I tried to find some info of the actual instances where a mechanic has accidentally activated the airbag (according some newspaper reports).

I found quite little...

Here's one:
http://www.airbaginjury.com/howtheywork.htm
http://www.airbaginjury.com/airbag_fumes.htm

"Did you know?
Air bags can hurt or kill, now or later!

- Air bags can cause immediate impact trauma or death.
- Air bag fumes can cause immediate or delayed sickness or unnecessary death.
- Air bags can cause delayed neurological muscle damage or brain injury."


----------------------------------------------------


Now what has a mechanic to do wrong to get killed? How to prevent that?

(If one works near the steering wheel and happens to make a short on wrong wire, is it possible to activate the bag and get it on your face...)

 

Chances are if the mechanic did that, they aren't really a mechanic, or they are just getting sloppy :-/

 

What did Mr sloppy or did not - to pass eternity?

I am interested cause I am able [got proof] of great sloppyness...

 

If your doing it, I would just wait for Jeffy to reply with some advice. I know he's messed with swapping air bag wheels before where I only have experience with non-airbag wheels.

 

Ummm, if you disconnect the battery, how can the airbag have power to activate? I took apart the airbag system in my parts car with my battery removed. You should never work on live wires anyway.

 

Yes, quite true: sloppiness no1 is the battery not disconnected. Ten points.

Well, the dog has to learn new att i tudes... It used to be with the -43 jeep that no way to harm anything if any kind short while the 6V battery connected...


- Next q: Will shorting wirings while battery [sloppily] is connected blow the ammo? Is that the way how the crash sensor does it, gives +12V directly.

There are stories how rescue workers get injured, how somebody survives the crash but while taken out is killed by the bag explosion. What actually triggers the bag?

 

i sense a hint of sarcasm in your latest remark.

 

no, tell me if issue related...

No sarcasm. I'm just plain out as snowman of your earlier unedited post. I do not want you or anybody offended.

 

some of us aren't that smart

 

the airbag system retains voltage for a little while even after the power has been removed. it's a failsafe in case the power gets lost and the car hasn't hit the wall yet.

 

be careful when testing anything with airbags, do not run a continuity test because that actually sends a small voltage through the wires

on most cars (maxima included), the airbag harnesses are YELLOW so do not mess with those and you should be ok

 

Ohh I love this subject. My mom used to work for Autoliv, the company that makes about 85% of the airbags put in cars in the US.

I agree he was, the mechanic was careless. But at the same time, the ignitors they use for the airbags are very senstive.

Not so much in the final assembly. But there was always of a problem at autoliv that some people would accidently bump the trays, and the ignitors just shoot off everywhere.

Also, they weld the outshell around the assembly, and drop it into a bin, they did have one of those ignite off, and take off around the factory.

The point is, they're dangerous no matter what. I don't even want to list the injuries that occured during the 2 1/2 years that she worked there.

 

For US airbags this is how it is designed.

You start with power from the battery, a wire is run to the first sensor. The sensor is basicly a metal ball covered in gold, or other conductive metal. This ball is held in place by a magnet.

A wire then goes to a 2nd crash sensor. Then it is run to the airbag ignitor. This ignites the propellant for the bag.

But before the ignitor goes off, the power has to be grounded by the safing sensor. The same as the other 2, but the magnet is even stronger. This is done, so if the first sensors go off from an impact, say you hitting a post at 10 mph, the bag won't go off. Because that's not enough force to move the ball off the magnet in the safing sensor.

The safing sensor grounds the system, causing the ignitor to go off.

As to why sometimes airbags miss deploy there's some different reasons.

-The ignitor could be defective.

-Safing Sensor is defective.

-Sometimes during a crash, the 2 crash sensors ***** just bounce off the contacts due to force of impact and direction of impact. But this is very rare. You have to be hit front at a front/side impact.

-Also, the ignitors are senstive to static electricity. But the final assembly is supposed to isolate that. But defects can show up

-Or as internetautomar said. The system does retain voltage for a while. And when you start ripping on car, anything can happen

 

Does i have a capacitor then? that would mean it would work even if the battery was disconnected for a long time.

 

Hey thanks kcidmil & all for your great info!

1. -"Any thing can happen." Yes, for me its a Gods miracle I still am in the land of the living. Me Sloppy Sarcastic wik ing...
Never have liked the idea of having explosives under my nose surrounded with highly toxic substances. They said on the site that "one breath and your dead after four minutes"... Luckily it is in a bag, but if there a hole...

2. Exploded by Grounding?!!! Then just any gnd metallic smash ont that wire and bang! Look out for the hanging wires to the sidebag seats...

Me lucky wiking: old -93 J30 = no explosives! [translated = more lifetime]. But still have sometimes to peek on the newer ones...