The situation happens as follows:
A person is driving his or her car down the road. The roads are slippery. The car slides off the road, and hits a tree, nearly head-on. The person is seriously injured. The airbag fails to activate.
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation. Due to manufacturer’s defects, an airbag system may fail.
There are several reasons for an airbag not activating:
1.A sensor fails to detect the accident. For example, on a side impact accident, there may be no sensor at the point of impact.
2. A sensor is faulty. In the above example, if a sensor is in place at the point of impact, the sensor should detect the impact to activate the airbag. A faulty sensor will not detect the impact of an accident.
3. A poorly designed airbag system. For example, the manufacturer has failed to place enough sensors, to detect a crash. The vehicle may strike a spot which does not have a sensor in place. Also, there may be a defective clock spring which maintains the consistency between the airbag and the electrical wiring by continually interweaving in and out against the steering wheel.
4. Electrical failure. The airbag system doesn’t properly light up, sending an electrical signal though the system to activate the airbag(s). Almost everyone has seen a situation where there is a short circuit, in an electrical line. In an airbag system, there can be a short, or similar failure.
5. Faulty airbag module. This is often called the control module or computer module. During a collision, the airbag control module receives information from an impact sensor, which then relays a signal to deploy the airbags. If there is no relay of the signal., the air bag system fails.
If you have been in an accident in which an airbag failed to activate, you may have a claim against the motor vehicle manufacturer. Please feel free to contact.
Attorney Robert M. Singer
2572 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
203-248-8278
rsingerct@yahoo.com