emseedee

Hello all. My wife drove my '01 Audi A6, 4.2L, from a highway and into a ditch. Luckily, she is well. However, she broke her nose on the windshield. None of the airbags deployed, front or side. I am just not sure what to think. All damage is below front bumper so no bumper impact. She obviously was bounced good enough to hit windshield with seat belt on. I'd like to hear peoples knowledge, experiences, opinions, etc.
Thanks in advance...

N_Jay

No sudden Gs, not airbags.

"Bounced Around" as opposed to "Thrown into"

Airbag

yeah i would not have expected the airbag to deploy either , lot of people slide off the roads into ditches here during snow and ice storms and the like and end up with superficial injuries ( sorry but a broken nose is a superficial injury in the big scheme of things ) . Air bags dont deploy as that would practically write off the vehicle instead of a 50 dollar pull out of a ditch or snowbank.

BTW was she wearing her seatbelt ? airbags dont deploy if the seat belt isnt used.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Common misconception.
Only factors are minimum speed and G-forces necessary to trigger deployment plus on some cars whether or not the particular seat/position is occupied. On audis with side curtain airbags they may or may not (I don't know for sure) deploy with side impact whether or not someone is in the front and rear seats but their seat belts buckled have no impact (pun intended) on whether the airbags deploy.

thall6594

Are you saying that Airbag was wrong about airbags? lol

Airbag

there is wiring in the drivers seat belt buckle in modern cars that tells the airbag system if the driver is wearing the seatbelt. If the seat belt buckle sensor goes bad the airbag light will illuminate an the air bag will not deploy.
Not absoloutely positive if the Audi has it but i would be surprised if it didnt.

Airbag

..Bottom line is airbag algorithms are proprietory.. I dont think any of us will know for sure..

SloopJohnB@mac.com

I disagree. Only the seatbelt unbuckled warning/chime will happen. Further, disabling the airbag because the seatbelt isn't buckled or defective would decrease vehicle safety.

indoor

The seat belt buckled air back deployment was 'invented' to save some money(so as to not deploy unnecessary airbags if no ocupant is on corresponding seat). But that gets tricky because what if you as passenger take off your seat belt to turn back and reach for something behind your seat. You know, you just had a big dinner and the seat belt got tight And even though there were no cars all of a sudden 'bam' accident. Ups...no seat belt, no airbag... See you in the E.R. if you're lucky...

Now back to the OP. The airbag would have hurt her just as bad. But maybe in her chest area. I've been hit by the side airbag. One week disabled, and about six weeks of pain. But my car was t boned on a expressway ramp by a car that veered of the road...so it could have been much worse if it wasn't for the airbag.

But like everyone says, in that situation, maybe there wasn't any frontal impact per say(progressive accelerated stop from bumps, dirt, grass, etc.) and the bumps made the car jump up...which in turn bumped your wife up into the windshield. Now this is why women should not move the seat so close to the front. They love to hug that steering wheel. I can understand if it were a stick shift, but still...I guess it's not just them looking funny, it can be dangerous...

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Yep…too close is dangerous. But have you looked at the seating position of a NASCAR driver? Those boyz (and a few grrls) are right up close and personal with that steering wheel. So close that the wheel generally has to be removed to get the driver out of the car! OTOH there are no airbags and they have five or six point harnesses as well as head restraints and helmets.

Which brings me back to perhaps the original point of the OP post that really wasn't addressed…wear the seatbelt and shoulder belt at all times!!