2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Anyone accidentlly set off their air bag?

[Dual EE]

The other day a guy in ford had a dead battery and wanted a push start. Neither one of us had jumper cables. I used my front bumper to get him started and on his way. I started thinking about the air bag system. Could I have accidentally set off my air bag giving this guy a push. Anyone know what it takes to set off the air bag? Are the sensors just in the front of the truck?

 

[HeavyHauler]

From my experience, it takes a pretty hard blow to set off one of these airbags. I was involved in a few collisions in my old '96 Dodge gasser and the airbag didn't deploy either time. One situation was pretty much a T-bone straight into the side of a 4-door car (towards the rear and only at around 20-25mph) and the other was nailing a fairly large 4-point buck at about 55mph.



I don't think there's any way that you could set one off my giving a guy a tap to get him rolling.

 

[Got Smoke?]

I slammed my previous 97 2500 into the back of a nissan mini-van @ like 40-45mph (locked brakes 20ft from 55mph) and my air bag did not deploy... . and my nose (of the truck) DOVE way down b/c of the brakes and HARD into the back of that mini-van. :{



I had pics but just deleted them Sat. because I thought I'd never need them anymore. DOH!

 

[BKenny]

My freind and his girl freind were pulling into a parking lot in her 99 Saturn. The lots driveway had a short ramp almost like driveing over a speed bump . Well both air bags blew up in there faces then they called the insurance company and body shop . It was going to cost $3200. 00 to fix :--) be carefull it makes me wounder when i hit bumps on the freeway in this truck.

 

[CMckee]

i believe the sensors are actually mounted on the frame rails and not in the bumper. so it would take a really big holt to set the bags off. i left mine in gear a couple of winters ago in a parking lot, it bounced off the rear of a chevy p/up , cratered the nose of a ford 4x4 and carried on to push a crown victoria up an over the curb into the ditch and no air bag action , just $5800 in bills to fix everyone elses vehicles. just creased my bumper and cracked the plastic mount behind the headlight and broke the turn signal and a small fender crease which mostly popped out by hand, plus the huge red face :--) .

 

[jrobinson2]

The accelerometers that control the airbags are contained in the airbag control module mounted to the floor inside the vehicle, there are no airbag sensors outside the passenger compartment



Jared

 

[pgleavitt]

When I installed my Stealth box subwoofer enclosure replacing the bottom center section of the front seat I had to relocate the air bag module on the metal frame. When I saw this I was concerned that the 12"sub hooked up to 500 watts might set it off. I only put about 300 watts to it and so far so good. I would hate to try to explain to my insurane co. what tunes were playing if it did go off. Don't like rap anyways.

 

[Dual EE]

The accelerometers that control the airbags are contained in the airbag control module mounted to the floor inside the vehicle, there are no airbag sensors outside the passenger compartment



Jared

Thanks Jared for the information.

 

[Andy Redmond]

Jared is partially correct for your model year (one sensor inside and two outside). I'm guessing about 98 when the interior changed was when the sensors outside got nixed although I didn't ck. the FSM. I ran out to look at an 2001, the holes are in the inner fender, but no sensor.



For your vintage 2nd gen. .



Two sensors are located in the engine compartment behind the grill where the inner fender meets the core support (below your battery boxes). They can be serviced seperately.



The third safing sensor is located in the ACM (airbag control module) assy. on the trans tunnel below the instrument panel. Its part of the ACM and not serviced seperately (at least for your model year).



Not sure what it takes to deploy them in real world examples. I've seen some Rams get totalled and the airbag not go off. .



Good luck

Andy

 

[1empire1]

The standards set by the highway safety administration state that a vehicle needs to slow down instantly between 11 and 14 mph in order to set the arming sensor inside the vehicle off. If the vehicle has outside sensors this one is more sensitive, but air bags still won't go off until the one inside is tripped from deceleration. There is also a standard on how far of an angle from center of the truck that will set off the front air bags. I don't remember the exact angle but I think it is between 38 and 45 degrees. So if you drew a line down the center of your hood front to back and measured the angle from the back of the hood, it would bring you to a little past the front corner onto the fender area. If the vehicle is hit on any more of an angle than that or on the side, the front air bags shouldn't go off. Hope this helps a little... Andrew