Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Car Donation after Airbag Deployment

car donation

If your car was involved in an accident and the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the vehicle if it were repaired, it may not be worth repairing. For example, if you had a (11) year old car with over 100,000 miles that needs $2,500 in transmission work, or the same vehicle sustained severe body damage and the airbags were deployed. In these instances you can scrap the car, or you may wish to consider a car donation option. The tax deduction savings may be just what you need to save big money at tax time. One Wisconsin-based car donation option is available at: car donation Milwaukee.

Understanding Auto Airbags


Manufacturers for U.S. vehicles began including airbags in automobiles in the late 1980s. In the decades that followed, they became increasingly common and by 2001 virtually all vehicles had airbags as standard equipment. The purpose of the bags is to further protect the driver and passengers of a car that is involved in a collision. Airbags are used in conjunction with the safety belts that have been standard auto components for many years.  There are three key elements of an auto airbag system as follows:

  • The crash sensor(s): Is a critical instrument within the system’s control unit which is capable of measuring the severity of a collision and initiates the airbag’s deployment if the impact is significant.
  • The inflator: Is activated instantly delivering a pressurized gas propellant that inflates the bag in milliseconds.
  • The bag: is best described as a cushion that is typically composed of a thin nylon or polyester material.

Airbags are designed to only deploy once, so after the collision they need to be replaced. Due to the complexity and often limited number of qualified installation shops, the costs of replacement are high. Also, like most parts of a vehicle, these systems age over time and cars that are 10+ years or older have some likelihood of having units that are not functional.

Airbag Types


Airbags were initially used solely to protect the occupant of the driver seat; however, newer vehicles have increasing numbers of units built-in throughout other areas of the car. There are (4) most common bag types and locations including:

  • Side airbags: Commonly found on the sides of the seats, or a curtain airbag, which originates in the vehicle’s ceiling.
  • Front airbags: Were the first types developed, which deploy from the steering wheel and from the dashboard area on the passenger side.
  • Knee airbags: Typically located beneath the steering wheel on the driver side and in the “glove compartment” area on the passenger side.
  • Inflatable seat belts: The rarest style in use today is part of the seat belt (safety belt) unit that is designed to more evenly distribute and reduce the overall pressure and force of impact on those wearing a seat belt.

There are few who question that airbags are an excellent product for passenger protection in auto accidents. Accidental airbag deployment has occurred in very few cases, but does happen, causing some dangerous situations. 

Sometimes your car may not be worth repairing after it's involved in an accident and the airbags have deployed. If this is the case, don't waste your money on getting it fixed: consider donating your car to a car donation charity Milwaukee. Charities like Rawhide will accept your car donation regardless of its condition.

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