How do you disable airbag?

dmendel

I need to have the passenger side airbag disabled in my 99 Corolla (because my new baby rides in the back seat, my dog now has to move up to the front seat). Does anyone know if there is a switch that will do this or do I have to take it in to the dealer -- or is it something that I can do myself?

Thanks.

zueslewis

vcheng

.....however well trained in the front seat is a BAD idea.

Just like zues says: DON'T.

dmendel

Re: vcheng. The dog is restrained in a RoughRider dog seatbelt/harness. Rest assured, I do not allow my dog in the vehicle unrestrained. I am concerned about his and my own safety, which is why I want to disable the airbag. If it goes off, it will kill him easily!

swschrad

you have to get a written waver from NHTSA, after which a dealer can order a switch kit and install it. this won't happen overnight, and I will wager that "Because" is not a good enough reason.

other options include having somebody stay home with the dog and cuddle it up and play with it, or getting a different vehicle entirely, like a wagon or SUV, in which you can install a screen and let the dog ride in back.

the dog harness is a great idea, but if you don't have room in the back seat for both the dog and the baby, you have a life safety problem that frankly is not going to be solved in the current vehicle.

vcheng

I really appreciate your concern for the dog, and thank you for pointing out that the dog is properly restrained.

However, for a number of reasons, especially liability, I think that you will have a hard time getting an on-off switch installed.

I am NOT recommending this, but you might be able to gain further insight by carefully looking at a detailed wiring diagram from the factory service manual to identify what needs to be done. It is technically fairly easy. Any such modification will be illegal unless you have a written NHTSA waiver.

zueslewis

Scott is right that you can obtain a letter from NHTSA to disable the bag.

I don't know of a shop in the nation that would do it for you, though. I certainly wouldn't.

Today's society is way too litigious - shops don't usually dare to risk a million dollar lawsuit on 2 hours worth of labor profit.

0patience

Only a very few dealerships will do install the kit with a letter from NHTSA.
It is sad to say, but for the most part, passenger airbags and side crtain air bags are beginning to become standard on alot of vehicles.
With a driver's side airbag, a passengerside airbag and the curtain airbags, where do you put your child???
This is definitely a case of engineers and safety designers not thinking ahead.
Pretty soon, the folks who are out to protect you from yourself will have laws passed that you can't have a child in the car. Think about it, we're headed there.

Don't get me wrong, I was one of the first to think driver's side airbags weren't too bad an idea for high speed crashes.
But they have taken it to an extreme.

swschrad

airbags in the sides, under your armpits, above the visors, anyplace. look at the results last week on compact SUVs, only the ones with side curtain bags made at least acceptable, leaving such venerable names as toyota out in the cold. if you don't think those guys will have optional side curtains next go-around, think again. "poor" safety ratings will hurt 'em.

the feds created the issue, they need to address it... either the child seats can take a 5-G hit from above and the side or they can't, and that's what a curtain airbag that extends to the child seat area is like to a 2 or 3 year old sitting (or screaming) in that child seat. cause the bags that will hold a teen or adult in the truck are a 5-G hit to smaller kids.

and if they don't extend there, they can't do any good.

so we have reached the point in safety design now where the mountain and Mohammed have met halfway and are having a staring contest....