For example: Out of town car for sale. Carfax shows airbag deployed accident several years ago. Now 15k later dealer says fine car, was properly repaired. Still interested? Or run away like knights in a Monty Python movie from a fierce rabbit?
For example: Out of town car for sale. Carfax shows airbag deployed accident several years ago. Now 15k later dealer says fine car, was properly repaired. Still interested? Or run away like knights in a Monty Python movie from a fierce rabbit?
IF it was properly repaired then what's the problem?
Weren't Caddys on good rubber blowing airbags at autocross/HPDE events because the high Gs were being interpreted as collisions?
Would really depend on the car but I'm generally in the camp of passing on anything that was in a bad enough accident to deploy the bags.
It's not that a car can't be properly fixed from that state, it's just that you have no way of knowing if/where corners were cut unless you did the work yourself or had someone reputable do it.
I deal with this daily. Airbag trigger switches need a sudden, harsh deceleration to deploy. They are not infallible though, and I've seen them go off from all sorts of weird things that aren't actually collision impacts. The older the car, the less sophisticated the software. I had a Honda Accord once the owner swore blew while just sitting parked. And I actually believed her story. Plus, Takata.
I've totaled perfectly repairable vehicles with only cosmetic damage because ALL the air bags went off (Toyota RAV4 that hit a deer).
Air bag replacement and system reset can be really expensive. It is never just the bag that needs replaced. There is a list for every vehicle of required replacement items that can include the deployment switch, system computer, steering wheel clock spring, seat belts (especially with pretensioners) and Chrysler's favorite, the steering column.
This car in question has been repaired for several years. I would want a qualified person to have a look at it to see if any collision damage was properly repaired. We replace air bags all the time on repairable vehicles. That by itself isn't a no-fly-zone for a purchase but it does indicate something more than a fender bender. SRS systems are pretty finicky, so if the light is out the system is active and should be fine.
ddavidv said:if the light is out the system is active and should be fine.
Assuming the light hasn't been completely removed in the first place! I looked over a car that my sister was considering buying at one time and discovered that the reason the check engine light wasn't on was that the bulb had been removed. Make sure the light comes on and then goes out.
Appleseed said:Weren't Caddys on good rubber blowing airbags at autocross/HPDE events because the high Gs were being interpreted as collisions?
I had a buddy in a 4th(?) gen Camaro blow the side airbags at one of our events that way. And I saw a 1st gen CTS-V do it at a Philly Region event.
Duke said:I had a buddy in a 4th(?) gen Camaro blow the side airbags at one of our events that way. And I saw a 1st gen CTS-V do it at a Philly Region event.
I find it sad (but not surprising) that the use case of "driven in a spirited manner" wasn't included in the possible lists of uses for what are supposed to be performance cars.
Most people just drive them as commuters, and I suspect there are insurance concerns, too. I'm betting at least some of the cars that came with special track keys had bypasses for that kind of failure mode.
airbags deployed is gonna be a no from me, dawg
calteg said:airbags deployed is gonna be a no from me, dawg
Unless I knew for sure they deployed due to some system glitch, same me same. I bought my daughter a Civic a while back, she ran over a median with it and the airbags deployed. No body damage at all, only visible evidence of a collision was a small crack at the bottom of the front fascia. Looked underneath, the subframe was broken and the entire drivetrain was shifted 2-3 inches back. I was just going to replace the airbags until I saw that, insurance totaled the car. So, airbag deployment is definitely a no-go for me.
Duke said:Appleseed said:Weren't Caddys on good rubber blowing airbags at autocross/HPDE events because the high Gs were being interpreted as collisions?
I had a buddy in a 4th(?) gen Camaro blow the side airbags at one of our events that way. And I saw a 1st gen CTS-V do it at a Philly Region event.
What ended up happening post event with his car? Did they end up just replacing the airbag and he was on his way again? I remember seeing a video online of a GM deploying its airbags during an autocross, but never hearing anything that happened afterwards
There's no reason why a car with deployed airbags can't be properly repaired. The challenge, as it the case with any repair, is determining if it really was done properly. In addition to inspecting for proper body repair I'd want to see, at a minimum, receipts for the airbag(s) and a functioning airbag light.
It depends on the car. A $500 project or $2500 toy, sure no problem. A $25,000 "nice" car? No way. Not only is there the risk of the work being done not quite right, but when you go to sell it, the potential buyers are going to have all the same questions you have now so it's not going to appeal to as many people and will sell for less money as a result.
I had a 1995 Lexus LS400 that had been rear ended and repaired many years and two owners prior to my purchase. It required a section out and replacement of the trunk floor and rear quarter panel. Since it held up for several years it must have been fixed well, right? None of the factory welds on that car had even the slightest hint of rust, but every seam of that repair was just scabby with rust. Repairs are just never as good as factory original. In my opinion, a car is always worse and worth less after major structural repairs.
One of my company trucks deployed the driver's airbag when the guy driving it put it in park.
We didn't fix it and sold it with no bag for almost scrap value.
If it's cheap enough, I'd probably buy it, but it would have to be super cheap.
At the last track day I went to there was a fairly new and basically stock Mustang that blew all of its airbags from going over a curb too hard or something.
I'd be more concerned why it's only been driven 15k in "several years"
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