Although airbags work in the majority of the cases, there are rare exceptions when an airbag might fail to deploy in a car crash or inflate accidentally. If you suffered injuries because of an airbag failure you should consider hiring a personal injury lawyer who will help you recover a full and fair compensation.

Two sensors

Can an airbag go off without power? Yes. Airbags have an internal electrical capacitor that is capable of setting off the airbag even if you switch off the ignition or disconnect the battery.

But the passenger airbag can be deactivated if the car is equipped with a Passenger Airbag Cut Off Switch (PACOS). In most cases, to disable the airbag you need to have the ignition switched off to avoid any possible malfunctions. The PACOS is usually located in the passenger side of the dash board.

How to Reset an Airbag Light

1. Put the key into the ignition and turn the switch to the “on” position.
2. Watch for the airbag light to turn on. It will stay illuminated for seven seconds and then shut itself off. After it shuts off, immediately turn the switch off and wait three seconds.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 two more times. Start the engine.

The airbag of a car cannot be fixed after an accident. Even though it can be costly, you must have it replaced. When they were first introduced, mechanics could reset some airbags. Today, however, mechanics must replace the safety devices after each deployment.

Replacing an airbag can be incredibly expensive. The replacement bag alone can cost $200 to $700 for the driver’s side and $400 to $1,000 for the passenger side. Once you factor in labor, you can expect to pay $1,000 to $6,000, with the average cost sitting around $3,000 to $5,000.

For those of you who want to replace airbag units on your own, you’ll be happy to hear there are no restrictions on this kind of work. You don’t need to go to any sort of authorized dealer or mechanic to fo this work, except when the work butts up against your car’s warranty.

Any accident diminishes a cars value. An airbag deployed indicates a higher speed accident, so the damage was likely more extensive. This means more repair and further diminished value. If that’s what you want and they’re taking a lot more off the price after adjustments, then consider it, but otherwise keep looking.

On average, expect around $1,000 to $1,500 per airbag that needs to be replaced. Airbag module replacement will run another $600 and up. So, if you’ve been in a front collision and your driver’s and passenger’s front airbags have deployed, you can expect your airbag system alone to cost around $3,000 to repair.

No, side airbag does not always equal a total loss, side airbag deployment is more associated with larger impacts, or more significant areas of the car damaged. So it will probably be a larger repair bill, but does not necessarily mean it is a guaranteed total loss.

Takata Recall Spotlight Long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause these air bags to explode when deployed. Such explosions have caused injuries and deaths. NHTSA urges vehicle owners to take a few simple steps to protect themselves and others from this very serious threat to safety.