Is there by chance possibly a sensor right behind one of the headlights??

I need to know becuase for some reason Im trying to entertain the idea that a collision capable of deploying the airbags could possibly only affect one headlamp (as claimed over the phone buy the guy trying to sell the car who lives an hour away)
this is a 95 gmq LX that needs a headlight (but no other body damage ) and airbags

PS where would the SRS brain be located??

nope, sensors are on the cross member where the hood latch is, it's an accelerometer, measures how fast the vehicle stops......

well, at least thats how all airbag systems I know work, the vic might be slightly diff...

the SRS brain is located behind the pass. side kick panel, where you'd normally find the "police auxiliary wiring" on a 98+ p71...

From what I've been told:

Airbags are set off by inertia, not a sensor impact. It was described to be as a "ball bearing" of sorts sitting in a "tube". It takes a certain amount of inertial stop to make that ball move and when it does the airbags deploy.

Now.. lets see if he was correct.

How airbags work:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question130.htm

On a 95-97, the crash sensors are located right behind and to the center (of vehicle) from each highbeam headlight - on the core support




If you smack a crash sensor with a hammer, it will probably go off.

Needless to say if it gets smacked with a headlamp, it will probably also go off

thank you sir
so perhaps a chance this could be true... I may have to go look at this car after all.
Its supposed to be "champagne" color paint....

How could smacking an accelerometer make it go off? Think about it.

an accelerometer measures acceleration/deaceleration.....

and thus hitting a solid object results in neither.

Well; if you're so sure go give it a try, Colonel


The core support is not made of concrete, nor is the crash sensor's mount. It will bend and flex when hit - resulting in movement - meaning acceleration and decceleration took place

Well.. I've been doing my homework.. why don't you study along?

Snopes message board on similar topic

Deflating myths about airbags

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag

Backing up a pick up truck is a blind operation. It is quite possible to destroy a headlight at a very low speed just by backing into it. Parking lot dings usually take place in "slow motion" and involve mis judgement of vehicle position rather than a high energy impact. While there is no guarantee the air bag did not go off, it is easily conceivable that it didn't. Why not ask?

Yes, any impact - ESPECIALLY one that goes directly to the core support (like to a headlight) - can set off the airbags. That's what happened to me recently. But it takes more than JUST that. The safing sensor (usually inside the airbag module) must also be engaged at the exact same moment. I was braking at about 5mph & my headlight hit the Tahoe's bumper hard enough to shatter the header & push the fender back to the door. The combination of braking & the collision was enough to trigger both the impact sensor AND the safing sensor, so the bags blew.

DEcelleration is just ACcelleration in the opposite direction of velocity, and that's exactly the direction the sensors are designed to work in.


BTW Cylon
If you're reading this, the body shop has totalled the car. But I'm still gonna try to fix it.

Well I went and looked at it... i could tell from the road the the front end was crunched... the grille area was pushed back in, and the bumper cover looked all sorts of chipped up.
Everything was still there (except the headlamp) but you could tell it had taken a hit. I could not see the fender or corner of the hood that the headlamp was out of, but they had to be damaged. I didnt even get out of the car since I was already running late. I left him a message offering $200.... meh