Why front air bag NOT deployed ?

[barcelona]

Today at 4pm, last night change for DST should only affect the Spring forward time change, as we gained an hour. Driver appx 25 yr male, unhurt walking about afterwards. Driver side airbag curtain deployed. Glade driver unhurt, no passengers. Troubling that front bags did not pop.
Sorry for unclear pics, had to rush.

[hyde]

It's really shocking how much of the impact that front end took, it seems like it just exploded after absorbing the shock, on 3rd picture there is something on steering wheel, is that not the front airbag? The front airbags are the last resort unless it is a head on impact. This one looks like a head on impact, and I know F15 still doesn't have any ratings from IIHS.

[barcelona]

Hyde, you may be correct, I should have looked closer.
My friend Lexus RX350 was T-Bone front driver quarter panel, it spun around and when all was said and done all 4 corners were damaged but NO air bags were employed. Lexus response, the car was not impacted where the sensors were located.

[opasha]

@barcelona, was this your car?? That's quite scary. I'm glad everyone was unhurt. The US spec and Euro spec airbags are said to be different so they can't be used interchangeably. I wonder if the way they are deployed also factors in.

Did the bus driver just randomly slam the brakes? That damage looks like something done at a very high speed.

[r33_RGSport]

Wow, that guy just have gone a bit too fast.

[barcelona]

Hey Omar, thankfully no. I thank you kindly for your concern. Same color only. It has been a few years since I was 25. City speed is either 40 or 50 km/hr.
Generally Front ends always look bad, plastic, rad pushed in. However, looks like it would take something substantial to adjust the bus bumper. Note passenger thermoplastic fender split, again plastic.

[opasha]

Originally Posted by barcelona

Hey Omar, thankfully no. I thank you kindly for your concern. Same color only. It has been a few years since I was 25. City speed is either 40 or 50 km/hr.
Generally Front ends always look bad, plastic, rad pushed in. However, looks like it would take something substantial to adjust the bus bumper. Note passenger thermoplastic fender split, again plastic.

That's good to hear, I'm glad, but still unfortunate for the driver of that F15. I'm assuming the F15 will be reported as totaled.

[barcelona]

From the pics it would look like rear end.

Based on the pics of the final stopping points: Logic would be t-bone, but bus pic dent in rear bumper doesn't support -tbone. Pic 1 the x5 is travelling West ( from Intersection with a stop) and rested in middle of intersection. Pic 2 is bus travelling north. After impact the bus was say 70 feet further away from the intersection. The x5 appears to have run the stop.

After my car wash, the City Bus rep was there taking measurements, piecing it together.

[opasha]

Originally Posted by barcelona

From the pics it would look like rear end.

Based on the pics of the final stopping points: Logic would be t-bone, but bus pic dent in rear bumper doesn't support -tbone. Pic 1 the x5 is travelling West ( from Intersection with a stop) and rested in middle of intersection. Pic 2 is bus travelling north. After impact the bus was say 70 feet further away from the intersection. The x5 appears to have run the stop.

After my car wash, the City Bus rep was there taking measurements, piecing it together.

Yeah, seems like a proper deduction. That's sad. If people follow the rules, they can avoid these situations a lot better. Thankfully, not one was hurt. This could have been much much worse.

Thanks for the pics - it's a good reality check for all of us.

[MattBianco]

Maybe it it is my eyes, but in picture #2 I see what looks to be a deployed airbag that is deflated. It looks to be smack in the center of the steering wheel.

I am glad everyone is okay.

I am not a grave dancer, but there may be a great deal to be had on those 20" RIMS if someone can track down the insurance co. That car is not repairable.





edit: looks like @hyde had already spotted the deployed bag. I am a day late and a dollar short

[hyde]

This definitely was not a 50km/hr (~30mph) impact. If I have to guess, it's definitely 90-100kmph impact. You can see that mirror folded backwards, if nobody touched that mirror it must have been done by the crash.
I hope we get some more information about what happened and I really hope IIHS releases scores for F15 soon.

Drive safe, guys.

[barcelona]

Originally Posted by hyde

This definitely was not a 50km/hr (~30mph) impact. If I have to guess, it's definitely 90-100kmph impact. You can see that mirror folded backwards, if nobody touched that mirror it must have been done by the crash.
I hope we get some more information about what happened and I really hope IIHS releases scores for F15 soon.

Drive safe, guys.

As some may know IIHS months ago issued a partial review, hopefully a full report is released soon with equally good ratings.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/bmw/x5

2014 Top Safety Picks: 2014 MDX ( with crash prevention), ML , XC90.

[hyde]

Originally Posted by barcelona

As some may know IIHS months ago issued a partial review, hopefully a full report is released soon with equally good ratings.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/bmw/x5

2014 Top Safety Picks: 2014 MDX ( with crash prevention), ML , XC90.

Thanks for the info, it's just that on all window stickers it still says "not rated" and my insurance went up by $100..

[kip1]

This is not 50kmh/h, luckily in picture you see airbags. However, shouldn't the car have braked automatically braked in a rear ending situation?

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by kip1

This is not 50kmh/h, luckily in picture you see airbags. However, shouldn't the car have braked automatically braked in a rear ending situation?

The collision warning system would have to have been engaged (it stays engaged until you manually disengage it). It is the button below the hazard button (car with circle around it). This would have created some alert and provided mild braking at city speeds.

For complete collision avoidance, the car would have had to have the ACC option which works regardless of cruise being engaged or not.

[barcelona]

^^ Excellent observations. So ACC option could have helped if that option was purchased. Would it still work if the hazard button was turned completely off to display red?
Since there were no passengers, the weight sensor did not detect front passenger and hence that bag did not deploy. Unsure why passenger side bag curtain pillar A to C did not deploy. I am firm believer in larger size for driving, as for accidents, basic mass & physics apply. The young fella hit a bus, I bet he was happy to be in a German large suv rather than a smaller say non-German vehicle ( I think German vehicles are more rugged than say some brands of non-German vehicles).

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by barcelona

^^ Excellent observations. So ACC option could have helped if that option was purchased. Would it still work if the hazard button was turned completely off to display red?
Since there were no passengers, the weight sensor did not detect front passenger and hence that bag did not deploy. Unsure why passenger side bag curtain pillar A to C did not deploy. I am firm believer in larger size for driving, as for accidents, basic mass & physics apply. The young fella hit a bus, I bet he was happy to be in a German large suv rather than a smaller say non-German vehicle ( I think German vehicles are more rugged than say some brands of non-German vehicles).

Since I can't access the manual, I will rely on memory and and say yes, ACC would have applied brakes even if the collision warning button was off. However, don't consider my input as certitude. The manual covers this and it can be put to rest.

[Barbja]

As others stated, you can see the driver-side air bag deflated in the middle of the steering wheel. It wasn't as obvious as the side curtain because the air curtain doesn't deflate after the incident, but the two front ones do.

Emergency dudes had to cut mine out so that they could get into the driver seat (when they were attempted to move the car -- then found out the car wouldn't let them. The only way to move the car after the air bags have deployed is with a tow truck)