Your vehicle has several important safety features, including the airbags. When you get into an accident, and the airbags deploy correctly, they can save you from serious injuries. Unfortunately, airbags may sometimes fail to deploy in an accident. When this happens, you and your passengers may sustain serious injuries.
Here are some possible reasons why your airbag may have failed to deploy.
Defective airbag sensor
When the airbag impact sensors are working correctly, they can detect when the force of a car crash warrants the airbags to deploy. But sometimes, the sensors may be poorly designed or installed and fail to detect the impact.
Defective airbag module
Your car accident may have triggered the airbag impact sensors, and the necessary signal may have been communicated to the airbag module, which may have malfunctioned. Usually, this is caused by a defectively designed airbag module or poor quality control.
Electrical issues
If the wiring that connects the sensors to the airbags has an issue, the control unit may send a signal to deploy, but the airbags may fail to deploy if they don’t receive the signal. This may be the most likely cause if some airbags deployed and others failed to inflate during the crash.
Severed wiring
Sometimes, the wiring connecting the control system may get seriously damaged during a crash and fail to send the signal to the airbags to deploy. For example, this may happen if the manufacturer routes the wiring through parts of the car that are vulnerable to damage.
Missing airbags
Airbags could also fail to deploy because they were never replaced after a previous accident. This is most likely the case if you bought a used car.
Airbags should deploy in a crash that would lead to severe or fatal injuries. They are intended to prevent injuries to the face, chest, internal injuries and spine injuries. If you were injured in a wreck and the airbags may be partially at fault, make sure you seek experienced legal guidance.