What MPH for the airbags to go off?

BayX5 · 12-03-2016, 08:51 PM

Rear ended someone who decided to drive 10 mph on the freeway while driving by a parked car that was all the way on the shoulder. It was on a merging/exiting lane and I had no where to go. Anyway everyone is safe but my airbags didn't blow. I was probably still going 30-40 mph at the time after slowing down as much as I could. A little unsettling especially when the estimator pointed out little round marks on the bumper where the sensors almost poked through.

HZX540e · 12-03-2016, 08:54 PM

To my knowledge the airbag sensors are in the front bumper and the front damage on your car doesn't look bad enough for them to deploy.

r33_RGSport · 12-03-2016, 08:55 PM

@BayX5 , Glad you are ok.
Not sure how fast that you need to be before impact, but it seems like the impact doesn't produce enough to trigger the airbag.

HZX540e · 12-03-2016, 09:00 PM

And the parking sensors have nothing to do with the airbags deploying.

BayX5 · 12-03-2016, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HZX540e

And the parking sensors have nothing to do with the airbags deploying.

I know that. On the drivers side you can kind of see what I'm talking about in the pic. To the right of the parking sensor. At least that's what I was told. Everyone who has seen it was a little surprised.

I'd rather not have an airbag blow in my face to be honest but it's a little unsettling to hear that it probably should have from several people. It's my wife and kids daily.

tatetrain · 12-03-2016, 09:39 PM

Glad everyone is ok. Surprised they didn't blow. Probably a case by case basis and that both cars were moving same direction. Who knows. These cars have more computing power than the apollo moon missions.

HZX540e · 12-03-2016, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayX5

Quote:

Originally Posted by HZX540e

And the parking sensors have nothing to do with the airbags deploying.

I know that. On the drivers side you can kind of see what I'm talking about in the pic. To the right of the parking sensor. At least that's what I was told. Everyone who has seen it was a little surprised.

I'd rather not have an airbag blow in my face to be honest but it's a little unsettling to hear that it probably should have from several people. It's my wife and kids daily.

Glad everyone is ok, have the dealer check to see why they were. It deployed and what the criteria for air had deployment is.

BayX5 · 12-03-2016, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HZX540e

Glad everyone is ok, have the dealer check to see why they were. It deployed and what the criteria for air had deployment is.

Special field tech is going to check it out. Was just hoping to get a mph impact rating to expect it at. I'm sure they'll have an explanation for it... just need it to make sense. It was a good hit. Radiator busted and everything.

MysticBlue · 12-03-2016, 11:28 PM

"Everyone is safe" That tells you everything you need to know. Airbags are meant to prevent serious injury and death. They do that by imparting injury to your face and/or arms and hands (if they happen to be in the way) that is hopefully less serious than the injury that would otherwise happen. If there were no serious injuries, you should be glad that the airbags did not deploy. It's not a pleasant experience. The research that has gone into airbag deployment has advanced considerably over the years. It has less to do with any perceived damage or your speed, and more to do with accelerometers. Apparently, the impact was not hard enough to cause serious injury, therefore it wasn't hard enough to deploy the bags, rightly so. Consider yourself lucky the impact wasn't harder. Consider yourself lucky the bags didn't deploy. Consider yourself lucky nobody was hurt.

Mike3518 · 12-04-2016, 05:16 PM

I often see cars with significant front end damage where the airbags haven't deployed because the cars front end dives with hard breaking so the solenoids aren't contacted.

alphaod · 12-05-2016, 10:25 AM

I hit a deer at 85 mph, my airbags didn't deploy either.

I don't think deployment has any relevance to speed.

nyalpine90 · 12-05-2016, 10:45 AM

glad everyone is safe, did the driver side have more of impact?
headlight looks lower.

probably airbag sensor are still intact

MysticBlue · 12-05-2016, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alphaod

I hit a deer at 85 mph, my airbags didn't deploy either.

I don't think deployment has any relevance to speed.

Correct.
Hitting a deer at 85 might not set them off, but hitting something solid like a cement bridge abutment at 30 might. Hitting another vehicle would be somewhere in between, depending on the speed differential between the two vehicles and how large the other vehicle is. Hit a body on frame pickup square on the rear bumper and it probably would have deployed. Hit a small car and it's a totally different impact. It's all determined by deceleration forces. Lots of variables, but the main ones would be how much mass (how big is it) and how solid is the point of impact, and the angle of impact. All the things that determine actual deceleration forces.

E90Fleet · 12-06-2016, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBlue

but hitting something solid like a cement bridge abutment at 30 might.

This X5 crash test is at 35mph
Lots of damage

RR-NYC · 12-06-2016, 10:57 PM

It may feel like you were going 30-40mph at the time of impact but I imagine the damage would be far worse. Your front end looks like the front of my M3 after I was rear ended by a truck and got pushed into the car ahead of me. I was at a standstill and maybe hit the car ahead of me at 10mph

I think I read somewhere that the airbags are disabled at speeds below 15 or 20 mph

12-03-2016, 08:51 PM	#1
BayX5 Private First Class 45 Rep 173 Posts Drives: F85 X5M Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (0)	What MPH for the airbags to go off? Rear ended someone who decided to drive 10 mph on the freeway while driving by a parked car that was all the way on the shoulder. It was on a merging/exiting lane and I had no where to go. Anyway everyone is safe but my airbags didn't blow. I was probably still going 30-40 mph at the time after slowing down as much as I could. A little unsettling especially when the estimator pointed out little round marks on the bumper where the sensors almost poked through. Attached Images
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

12-03-2016, 08:54 PM	#2
HZX540e Lieutenant 374 Rep 591 Posts Drives: 2021 X5MC Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Fairfax, VA iTrader: (0)	To my knowledge the airbag sensors are in the front bumper and the front damage on your car doesn't look bad enough for them to deploy.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-03-2016, 08:55 PM	#3
r33_RGSport General 12966 Rep 18,713 Posts Drives: G09 XM, G05 X5 40, 991.2 T Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: So. Cal iTrader: (6)	@BayX5 , Glad you are ok. Not sure how fast that you need to be before impact, but it seems like the impact doesn't produce enough to trigger the airbag. __________________ Email:sales@rgsport.com \| IG:RGSport_USA \| Web:RGSportShop.com PM for Everyday DEALS!! MSS • iSweep • RaceChip • Sterckenn • AutoTecknic • Akrapovic • Vossen Wheels • Eventuri Active Autowerke • KW • H&R • Ohlins • Remus • and more...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-03-2016, 09:00 PM	#4
HZX540e Lieutenant 374 Rep 591 Posts Drives: 2021 X5MC Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Fairfax, VA iTrader: (0)	And the parking sensors have nothing to do with the airbags deploying.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-03-2016, 09:39 PM	#6
tatetrain Enlisted Member 15 Rep 38 Posts Drives: 2003 E39 530i Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Houston, Texas iTrader: (0)	Glad everyone is ok. Surprised they didn't blow. Probably a case by case basis and that both cars were moving same direction. Who knows. These cars have more computing power than the apollo moon missions.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

		BMW X5 and X6 Forum (F15/F16) > BMW X5 (F15) and BMW X6 (F16) Forum > BMW X5 and X6 (F15/F16) Forum
What MPH for the airbags to go off?

12-03-2016, 11:28 PM	#9
MysticBlue Lieutenant Colonel 369 Rep 1,887 Posts Drives: '20 M5C, '09 M3 DCT Coupe Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Eastern Oregon... They call 'em rigs here iTrader: (0)	"Everyone is safe" That tells you everything you need to know. Airbags are meant to prevent serious injury and death. They do that by imparting injury to your face and/or arms and hands (if they happen to be in the way) that is hopefully less serious than the injury that would otherwise happen. If there were no serious injuries, you should be glad that the airbags did not deploy. It's not a pleasant experience. The research that has gone into airbag deployment has advanced considerably over the years. It has less to do with any perceived damage or your speed, and more to do with accelerometers. Apparently, the impact was not hard enough to cause serious injury, therefore it wasn't hard enough to deploy the bags, rightly so. Consider yourself lucky the impact wasn't harder. Consider yourself lucky the bags didn't deploy. Consider yourself lucky nobody was hurt. __________________ M5C 20% tint, Xpel full front, partial sides and rear. Spacers, 15mm front, 12mm rear. Turner Motorsport Oil Cooler Guard. M3: Active Autowerke filter, Dinan underdrive pulley, Dinan full exhaust and software, 3.45 Differential, Springs, Brakes, Dinan/HRE wheels, 275/30-19 w/10mm spacer, 295/30-19 w/3mm spacer, painted front reflectors, 30% tint, Escort 8500i & Lidar Jammer, LUX H8 V5 halos, Euro rear foglights, 3M ClearBra. Last edited by MysticBlue; 12-03-2016 at 11:53 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-04-2016, 05:16 PM	#10
Mike3518 New Member 0 Rep 15 Posts Drives: BMW X5 F15 2016 Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: NYC iTrader: (0)	I often see cars with significant front end damage where the airbags haven't deployed because the cars front end dives with hard breaking so the solenoids aren't contacted.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-05-2016, 10:25 AM	#11
alphaod Mmmmm… 1150 Rep 2,426 Posts Drives: F15 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i [10.00]	I hit a deer at 85 mph, my airbags didn't deploy either. I don't think deployment has any relevance to speed. __________________ 2015 BMW X5 xDrive50i BMW CCA 509766
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-05-2016, 10:45 AM	#12
nyalpine90 Lieutenant General 7433 Rep 11,843 Posts Drives: MY24 G01 AW Msport Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: L.I. NY iTrader: (4) Garage List 2016 BMW X4 [9.33]	glad everyone is safe, did the driver side have more of impact? headlight looks lower. probably airbag sensor are still intact
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-06-2016, 10:57 PM	#15
RR-NYC Captain 154 Rep 663 Posts Drives: 2020 X3MC Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: NYC / Miami Beach iTrader: (0)	It may feel like you were going 30-40mph at the time of impact but I imagine the damage would be far worse. Your front end looks like the front of my M3 after I was rear ended by a truck and got pushed into the car ahead of me. I was at a standstill and maybe hit the car ahead of me at 10mph I think I read somewhere that the airbags are disabled at speeds below 15 or 20 mph
	Appreciate 0 Quote