Just wondering what the members experience is with the air-bags in the 3rd gens?

Firstly, some cars are getting on now, for instance my KH has over 200,000 k's at over 12 years operation. Do the air bags have an expiry date or can we consider them good to go for much longer than that?

Secondly side airbags in the seats: I was looking at my AWD and i notice that theres not much room between the air bag opening in the side of the seats and the doors. When the passenger seat is reclined a little the opening moves further back too and makes me wonder if they would deploy properly.

Anyone had any (unfortunate) experience with air bag deployment in these cars?

Tj vrx, worked a treat and saved me from serious facial injury, neck problems and possible other injuries, mind you the seatbelt was even better. I think they are designed to work decades after manufacturing

Air bags are like lifejackets on a plane, you hope they work but you also hope you never need to find out. It's an act of faith, you hope they work as advertised.

Side airbags on the seats deploy forward between your hip and the intrusion bar inside the door, supposedly prevents hip joint/pelvis breakage in a side impact. Won't stop your head from smashing into the glass though, that's where curtain airbags come in use - unfortunately the Magna doesn't have those.

Airbags have a long life, I see cars at the wreckers with warning stickers to not connect battery as airbags are not deployed.

Plenty of videos on youtube with people setting them off deliberately, if you want to see them in action.

Firstly, Airbags don't really expire. Some high-end manufacturers have placed an 'expiry' date to cover their liabilities as a massive over-precaution but in reality it's fine.
Other manufacturers guarantee them for the life of the car.

I've seen 15 year old cars where the airbag has gone off in an accident. Even, my friends mum's 20 year old Volvo 240's airbag exploded on impact with a tree. (Surprisingly the 2ft thick tree didn't break when getting smashed by a car almost as strong as a truck)

They're meant to be checked, ideally, every 10 years via a computer to check the system is still functional. If the lights come on as they should (for a few seconds when you start the car) and/or the SRS light is not during driving, then you can be about 99% sure it is functional.

If you're super concerned, take it to a mitsy dealership.

Secondly, have you ever seen how a side-airbag deploys? It's not like a front airbag that actually explodes in a cylindrical shape, rather it's flat and long in shape, so even with the seat pushed back it'd protect occupants. Plus the amount of force released during the explosion would easily shape it in a way that would protect you, as much as an airbag can really.

I would say not to worry. The TL/TW magna's are still some of the safest cars available in that time. Real-world crash statisitcs and real accidents put the TL/TW up with the new gen 5star ancap falcodores. Unfortunately I can't say the same about my 1 airbag 2 star ancap 3rd gen lol

my friends mum's 20 year old Volvo 240's airbag exploded on impact with a tree. (Surprisingly the 2ft thick tree didn't break when getting smashed by a car almost as strong as a truck)

The tree always wins, they bend and push back, unlike the car that just crumbles. I've seen a smaller than 2 ft thick tree after a car hit it sideways at speed, car was banana shaped, tree trunk moved about 1 foot in the soil, but didn't break - there was a gap between the tree trunk and the soil it moved in the collision of about 1 foot.
Not like the movies at all, don't argue with a tree, children!

I've seen 15 year old cars where the airbag has gone off in an accident. Even, my friends mum's 20 year old Volvo 240's airbag exploded on impact with a tree. (Surprisingly the 2ft thick tree didn't break when getting smashed by a car almost as strong as a truck)



Old volvos are not safe at all. They are from an era when road safety systems were in their infancy. A common misconception when comparing them to new cars.

Had both front airbags & front seatbelts activate when the TW ran into the side of a Prado (hit it in the drivers side rear passenger door/back axle) at aprrox 45kmhr. Airbags worked great, can sting a bit when they hit your nose, myself & the missus received minor cuts & bruising. The Prado spun 360 degrees , had the bottle jack fly out the back window & land 20 mtrs down the road. Both cars were stat writeoffs.

Cheers

Old volvos are not safe at all. They are from an era when road safety systems were in their infancy. A common misconception when comparing them to new cars.

Well said Dave :)

My SRS is giving me grief at the moment (read my post test crash sensor).The reason I know is the self check every time you start up alerted me that a component was crook, while a pain in the bum I'm glad it did. It tells me the manufacturer took this stuff seriously. Having a read up on this subject over the last weeks i would be pretty confident that when its big moment arrives the airbags and all important seat belt pre tensioner wont get stage fright. As long as the SRS light on the dash goes out after 6 seconds then the system is working properly. Lets hope we never need them. Cheers.