Skip to main content

Will your car’s airbags protect you when you need them?


We’ve all heard about people driving their cars for years while a red “Check Engine” light glows in the dashboard. They’re not sure what the light means but, well, the car is still running. They ignore it and nothing seems to happen or, at least, they don’t notice how some problem may be decreasing the engine’s performance and/or mileage. And, there is another indicator that may come on in the dashboard that they may ignore – the “SRS” warning light.

SRS stands for Supplemental Restraint System. That may sound unfamiliar. How about this – the Airbags. The warning light is often displayed as a stick person sitting in a seat with a circle, representing a deployed airbag, in front of them.

The airbags are parts of your car you hope never to use. But, if you do need them, the airbags could make the difference between life and death – between serious injury and the possibility that you would walk away from a crash.

Why would the SRS – Supplemental Restraint System – warning light come on (in some cars, the SRS light is on at all times and you only need to worry if the light isn’t lighted)? Most cars are designed so that, periodically, the car will automatically perform a diagnostic check of the airbags. When this happens, you may notice the light coming on for a moment. If it goes off again, your airbags should be fine – ready for an accident should you need them.

On the other hand, the Supplemental Restraint System warning light may stay on. If this occurs, you could ignore it and continue to drive. However, if you have an accident, you can’t count on the airbags for help protecting you or your passengers from injury.

In older models of cars equipped with airbags, it was possible that, overtime, you would need to replace the airbags. You might say that they expired after a while, as if they were eggs that went rotten inside the steering wheel and dashboard (they’re often in the doors today, as well). But, the question is, what should you do if the airbag warning light comes on, or doesn’t come on, whichever case indicates a problem with the Supplemental Restraint System?


  • Most airbags are covered by the car’s warranty. If the warning light gives an indication that there could be a problem with the Supplemental Restraint System, bring the car in to have it looked at.
  • With older cars, whether the indicator light suggests a possible problem with the airbags or not, you should probably take a look at the Owner’s Manual to see if there is a schedule for checking the airbags. While they may not be warrantied, you’ll want to have them checked if the scheduled service period has been met, or if the indicator light warns you of a possible problem.
  • Make sure that your car’s airbags aren’t included in a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has warned that, in 2009-and-newer car models, there is a chance they had ‘counterfeit airbags installed.
  • If you have an airbag replaced, you should only use an OEM – original equipment – airbag.
  • Don’t forget to check the airbag-warning light when you purchase a new vehicle.




Labels:
Location: McHenry, IL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing?  If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond  winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders.  Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sap, Sun and Droppings conspire to attack your Richmond car’s finish

Who doesn't love summer time in Richmond? But this is also the time of year when sap, sun and droppings attack your car's finish. It’s a beautiful summer day in Richmond, IL, so you take the car to Richmond Carwash and give it a thorough cleaning. Or maybe you go for an entire detailing. On the other hand, you grab a bucket, sponge, brush and appropriate cleaners, drag the hose out to the driveway and wash the car yourself. Before you know it, the car is clean and shiny, almost like the day when it was new, right? But what does Murphy’s Law say about washing your car? Inevitably, if you wash your car, you can count on rain. It almost seems like, as soon as you give the car a good bath, the rain clouds start plotting and changing course to head straight for your Richmond home or wherever else you park your car. Let’s imagine that Murphy takes a pass when it comes to applying the Law of clean-car-precipitation onto your vehicle. You have the car washed but it doesn’t rain. You’ve...
Post a Comment
Read more