So a drunk driver smashed into the back of my 2017 Forester just a couple months after I bought it… funny thing is she was driving a 2015 Forester too. Neither of our airbags deployed. Is that normal? Now I’m wondering if I should still get another Forester after this.
Airbags are built to go off when they think you’re in serious danger. You got hit from behind, walked away okay without them, so they probably didn’t see the need. Plus, airbags firing usually means your car gets totaled—they cost a ton to fix. Think of it this way, if you’d been hit head-on, that’s when they’d likely pop. Sounds like the crash wasn’t deadly, so they stayed put.
@Haris
Yeah, should’ve said—the hit from behind pushed me into the car in front too, so the front end got wrecked. Repair bill came out to over 14k. They told me it’s totaled now.
Zander said:
@Haris
Yeah, should’ve said—the hit from behind pushed me into the car in front too, so the front end got wrecked. Repair bill came out to over 14k. They told me it’s totaled now.
Make sure the police report’s clear—the drunk driver hit you first, which caused you to hit the car ahead. That way insurance knows it wasn’t your fault. The person in front might try to file a claim, so having that straight helps.
@Haris
Funny thing—the person in front just drove off. Cops said maybe they had something illegal or didn’t want to get involved. No clue why but haven’t heard from them since.
@Haris
Thankfully yeah, no serious injuries for me.
They’re called smart airbags now for a reason. Back in the day they’d go off full force no matter what—now the tech is smarter and they only deploy when it’s really needed.
Were you seriously hurt? If not, that’s probably why they didn’t go off.
And hey, maybe the insurance won’t total your car because of it.
@Cedar
Yeah I’m okay! She hit me at about 40mph, didn’t hit the brakes, and I bumped my head on the wheel. Both our cars ended up totaled though.
Zander said:
@Cedar
Yeah I’m okay! She hit me at about 40mph, didn’t hit the brakes, and I bumped my head on the wheel. Both our cars ended up totaled though.
Were you wearing your seatbelt?
Zander said:
@Cedar
Yeah I’m okay! She hit me at about 40mph, didn’t hit the brakes, and I bumped my head on the wheel. Both our cars ended up totaled though.
Glad you’re alright. Airbags usually won’t pop in rear-end crashes like that. As for why hers didn’t go off—no clue honestly.
@Cedar
Wait… so Subaru’s safety features don’t kick in when you smash your head and your car gets totaled? That feels like a big design flaw.
Zayden said:
@Cedar
Wait… so Subaru’s safety features don’t kick in when you smash your head and your car gets totaled? That feels like a big design flaw.
Think about it. The car’s sitting still and gets slammed from behind. How’s it supposed to trigger airbags in advance? Better question might be why didn’t the seatbelt stop you from hitting the wheel?
@Cedar
It’s all down to sensors. Airbags fire when those get triggered. If the rear sensors weren’t hit or if the seatbelt wasn’t on, they probably wouldn’t go off. But if the system was working, you’d see a warning light if something was wrong.
@Ozzie
Yeah, I was definitely wearing a seatbelt.
@Cedar
So basically, something didn’t work right. I’m no expert, but if you hit your head and total the car, seems like the airbags should’ve helped.
Zayden said:
@Cedar
So basically, something didn’t work right. I’m no expert, but if you hit your head and total the car, seems like the airbags should’ve helped.
Only way they wouldn’t go off is if the seatbelt wasn’t on or none of the sensors were hit directly. Sounds like your seatbelt did its job though.
Zayden said:
@Cedar
So basically, something didn’t work right. I’m no expert, but if you hit your head and total the car, seems like the airbags should’ve helped.
Here’s a solid explainer on how airbags work: How Airbags Work | HowStuffWorks Might clear things up a bit.
@Cedar
Checked it out. Still feels off that the system let the driver hit the wheel, but I get the tech behind it now.
Do you have any pics of the damage? Kinda curious how bad it was.
If none of the sensors that trigger the airbags were hit, or if the seatbelt wasn’t used, airbags wouldn’t deploy. If the system was messed up, you’d have seen a warning light on your dash.