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Disabling passenger air bag....

Joined
16 June 2002
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Location
Jacksonville
Debating on the purchase of a newer NSX that has a passenger air bag. One big question mark I have is whether it is safe, or even legal to allow my 7yr old son to ride with me or not.
Is it possible or legal to disable the passenger air bag?
 
Rob, I am not sure but I thought it was unsafe/illegal to have a child seat in the car.:confused: Also, I thought it was illegal to disconnect it.:confused:
 
Rob, I am not sure but I thought it was unsafe/illegal to have a child seat in the car.:confused: Also, I thought it was illegal to disconnect it.:confused:

Actually my name is Maurice:smile:
He doesn't use a child seat, at least not in the back of the Odyssey. He doesn't ride in the front of the Integra because it has an airbag.
I was just curious if there was a weight/age/size limit that would allow him to be in there.
This could be a MAJOR holdup of me getting this car if he can't.:frown:
 
In any other country it would be okay to disconnect the passenger airbag if you so choose to. You obviously want your son riding with you so if you disconnect it that is fine. If someone else gets hurt in your car and they find out that you disconnected the bag then out come the lawyers because it's the U.S. ..... yada yada yada.

FYI, 95+ cars have seat belts retractors. Meaning if you get into an accident then the seat belts pull you back into the seat. I'm sure they would be more than powerful enough to pull your son back and prevent him from even touching the airbag hence solving your whole issue. IMO, I would get a newer car with the retractors and leave your entire system alone. I hate to be "that guy" but Honda designed their airbag systems very well.
 
In any other country it would be okay to disconnect the passenger airbag if you so choose to. You obviously want your son riding with you so if you disconnect it that is fine. If someone else gets hurt in your car and they find out that you disconnected the bag then out come the lawyers because it's the U.S. ..... yada yada yada.

FYI, 95+ cars have seat belts retractors. Meaning if you get into an accident then the seat belts pull you back into the seat. I'm sure they would be more than powerful enough to pull your son back and prevent him from even touching the airbag hence solving your whole issue. IMO, I would get a newer car with the retractors and leave your entire system alone. I hate to be "that guy" but Honda designed their airbag systems very well.

I'm looking at a 97+ MY so it would probably be included in that coverage zone. I wonder how far out the bags deploy?:confused:
I was hoping that there was a way I could, or pay someone to, wire in a switch for that purpose. I know on some FMC products there is a key switch on the dash board for that very purpose.
 
I'm sure it can be unplugged and a diode installed to keep the light off. As for legal matters, who will know? Half the members here including myself have removed the drivers airbag. IMHO I don't see any issues.
 
actually, if you move the seat all the way back the airbag would probably not even touch his head.
 
If a child has outgrown the legal requirements for a car seat and uses the regular belts then there really is no question.The problems with front air bags and the need to disable is with small children/babies in car seats.
 
You can disable the front. I've disabled mine for over 2 years now by disconnecting the passenger airbag, plugging in the cap on the airbag and putting in a resistor on the end of the harness. Driver airbag still works, passenger airbag doesn't and airbag light stays off like normal. I went this route because I couldn't get any of those aftermarket airbag disconnect companies to return my emails!

As for carseat, don't be cheap. Buy a top of the line Recaro Young Sport car seat that has full giant leg,hip, side, head bolsters belt into it. It'll set you back nearly $300 but it'll fit a child from 20lbs to 85 lbs. Good for YEARS! My daughter loves hers and never fusses about being uncomfortable in it. She does fuss alot when we have to borrow someone else's cheap crappy carseat like the ones you see at target/walmart.

Oh and about carseats, the Recaro Young Sport actually fits very well compared to the others out there. The cheap ones from the department stores won't fit between the hip bolsters of the nsx seat and so they just slide back and forth. Some of them won't even let me close the door. The Recaro Young Sport is a near perfect fit. Not perfect, but near and it's the best it's going to get I think.

Oh and legality. It is legal to have a carseat up front when there is no rear seats in the vehicle. Think: Regular cab pickup trucks, not just sports cars. So for your son @ 7 year old, I'd say yes it's legal no matter what age or weight as long as you follow the law for car seats/booster seats if it's needed.

Sorry, I ended up replying to everyone's post instead of your original answer. Best thing to do, just go after the aftermarket switch.
 
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