2015 and have experience in vehicle brands like Subaru, Jeep, Toyota, TATA, BMW, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Kia, TVs, and Others; however, I primarily specialize in Toyota vehicles.
