Significant Statistics
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) there have been 780,000 airbag deployments reported in Canada and the U.S. Although at least 55 deaths have been attributed to airbags, an estimated 1,600 lives have been saved. According to a recent IIHS research, airbags have been shown to reduce fatalities by 20 percent in frontal impacts.

The airbags are blamed for the deaths of 35 children and 20 adults in low-speed accidents where the victims otherwise would have survived. Most of the adults who died were women of relatively small stature and about one-third were elderly. Also, most of the victims were not wearing their seat belts, which are to be used in conjunction with airbags in order to save lives.

Technical Information
Airbag systems usually have three sensors that first detect the rapid deceleration that occurs in a frontal impact. The sensors react to a certain impact ( inertia movement ), and at least two of the three sensors must trigger in order to activate the system and deploy the airbags. The airbag module contains the actual airbag which is made of a light-weight nylon material folded into the top of the module with a gas-generating chemical packed around an electric ignition source inside the airbag. The gas-generating chemical acts as the charge that deploys the airbag.

All damaged parts of an airbag system should be replaced and never repaired. Each vehicle maker has specific policies for system test and replacement. We are certified to test and replace airbags. We only use OEM replacement parts for the airbag system.

Used or salvaged airbags should never be installed in lieu of new OEM parts. Your safety lies in the correct new parts and proper installation. Some used airbags may look the same and be the correct color but not be specific for your vehicle. Possible undetected faults could occur from electrical, heat, shock and corrosion from the vehicle it was removed from. Any of these undiscovered conditions can cause the airbag or module to malfunction.

Hopefully this knowledge and possibly new laws can affect the use of black market airbag parts. You need to be educated about the replacement of airbag assemblies.