Hey guys, New to the forum just have a question I got hit driver side door/ hinge on saturday in my 2006 hhr lt. I was wondering why my air bags did not go off. I even have the side curtains. The driver was going 55 i was going about 5 mph he didnt have his lights on in the dark so i did not see him.





http://s1298.beta.photobucket.com/us...llim5/library/

 

I'm not an expert in collision damage analysis, but being an auto collision damage appraiser, I'm got more experience than most. The easy answer would be to say that the airbag sensors didn't receive the programmed force limit that would set them off. Based on that photo alone though, I think they should have been deployed. Maybe your insurance company can have the stored crash data analyzed. If they are reluctant, and you were severely injured, you may want to have this done yourself, if there's a chance the manufacturer could be liable. You may need an independent engineering firm that specializes in this. (As much as I am against recommending this...) Probably means you'll need an attorney at that point.

 

I THINK the side airbags are for roll over protection. At least I remember one member who had a "situation" with the airbags going off in radical turns...possibly with wheels lifting from the ground.

Also I believe the air bag sensing system needs more THAN ONE INPUT for the bags to activate.

Question......is the bag (and sensor) located above the door? It appears your roof line and "frame" are intact above your door. That COULD be your answer.

As suggested by Krash, you can hire someone. It will take a court order to read the data and a "specialist" who understands the software code/language, based on experience.