Jill Kolodner | April 2, 2025 | Car Accidents
If you are ever in a car accident, you want your car’s safety features to kick in correctly to protect you from harm as much as possible. Though airbags carry some risks, for the average adult, they will cushion the impact and potentially save your life. But what happens when those airbags, your last line of defense, fail to deploy?
It’s a deeply unsettling question for some—and an unfortunate reality for others whose loved ones’ airbags didn’t deploy during an accident or who have experienced it for themselves.
Airbags Didn’t Deploy In Front-End Collision
One of the most common scenarios when airbags activate is during a front-end collision. However, even if you had this type of accident, there are several reasons why your airbags might have failed:
- Low-Speed Impact: Airbags are designed to deploy in moderate to severe crashes, so if the speed at impact is below a certain threshold (usually around 10 to 16 mph for frontal airbags), it might not be enough to trigger the system.
- Sensor Malfunction: The sensors that detect the impact are crucial to proper deployment — if they’re faulty, damaged, or improperly calibrated, they might not signal the electronic control unit (or ECU) to deploy appropriately.
- Electric System Problems: The entire airbag system relies on the car’s electrical system, so if your car has a dead battery or a wiring problem, it can prevent the airbags from deploying.
- Previous Accidents: If you’ve been in an accident before, even a minor one, your airbag system might be compromised.
- Defective Airbags: While relatively rare, manufacturing defects can impact the airbag module itself, causing problems with the inflator, airbag material, or wiring — especially if you’ve had airbags replaced in repairs, so they’re no longer from the original manufacturer.
Airbags work based on sensors that detect the severity and direction of an impact. The sensors send signals to the ECU, which then determines whether to deploy. It’s generally a reliable system, but it’s not infallible, especially if any of the issues above are at play.
Car Totaled But Airbags Didn’t Deploy: What Happened?
It’s possible for airbags to fail even if a car gets totaled. Even in a major crash, the point of impact might not trigger the sensors designed to deploy the frontal airbags. A side-impact collision, for example, might total a car without triggering the front airbags.
Do Airbags Deploy When Rear-Ended?
When do airbags deploy for rear-end collisions? It depends. Frontal airbags are primarily designed to protect occupants in frontal collisions; they’re not designed to deploy in rear-end collisions.
The airbags that deploy when you’re rear-ended are typically side curtain or rear airbags, which can cause a chain reaction that also triggers your front airbags. Some newer vehicles have rear airbags specifically designed to protect passengers in your backseat.
It’s also possible for a severe rear-end collision to trigger your front airbags if your car is pushed forward into another object, creating a secondary frontal impact — but this is an indirect trigger. In the majority of rear-end collisions, the front airbags shouldn’t deploy.
Keeping Yourself Safe On The Road
If you’re in a car accident, airbags deploying appropriately can make all the difference between suffering severe trauma, like a head or brain injury, and coming away from the wreck with minimal harm. You hope you can rely on every safety feature in your car, but sometimes accidents are more complex than meets the eye.
To protect yourself on the road, practice defensive driving and wear your seat belt at all times.
Contact the Baltimore Car Accident Law Firm of WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Today For Help
For more information contact the Baltimore car accident law firm of WGK Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation.
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers
14 W Madison St, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
(410) 837-2144
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers – Dundalk Office
7329 Holabird Ave Suite 3, Dundalk, MD 21222
By appointment only
(410) 970-3080