My wife recently crashed out 2003 XG 350L. Fortunately she and our son were wearing seat belts and walked away without a scratch. The car is close to being totaled -- it's still being looked at -- and the insurance adjuster as well as the police were concerned that the airbags did not deploy. Has anyone else experienced this? Here's a photo of the car: http://laidbackradio.net/images/XG350L.gif -Bill
you say fortunately. don't you have laws to require seat belts be worn? it looks like a fairly minor accident and i doubt anybody wearing seatbelts would be hurt in that type of accident. i'd say it wasn't hard enough to trigger the air bags, nor should it have. For the latest weather where i am click http://ii.net/~farmerjim/
Bill, Any idea what her speed was at the time of impact? My son ran his Accent into the back of another car 2 weeks ago. The damage was similar to what yours is. He estimates he was doing 15 mph at the time of impact. The only reason the car wasn't totaled was the fact the air bags didn't deploy.
Very dramatic photo. The lack of working air bags should be reported at once to the Feds as there may be a recall in order for this serious situation.
My wife had a head on collision while driving a ford Taurus wagon. The air bags did not deploy. The car was totaled. My wife suffered neck problems (whiplash.) A ford f-150 ran a red light, and the collision was 30 mph.
Her speed was between 35 and 40 mph. She rode up on a frozen snow bank (about 20" high) and into a tree. My guess is that impact speed was between 30 and 35 mph.
The law in Massachusetts requires seatbelts to be worn, but Massachusetts law also required drivers to drive at or below the posted speed...not something you see happen very often! My family has gotten into the habit of buckling up every time we get into a car. I say fortunately because like all "habits" there could be a time when you do the opposite. As a family we buckled up long before the law required us to do so. Like the saying goes, accidents usually happen within a few miles of your house. The trip my son and wife were on was less than 5 miles -- about 7 minutes tops. We make that trip at least 10 times per week. I know myself that I've arrived home, reached down to unfasten my belt and realized that I had forgot to buckle it -- it happens. I usually realize it myself within a few minutes and quickly buckle it... Her speed at impact was probably between 30 and 35 MHP. Given the location of the impact and the speed I would think the airbags would have deployed. In fact the insurance company has ordered a diagnosis and I have made a formal report to Hyundai. -Bill
Humm. She probably had all 4 wheels locked and the computer thought she was stopped. If she'd impacted the tree even at 30 mph there'd be some intrusion into the passenger compartment by the engine or frame. I suspect she was going much slower at the actual moment of impact. The car did it's job - your wife and child are safe. Time to total it and get another vehicle.
I read somewhere that Airbags only deploy in crashes above 32 MPH or cause damage to the sensors at the front of the vehicle. I think this was in the documentation for my 98 ranger. I will see if I can find it.
i'm glad you have the family in the habit of wearing them. the thought of being fined should make it 2nd nature for everybody. maybe your car has a european air bag sensor in it? the europeans have their air bags set to trigger at a far more sensible speed than the USA and unfortunately the Australian standard. with universal seat belt usage there's no need for them to trigger at low speeds. For the latest weather where i am click http://ii.net/~farmerjim/
Air bags are something you really don't want going off in your face unless the alternative is injury or death.
I know many literatures including owner's manuals say that the air bags go off when the car moving over a certain speed is impacted, but that's just not true. The decision to deploy the frontal air bags is not based on the absolute speed of the moving vehicle; it's the acceleration/deceleration rate that the air bag computer constantly monitors to determine whether the deceleration rate crosses the programmed threshold. If the bags didn't go off and your wife and kid is now on a life support system, then I'd say it warrants an investigation, but in your case, I don't understand what your insurance company's concern is, regarding the nondeployment.
It looks like about $7200 in repairs, I doubt they will total it (although I can't see the rear and I see the trunk is open). The air bags on most cars require TWO sensors to be injured to set off the bag(s). It looks like maybe one sensor got hit, but the passenger side is still ok so that may be the reason. Lets thank God that the XG350 can keep your family safe. That is why I bought it (for weight!). If the bags DID go off, both would most likly have a "scrach" or bruise. By the way, this is the only problem with Hyundai's is that insurance may be quicker to total than lets say an Infinity because the cost to repair is so close to the cost to replace. This is only a problem for the new car owner, after 4 years its a wash.
Most definitely. When my mom was in an accident in her 2001 XG300 the passenger-side air bag broke her right arm, wrist, and two fingers. It's better than getting killed but I can't help but thinking that if the thing hadn't gone off she would have been fine. Oh, and they totalled the car, she bought a 2002 XG350.
