Airbags are designed to save lives. When they work correctly, they cushion the impact of a collision and significantly reduce the risk of severe injury. But what happens when they don’t deploy at all?
Victims of crashes involving non-deploying airbags often face serious injuries and confusion about their rights. This blog explains why airbags sometimes fail, who may be responsible, and how victims can pursue legal action when a safety feature fails to protect them.
Table of Contents
Why Airbags Fail to Deploy
Airbag systems depend on precise sensors and computer timing. A failure can occur for several reasons:
- Defective sensors that fail to detect a collision
- Electrical or wiring issues
- Problems in the airbag control module
- Prior improper repairs or recalls left unaddressed
- Low-impact collisions where sensors did not meet deployment thresholds
While not every non-deployment means the system failed, many cases involve clear manufacturing or maintenance negligence.
When Airbag Failure Becomes a Legal Issue
If the lack of deployment worsened your injuries, you may be eligible to file a product liability claim. In such cases, the airbag manufacturer, vehicle maker, or repair shop may be at fault.
Common examples include:
- Faulty airbag inflators that never activate
- Previously recalled airbags never replaced by a dealership
- Aftermarket or counterfeit parts installed during repairs
- Dealership service errors that disconnect or disable sensors
In these situations, victims can seek compensation for their injuries, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.
Determining Who Is Responsible
Potentially liable parties include:
- Vehicle manufacturers: for design or production flaws in the airbag system.
- Airbag manufacturers: for defective components or faulty inflators.
- Dealerships or repair shops: for failing to fix recalls or disconnecting sensors.
- Parts suppliers: if they provided substandard materials.
Your attorney can work with automotive engineers and forensic experts to inspect the vehicle’s data recorder and determine what went wrong.
What to Do After an Airbag Failure
- Preserve the vehicle. Do not repair or dispose of it, the evidence is critical.
- Get a full medical evaluation. Even minor crashes can cause hidden injuries when airbags fail.
- Check for recalls. Visit the NHTSA website to see if your vehicle or airbag model has known defects.
- Document everything. Take photos of the interior, injuries, and accident scene.
- Contact an attorney. A personal injury lawyer can guide you through a potential product liability or negligence claim.
Proving an Airbag Defect
To win your case, your legal team must show that:
- The airbag should have deployed under normal conditions.
- A defect or negligent repair caused the failure.
- The failure directly worsened your injuries.
- You suffered measurable losses such as medical costs or lost income.
Engineers can download crash data from the vehicle’s computer system, analyze deployment signals, and compare them to industry safety standards.
Possible Compensation for Victims
Victims may recover damages for:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Surgeries or rehabilitation
- Lost wages and future income
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Vehicle repairs or replacement
If the defect is widespread, your case may also become part of a class-action lawsuit, helping hold large corporations accountable for dangerous products.
Airbags are one of the most trusted safety features in modern vehicles, but when they fail, the results can be life-changing. Manufacturers and repair professionals have a duty to ensure these systems work as intended.
If your airbags did not deploy during a crash, don’t assume it was just bad luck. You may have a valid claim for negligence or product liability. Consult a skilled personal injury attorney who can investigate the failure, identify the responsible parties, and help you secure the compensation you need to recover physically and financially.