Air bags - the steering wheel kind

[Sno 15]

Im after some info for a friend. He has a Tickford EL XR8 Option 20 Falcon which is a statutory write off due to Ford not stocking new airbags for EL's anymore according to the insurance company (he hit a really big pothole on the NE Highway and blew the air bags). Obviously he would love to register it again but cant until he can get new airbags as the insurance company and RMS wont let him use unused second hand ones from another car.

The thing that sucks is other than the fact that it has unused secondhand airbags in it now there is absolutely nothing wrong with it and it bloody hammers!

 

Anyone have any idea if these things can be sourced anywhere in Oz or overseas?

 

Cheers

[steve mcqueen 1,796]

Must have been some pot hole to explode the airbags?

What else did he damage?

 

 

I picture a nice XR8 Falcon in pretty good condition with exploded airbags 

and the insurance company going "thats life pal"

 

But then again, this is his or her life they are playing with and in the event of a "head on" do you really 

want to risk a second hand airbag not going off?

Would they put bald tyres on the car in the event they were free?

 

 

Can a steering wheel from say BF/FG fit the EL and the insurance company tick it off?

 

The insurance co. is just covering they're arse from being sued by not allowing a second hand airbag.

Still shitty tho.

[Sno 15]

Yeah I can understand the second hand thing but Im a bit stunned that they can't get a new replacement. Thats just ridiculous, but then again we live in a throw away world.

Yeah the pothole was pretty big it was after a lot of rain and he was slip-streaming a semi and didnt see it in time.. He drove it the rest of the way to the Gold Coast to visit his kids for a week then back down here. He continued to drive it around until the assessor came and no issues at all. Just bloody unfortunate.

I will tell him about the later model steering wheel and he can do some digging.

Cheers

[Valvebouncer 2,389]

I'd believe it.

Some bmws go off going over speed humps, a mate used to work at ford and had to call an ambulance for the apprentice as the airbag went off in a new territory as he was driving it into the workshop for the pre delivery inspection. Poor kid almost had his head torn off.

Just check the resistance values of the ba airbags compared to the el one. BAs have a well known fault with fairmonts and ghias that the wiring harness running up the the airbag in the front seats is about 2inches too short (friggin tight arses). When someone puts the seat all the way back or forward it tugs on the harness plug causing a poor connection and high resistance therefore logging a fault and turning the system off. Some guys have tired extending the harness but a lot of them have sent off the airbags by doing this.

 

He could get the vehicle re engineered, About ten years ago we had a spate of Hondas being broken into in sydney and the only things stolen were the steering wheels and passenger airbags. I have fond memories of driving Hondas with shifters for steering wheels. Honda wanted 7k for each airbag so thieves would pinch them and sell them to panel shops. I went to another fella who had his front seats knocked out of his pajero because they had airbags and get this.. Mitsubishi wanted 17k for two front seats!!

All the ones that were able to get re engineered had the airbags as an option from factory, it's worth a try though, you'll have to change things like seat belts to a different tension too, they all worn in unison.

Good luck.

[Ants 6,370]

Au had the same airbag.

[Sno 15]

Thanks for the info guys