Tifu by ignoring the recall notice

Submitted by T101yet t3_11966yf in tifu

Yesterday, I got a recall notice for my car in the mail. Apparently when ever it rains there is a small chance the airbags will go off. (No idea how that works but that’s essentially what the notice said). I live in a place where there’s been a severe drought for the past like twenty years so I thought “I’ll take it in later I mean it’s not like there’s anything wrong with the engine or a risk of a catastrophic failure that could threaten my life (ie. car catching fire, breaks failing, etc)”. Bad idea, because it’s currently raining and the dealership is pretty far from where I live. I am currently trying to research as mush as I can to see how I can minimize the possibility of the airbags going off. I have even considered waiting out the storm in my work’s parking garage, nope it’s supposed to rain today, tomorrow, and the next day. I have also considered deliberately setting off the airbag in a controlled way, nope there is no way to safely set off the airbags without getting in the car. I have considered just moving my seat all the way back so I don’t get hit by the airbag, nope I can’t reach the pedals. I also don’t have any sort of triple a or anything other roadside assistance/towing service. I guess I just have to go and hope for the best. Fuck my life.

TL;DR version: my car was recalled because the airbags sometimes go off when it rains, it’s currently raining.

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fliguana t1_j9knomy wrote

Pull the airbag fuse, and go.

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___Phreak___ t1_j9ko51g wrote

If the risk were that high, it wouldn't have left the factory in the first place

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fliguana t1_j9kt1fd wrote

Replying to T101yet (#1,922,461)

You can always call the dealership and see what assistance they provide with this recall. Perhaps they'll spring for a tow and a free loaner.

Fuse layout should be easy to find for a specific make/model/year.

Definitely don't do "controlled explosion".

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jobutupaki1 t1_j9l26il wrote

Well, me being the one who normally takes at least half a year to get any sort of recall addressed in my car, know that you're in good company.

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fliguana t1_j9lomjl wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,926,611)

There may be more than one. The fuses servectwo roles - to isolate/depower malfunctioning circuits and to deliberately disable certain functions. Latter more commonly used by mechanics for troubleshooting.

If I were in OP's place and had itrational fear that my airbag may explode, I would read the manual and disable the SRS module that controls all airbags by pulling the necessary fuses.

Or have dealer tow it.

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fmlyjwls t1_j9lu8yy wrote

Not sure what kind of car you have, but some manufacturers have a clause where if you’re afraid of the potential failure listed in the recall, they will provide a rental at no cost to you and sometimes even pick your car up from your location

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[deleted] t1_j9m3df3 wrote

Soooooooooo...your car hasn't had issues before now. You receive the notice yesterday, and you immediately assume it is now going to happen?

So either it was always a time bomb and your life was always at risk, or it's honestly a slim chance and and you should just get in line to get it repaired.

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collegiateofzed t1_j9n0wh2 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,928,660)

Depends on the car. If it's a brand new car, maybe. Probably just pull the fuse. Less fiddly work. Quick and easy. Pop a cover, compare a diagram, yank and done.

Vs, get the scan tool out, find the connection port, connect the plug. Power it on, change the setting to the proper protocol, let it scan for connections, find the menu, find the component, disable it, then wonder why which one of the 5 or so reasons you can think of, did it not turn off.

And the functions of older cars CAN'T be disabled via scantool.

1998 dodge ram 1500. Plenty on the road. You'll never turn the functions off with a scantool unless you use it as a hammer.

Sometimes pulling a fuse gives you all the info you need.

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collegiateofzed t1_j9n14w1 wrote

Replying to T101yet (#1,922,461)

The inside of the fuse box cover almost always has a diagram.

If you pull the wrong fuse, you can always put it back.

If the airbag is disabled, there's oftentimes a warning light that comes on. Good well to tell if you pulled the correct one.

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Lee2026 t1_j9o5ezs wrote

Replying to fliguana (#1,926,951)

Where in any car user manual has there ever been detail on how to disable a safety system?

Manufacture don’t want to open up that liability for themselves….

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fliguana t1_j9obhrw wrote

Replying to Lee2026 (#1,936,191)

I've had a car where the owner's manual contained instructions how to disable passenger side airbag. There was a key for that.

But that's beside the point.

OP wanted to reliably and reversibly deactivate SRS, I told him where to look.

He could also find and unplug the sensor/control unit (usually near firewall, inside cabin) or take out the inflators themselves, but that's more work and assumes mechanical savvy

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Lee2026 t1_j9oc0b7 wrote

Replying to fliguana (#1,936,882)

That’s for occupant safety. Cars nowadays have seat mat sensors to deactivate from passenger airbags to prevent injury for small passengers.

Any modern car will not allow you disable the safety system easily, especially just by pulling a fuse. Not to mention most will store permanent fault codes that need a scan tool to reset if you tamper with the system.

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fliguana t1_j9odknq wrote

Replying to Lee2026 (#1,937,098)

That is correct. His safety system is subject to recall for being defective.

Are you the guy who sleeps on the mattress with a factory label still attached? I've heard of you 🤣

You can remove it now.

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minnis93 t1_j9pawsx wrote

I once had a recall on a car, as when it rained there was a chance that the car could catch fire.

I live in England and the car was over a decade old, it had been rained on a lot!

Try and minimise driving it and get it repaired ASAP, but I highly doubt you'll be affected, and I certainly wouldn't be scared to use it.

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