restarting car after airbag deploys

H

Hoot

Junior Member
New Member
May 21, 2010
13
1
New Jersey
anybody know anything about equipping a vehicle with a switch to override a shutdown relay that has been triggered by an airbag being deployed? I understand that most vehicles have some sort of fuel or ignition interruption after an airbag deploys. if the vehicle is driveable after an unfortunate encounter with a deer/ditch/tree/zombie/etc, it would be nice to be able to start it up again and drive off. (especially if it was a zombie) :eek:


I'm particularly interested in doing this to my 04 dodge ram, but info on any type of vehicle would be appreciated.
 
The instructions for resetting the fuel cutoff are in your owner's manual. The airbag is a different story. I haven't found a car that had popped it's airbag that would make it out of a ditch or outrun a zombie. The ones I've seen hit trees usually pretty much "deployed" the driver at the same time. Don't swallow your own teeth; you'll have to fish them out in a couple days, but by then it's too late to reimplant them.


Planning on a career as a stunt driver, or getaway man?
 
yeah, i'm planning a career as a getaway driver for a group of bank robbers so i decided to post a question about it on a message forum loaded with cops. thanks.
 
Hoot said:
yeah, i'm planning a career as a getaway driver for a group of bank robbers so i decided to post a question about it on a message forum loaded with cops. thanks.
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I'm pretty sure that a couple guys here are actually zombies, they don't seem real swift, so don't forget about tipping them off.


I know that under the right/wrong conditions hitting a deer will trigger the bags, but I wonder if the pre-decomposed state of a zombie would provide enough mass, so to speak. I'd sort of expect them to just come apart, like a long term immersion decomp. Rigging some sort of high-pressure sprayer to clear the cooling system and brakes of zombie goo might be a good idea. I'd also fill my windshield washer with Holy Water, as a vampire deterrent.
 
Stendec said:
I'm pretty sure that a couple guys here are actually zombies, they don't seem real swift, so don't forget about tipping them off.


I know that under the right/wrong conditions hitting a deer will trigger the bags, but I wonder if the pre-decomposed state of a zombie would provide enough mass, so to speak. I'd sort of expect them to just come apart, like a long term immersion decomp. Rigging some sort of high-pressure sprayer to clear the cooling system and brakes of zombie goo might be a good idea. I'd also fill my windshield washer with Holy Water, as a vampire deterrent.
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nice,thats a different explanation if i may so myself,as far as i know most vehicles after a air bag activation is immobilzed and has to be towed. i have never seen a car drive way from even hitting a deer or a zombie(stendec :lol: ) or smaller if the bag activated. keep in mind most vehicles are designed like that as part of the saftey componets. never know when you will have a multiple zombie encounter :lol:
 
well heres what im thinking you blow the bags it shuts down i used to drive a tow rig and everyone of them would not start even in the light hits.so i would say you need to bypass a bunch of crap to be able to keep goin! as far as the zombie problem got big carbed non airbaged truck with i nice cattle catcher on the front!!
 
Are you sure it's the airbag system? I had a ford taurus that recieved a hit. there was a fuel pump reset switch in the trunk under a panel that had to be pushed before the car would start again.


Clarence
 
Clarence H said:
Are you sure it's the airbag system? I had a ford taurus that recieved a hit. there was a fuel pump reset switch in the trunk under a panel that had to be pushed before the car would start again.
Clarence
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Friend of mine swerved really hard in a ford and tripped the impact/flip fuel pump cutoff.... it's usually behind a panel inside the trunk.
 
in the trucks its usually on passenger side kick panel.
 
It must be dependent upon the manufacturer. I hit a Taurus broadside with my MIL's 97 Buick Riveria. The car blew both bags and when I came to a rest in the center median, the car was still running. I put the car in park (even though the right front wheel was in the engine compartment) and shut the car off with the key. I didn't try to restart it, but the motor did not shut off on it's own when the bag went off.


During my time driving a wrecker I have driven a couple of cars with blown bags off of the rollback. one was a Cadillac STS and one was a Blazer I think.


Chrysler vehicles use a momentum switch inside the console to control most airbag function. GM vehicles use a sensor located behind the grill. I'm not sure about Fords or imports.
 
Some newer cars and trucks will restart. I dont what the set conditions are. I have worked a few wrecks where speed were about 20-30 mph, and the vehicles drove away (cars, trucks, and SUV's).


The first time one drove away I learned they needed to stuff the airbag back in or cut it off, as turning can be a pain.


The issue our FD has is if a hard hit occured and no air bag went off. Thats a safety issue as it could deploy at any moment they feel.


I am guessing its the fuel cut off, or the OnStar system...


If I can I might start taking notes on what vehicles can be driven away after air bags deploy, and see if the fuel switch is the cause.
 
Blk-Merc said:
Some newer cars and trucks will restart. I dont what the set conditions are. I have worked a few wrecks where speed were about 20-30 mph, and the vehicles drove away (cars, trucks, and SUV's).

The first time one drove away I learned they needed to stuff the airbag back in or cut it off, as turning can be a pain.


The issue our FD has is if a hard hit occured and no air bag went off. Thats a safety issue as it could deploy at any moment they feel.


I am guessing its the fuel cut off, or the OnStar system...


If I can I might start taking notes on what vehicles can be driven away after air bags deploy, and see if the fuel switch is the cause.
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We responded to a 10-50 (wreck) a few years ago where a small SUV,rearended a car and the airbag in the SUV had not deployed yet.The SUV was totaled.We got the driver out on a backboard,one of the other firefighters shut the door of the SUV and boom,the airbag came out.That could of been real bad.
 
SilveradoPOV said:
We responded to a 10-50 (wreck) a few years ago where a small SUV,rearended a car and the airbag in the SUV had not deployed yet.The SUV was totaled.We got the driver out on a backboard,one of the other firefighters shut the door of the SUV and boom,the airbag came out.That could of been real bad.
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So why were the battery cables not cut first?


Were there enough personnel on scene?
 
On a DUI i went to last month, the driver had hit a pole and air bags went off and he drove it too his house at which latter time he we arrested him. And he even left us a nice trail of car parts right to his front door. Lets just say he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.
 
Park Ranger said:
So why were the battery cables not cut first?

Were there enough personnel on scene?
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Airbags have built in emergency batteries and they have bene known to hold a charge for up to 10 minutes
 
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