short wife + air bag = no head

[ranger91]

my wife is very short 5"0 in heels and we just bought an 01 explorer sport for to drive she loves it and everything else but i am so scared that if she or some one else bumps into here and the air bag goes off it will kill her any ideas on how to turn the drivers air bag off? called ford they were no help at all they said should have bought a new car that has weight sensativity in it. no money means no new car any help would be great

 

[Dan Whitaker]

I don't think it's legal to deactivate the driver's side airbag. If she was ever in an accident and the insurance company found out it was deactivated you will be SOL.

 

[mltsaccord]

I don't think it's legal to deactivate the driver's side airbag. If she was ever in an accident and the insurance company found out it was deactivated you will be SOL.

honestly i would rather be SOL then have no head.. imo

 

[best X]

honestly i would rather be SOL then have no head.. imo

haha depending on the day right if shes nagging you on wiht the airbag

 

[ranger91]

thats what i tried to tell ford that i would sign off on it that i would not hold them responsible for it but they still said no. i am wondering if pulling the fuse would deactivate them or not?

 

[mltsaccord]

thats what i tried to tell ford that i would sign off on it that i would not hold them responsible for it but they still said no. i am wondering if pulling the fuse would deactivate them or not?

if anything bud, just take it out. just like ur putting an aftermarket steeringwheel on

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes it's not legal, but I understand the worry also, they do more good than harm. It can be done, pulling a fuse or any connector in the airbag system will generate a dash light and disable it. The airbags all have a resistance in them which can be duplicated. I have been told that it is 2.1 ohms for the front airbags. Regards,

 

[Glen4X4]

I use to not like airbags either til I think they helped save my life, I know your worried it'd hurt her but no matter what they do hurt, I don't think it would be that bad but then again anything is possible.

 

[IZwack]

I wouldnt remove the airbag or disable it.. I mean if you're worried about the steering wheel airbag, she probably has it tilted down anyway so it shouldn't be too bad. And as for the side curtain air bags (if there are any), when those things inflate, they dont pop out as much as the ones on the steering wheel so its not going to come after her.

 

[MONMIX]

fuse removal WILL NOT completely deactivate the bag.

It is a tough situation I have herd many many times.

The best advise is proper adjustment. Recline the seat some and get her as far back as she can wile still being able to fully compress the brake pedal.

Worst case synario will NOT be the removal of her head, at worst a bloody nose and a pair of black eyes. WORST case. Sure beats a face full of windshield.

 

[ranger91]

thanks for the help i spoke with a friend that works for ford engineering and he said i should be able to install a gen 3 air bag system in it that has the seat weight thing and it should take care of it. he is going to let me know for sure after talking with some others.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The air bag isn't going to hurt more than a steering wheel. The second generation airbags inflate a lot slower than the originals. No "bump" is going to set it off. I'd rather install a power seat track and jack the seat up.

 

[92greenexplorer]

i took the sensors of the of the wiring nare the frount buper on my car becous i set them of when i hit a car in a drive way going 5 mph if tha

 

[Mbrooks420]

Why remove the sensors when they already blew?

 

[crtmut]

Dont do it

As a 15 year volunteer firefighter, and more recently the user of my 96 Sport's airbag, and the fiancee of my replacement 97 V8 AWD air bag user {both totalled in just over a months time}, you want the airbag. Mine saved me big time. I hit black ice, then a tree head on at 40 mph, thats no lie. I got out and was fine. Started deciding what I needed to fix truck 15 seconds after i hit the tree. Fiancee hit a tunnel on the ice, she sits up on the wheel, if the bag wouldnt have come out, she would probably be getting new teeth. Thats just my personal dealings. In the fire service, I have seen those 2 situations hundreds of times. Seatbelts and airbgs SAVE LIVES.

 

[1996xlt]

My dad was concerned with the same thing with my mom (4'9'') and after talking to my brother (Ford Tech) and speaking with a few police officers who had witnessed vertically challenged people in airbag deployments all of them said your better off to have them than not.
Speaking from experience, I totaled my dad's 97 F-150 (I still feel horrible about it, been almost two years), hit a Silverado at about 50 and that airbag saved me big time. I walked away with minor scrapes from the airbag deploying, but that's it. Trust me keep them.

 

[wood1]

What about gearing up some removable pedal extentions so she can sit further from the wheel? The power seat with height adjustment is a good idea as well.

I wouldn't remove the bag before checking for proof that she'll be in danger. People are quick to assume things sometimes that may not be necessarily true. If she is sitting high enough compared to the wheel I think she would be much safer with the bag.

 

[mustang66maniac]

Keep at least 10 inches from the steering wheel at all times and you will be fine. there is no reason to disable it if you are at least that far.

You really don't want to remove the airbag, they explode but they save lives. Think if your wife hits something, she'll either hit a hard piece of plasic with her face, or she'll hit a pillow full of hot gas with her face.

 

[ranger91]

thanks for all the help i am going to install the power seat tracks and measure to see if that gets her further away right now she is at 6.5 inches from the steering wheel and she also said she would like to sit higher so she could see alittle better so i am gonna give the power seats a try. thanks for all the ideas i will leave the bags in. and active

 

[Glen4X4]

My explorer has those front power seats and they will help her adjust to height and distance better than the manual seats. Don't forget when you put a power seat in to take part of the wiring that runs under the carpet.