Takata Air Bags ....seriously?

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

I am probably in the miniority here, but I would rather my cars NOT have air bags. Put the focus on accident aviodance rather than after the fact. I know they can be a life saver ,I hear, but the only personal "interaction" with an airbag was not favorable. [...] Flame away, just my opinion.

No flames, opinions are welcome. I'm sure you recognize that an opinion formed on one anecdotal incident may not hold true for the population at-large. The scientific evidence is that air bags do a very good job of reducing injuries and fatalities.

Having said that, I absolutely agree that accident avoidance is far, far preferable. However, sometimes it's not possible to avoid an accident. Think deer, blowouts, drunks, red light runners, trees (nearly crashed when a tree fell in front of me), landslides, etc. In those circumstances, I want the airbags, belts, and a strong structure like the Elio will have.

BTW, if any of you are in the DC area, I highly recommend this accident-avoidance class:
http://www.bsr-inc.com/training-courses/accident-avoidance/
It was created with young drivers in mind, but we can all always improve our driving skill. I'm a high-performance advanced driving instructor and I still learn about driving every time I go to the track. (I don't work for BSR or get compensation for promoting the class.)

 

[JEBar]

according to the latest reports I've seen, world wide, there have been 6 deaths attributed to problems with Takata air bags ===> http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/19/us-takata-recall-casualties-factbox-idUSKCN0J32LN20141119 .... Takata is currently producing 300,000 repair kits per month and in January they are upping that to 450,000 per month .... my point is, they had a problem (a really big problem) and they have come up with a remedy .... it would seem to me that the ones they will be installing a year from now will not have the same problems as the ones that caused the problem

Jim

 

[BADBOY]

No flames, opinions are welcome. I'm sure you recognize that an opinion formed on one anecdotal incident may not hold true for the population at-large. The scientific evidence is that air bags do a very good job of reducing injuries and fatalities.

Having said that, I absolutely agree that accident avoidance is far, far preferable. However, sometimes it's not possible to avoid an accident. Think deer, blowouts, drunks, red light runners, trees (nearly crashed when a tree fell in front of me), landslides, etc. In those circumstances, I want the airbags, belts, and a strong structure like the Elio will have.

BTW, if any of you are in the DC area, I highly recommend this accident-avoidance class:
http://www.bsr-inc.com/training-courses/accident-avoidance/
It was created with young drivers in mind, but we can all always improve our driving skill. I'm a high-performance advanced driving instructor and I still learn about driving every time I go to the track. (I don't work for BSR or get compensation for promoting the class.)

I am very concerned about the drunk who ran a red light, swerved through several runners, floored accelerator rather than the brake, slid into a tree, causing a blowout that scared a deer grazing peacefully nearby and then watched as the tree fell over, it roots coming loose and starting a landslide. I am not sure if the airbags deployed....

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

I am not sure if the airbags deployed....

The deer had airbags?

 

[BADBOY]

The deer had airbags?

You do not know how fast deer can run?

 

[Stephen Workman]

That's an appeal to emotion. Nobody wants to be the one to win the Takata lottery, and the injury and loss suffered by those people is very real.

You play the car-crash lottery every time you get into a car.
Your odds of being killed this year in a car crash are worse than 1 in 8,000.

Knowing that, it's pointless to worry about possibly-defective airbags that have 1 in 2,000,000 chance of killing you, if you get in a crash.

Agreed. It would be 'pointless to worry...' Much better to plan and be prepared. I'll take a shoulder/lap belt - and remove any air bag system that is installed. My insurance co. may not like it - but they do like the checks I send them bi-annually.

 

[RKing]

Must be EXTREAMLY careful in an airbag service (or removal). They can cause serious injury when detonated at that close proximity. I can do without as I have stated, but will not attempt to remove. Just not worth he effort, and risk. No matter who made it. I tend to ignore recalls , this will not be one of those. My daughter has an affected Mustang.

 

[BlioKart]

I just went to the partner list on the EM site and noticed "Takata" as a partner/supplier for EM. Someone, anyone please tell me that Takata WILL NOT be making the airbag safety systems in the Elio. If that is the case, then I'm having serious second-thoughts about getting an Elio. I know, I know, all you rathouse lawyers will jump to Elio/Takata's defense ...but did you even watch the Takata executive at the Senate Hearings a couple weeks ago? NO WAY would I put my safety in their hands. EM doesn't pull the plug on Takata, I'll pull the plug on my order.

pull the Airbag fuse

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Why does all the rhetoric , sound exactly like the rational folks who thought seatbelts were unsafe- What if you get trapped in the car, what if, what if...and after all the B.S. they are mandatory and DO save lives. It is a tragedy that lives were lost as a result of a defective product(s), yet folks still buy GM products after the defective key that too took innocent lives. Life is risk, the degree we wish to engage it is self determined, (like g1 jumping off buildings-lol).
50 years of biking with a helmet is my balance of -risk vs gain, but I've always felt that a waiver should be signed that if you chose not to wear one (helmet), your brain injuries should be your own financial responsibility. i.e. as you sign a release before jumping.
After all the corrections/upgrades/lawsuits and injuries suffered with the airbags, the lives saved will greatly outnumber the injuries and deaths caused by the bags. And just as my kids automatically put on their seat belts, (remember the invasive government's/ loss of freedom, big brother requiring seatbelt?) So too shall this pass, and this issue will be integrated into the driving experience and become just a footnote.

 

[RMClubfitter]

I've been following the issues with the Takata airbags and find myself to be highly confused .... I don't know for sure but I believe that three of the four vehicles we currently own may well have them .... that concerns me much more than ones which will be installed in vehicles a year from now but I don't plan to get rid of them .... Takata is under such a powerful microscope that I suspect their quality is probably higher than it was when our other vehicles were built .... I'd be shocked if the components that have drawn such strong criticism haven't been upgraded .... I do believe that the guys at EM are pretty conscientious and will be raising safety issues with all of their suppliers

Jim

Thanks. I couldn't agree more.