Air bags.....

[Don]

Okay Guys / Gals...... what about the air bags in TJ's going off accidently while on the trails? Truth, or myth? Do you pull the fuse, or not? I have heard pro's and con's about pulling the fuse. Who pulls, who doesn't and why?
I am /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Marlon_JBT]

Myth. The airbag will go off when it needs to....and going up and down a trail isn't enough to require it.

[Tomster]

I think it takes a pretty good lick to make the air bag go off.

[Matt]

If it aint broke, dont screw with it! Assumming that you use a seatbelt, leave the air bag alone. In the six years that I have been doing this, I've never seen, nor heard of an air bag going off. The truth is that unless some one is doing something really stupid, (Speeding in the wrong place) there's no reason to be concerned about the bag inflating. Bouncing over rocks wont do it. Hitting an object, lets say at 25 mph just might.If you travel at that speed on any trail, I'd suggest using a helmet, and competition belts.Truly Don, it takes alot for those to go off, and if someone told you the do, well I think they may have left out a few details. Take care, buckle up!

[Paul E]

I believe Matt is right... while you may smack something pretty good, unless you are driving at a higher rate of speed, the bags won't go off. My guess is that the air bags require a very strict set parameters to go off, one of which is above a certain speed.

[mikea]

I have my fuses pulled. My 02 Sport had a switch to disconnect the passenger side bag but the new ones only have the switch if you order w/o the back seat. My kids ride in the front too (car seat for grace) so I never want the passenger side to go off. I think it would be pretty uncommon for an air bag to go off on the trail as we just go too slow. Robin tagged a tree hard enough to dent her bumper and it didn't go off. But you also know how murphey works. So, I pull mine.

If you have kids or pets riding up front - pull the fuse.

[Marlon_JBT]

Matt, Me, Tom, and Paul are right... don't worry about it, Don. If the airbag went off on the trail... you probably would need it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hee.gif

Congrats on 100 posts, Matt! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tu.gif

[mikea]

[ QUOTE ]
I believe Matt is right... while you may smack something pretty good, unless you are driving at a higher rate of speed, the bags won't go off. My guess is that the air bags require a very strict set parameters to go off, one of which is above a certain speed.

[/ QUOTE ]

And if you own a 97 make sure the recall was performed on the airbag or you might get an accidental deployment or delayed deployment.

[kevin]

Yea Don don't worry about it. You would have screwed up bad wheel'en if the air bag goes off on you. For example when I flipped wheel'en @ 45mph the air bags didn;t go off. It takes a big wreck where the drive-train shifts anough to set off the air bags, like hitting a tree at high speeds. Just drive safe and you shouldnt have to worry about it while wheel'en.

kbo

[mullins87]

I was reading an article about airbags a little while ago. Here is the example the author gave: The amount of energy needed to deploy the latest generation airbags is equal to a 3,500 lb car, traveling at 38 mph, striking a stationary 3,500 lb car. Of course that speed would be lower if you struck an immovable object or higher if you struck a lighter object. The computer has to register a certain amount of energy absorption before it will deploy the airbags.

[scrambled]

I saw a airbag in a XJ go off when I was up at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes a couple years ago. He was going maybe 25 mph but he did land on the front bumper and only the front bumper. As long as you are not jumping it you ahould be okay.

[mullins87]

Chances are if you are airborn and land on the front bumper, you probably need that airbag anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[Don]

[ QUOTE ]
Chances are if you are airborn and land on the front bumper, you probably need that airbag anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep... there is probably a lot of truth to your statement /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[mtngal]

How often do you hit anything head on when you are wheeling (unless it is a tree or you are airborne)? We were in an accident on the freeway when the '98 was about 6 months old. We scraped both sides of the Sport pretty badly (left on the freeway wall, right on a Toyota pickup). We were traveling about 40 mph, the Toyota was almost stopped, but we didn't hit either one head on, and the air bags didn't go off. I would think that most of the situations I'd get into off-road would be more like our accident and at much lower speeds, so I leave the air bags alone.

[Hipee]

If jeep airbag systems are anything like every other vehicle, there is a (or multiple) crush sensors in the front end and you have to hit an object hard enough to crush the front end enough to set off the sensors to deploy the airbags. My 2003 X didn't come with a switch to turn off the passenger side airbag. I currently don't have kids, but might soon, so I'll be pulling the fuse for that when he/she is old enough to ride in the front seat.