The average airbag replacement cost ranges from $150 to $600 underline on the driver's side, whereas on the passenger side, it might cost you somewhere between $300 and $800.
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Your vehicle's airbag is one of the essential safety features you must keep up with and maintain all the time. Unfortunately, many of us might not understand airbags' importance unless we get involved in risky situations requiring airbags.
Did you know that airbags saved tons of lives over the years since they were required to be installed in vehicles?!
Typically, you won't need to replace airbags unless they're deployed or destroyed for whatever reason. But when this happens, it becomes a must for you to replace them as soon as possible.
One of the many things that you must understand about all airbags is that replacing them is not very cheap. So when they're deployed, we have to be prepared for some money to get them fixed, have their vehicle working again, and avoid some safety issues.
This article provides all the details you need to understand about the average airbag replacement cost. In addition, it highlights the typical costs of replacing the airbag on the driver’s and passenger’s sides.
How often should you replace your bags?
Before we dive into the details about the average airbag replacement cost, we must understand how often we should replace the airbag, So we are prepared for the expected costs.
According to experts, you don't need to replace airbags unless they're used. In other words, as long as your airbags are sitting inside your vehicle and the vehicle is not complaining about any issues, you're not supposed to replace them.
However, once the airbags are deployed because of a car accident or any other external factor, you must replace them. Therefore, there is no expected frequency for replacing the airbags as long as they're in new condition.
Average airbag replacement cost
Regarding replacing the airbags, the average airbag replacement cost differs significantly if you're looking to replace the one on the driver's side versus the one on the passenger side.
Typically, policing the airbag on the driver's side might be a little bit cheaper, and it should cost you somewhere between $150 and $600.
On the other hand, if you're looking to replace the airbags on the passenger side, repair costs can be a little bit higher and might range from $300 to $800.
Keep in mind that if your vehicle was involved in a car accident and both guys were deployed, you're now thinking of replacing both at the same time, which means a significant amount of money for fixing the vehicle.
The other thing to keep in mind is that repair costs can be affected significantly by the location where you get the job done. So, for example, if you replace the airbag at a small independent shop, your repair costs will not be as high as someone else who's done it at a dealership.
Despite the cost you'll need to invest in replacing the airbags, there's no option for driving a vehicle without an airbag. In other words, whether you were able to find a good deal for replacing the airbag or not, you cannot drive your car without having this important safety feature.
At what speed do airbags deploy in a collision?
Although it's very important to understand the average airbag replacement costs, it is also essential for you as a driver to familiarize yourself with some other facts about airbags.
For example, one of the common questions we receive about airbags is at what speed do airbags deploy in a collision?
Typically, automotive experts mentioned that airbags deploy at some speed ranging from 8 mph to 18 mph.
Usually, if you are driving at 8 mph and your vehicle hits an object or crashes into another vehicle, you'll notice that the airbags will deploy. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that your side airbags will be deployed unless something impacts the entire vehicle.
Is a car totaled if airbags deploy?
When your car's airbag is deployed, it doesn't mean that your vehicle is considered a total loss. Instead, it becomes a discussion with your insurance company about whether it's worth fixing this airbag or not.
We mentioned earlier that replacing both airbags can be significant. If your vehicle is not that valuable, your insurance company might decide it's not worth fixing your car and claim your vehicle as its total loss.
However, the typical scenario is that your airbags will not significantly impact your vehicle's value, and your insurance company will most likely replace them unless there are significant other problems around your vehicle.
Five symptoms of failing airbags
Although we mentioned that your vehicle's airbags would last as long as your vehicle lasts unless you're dealing with some airbag deployment issues, there are some situations where your airbags might feel because of other reasons.
Therefore, it is essential for you as a driver to understand the different symptoms of a failing airbag. This way, you replace them before you need them and before you get into risk situations that could impact your safety.
According to automotive experts, there are five common symptoms of a failing airbag that you should watch for here. Let's take a closer look below:
1. Airbag light
The first and most common symptom you should focus on and take seriously is when there is a warning light on the dashboard that looks like an airbag. This warning light indicates an internal problem in your vehicle's airbag, which is not functioning properly.
It could be a problem with the airbag itself. Still, it could be some combination of airbag problems that cancel other sensors that might not communicate information to your vehicle's computer.
Whenever you deal with any warning light on the dashboard, you got to take them seriously. These warning lights are just waiting off your card to communicate with you and bring your attention to internal problems.
The sooner you detect the problem, the easier it is for your mechanic to resolve it before you waste your money paying on things that are not necessary.
2. You used an airbag sensor
Did you know that there are some sensors that are focused on detecting the status of your airbags? That's why when you talk to your mechanic after noticing the airbag light came on, your mechanic will have these sensor tools that allow him to connect to your vehicle and determine whether there are some problems inside your airbags.
If your mechanic confirmed that the sensor is reading some issues go up, we got to replace the airbags or fix some surrounding components that might be necessary.
3. Issues with the airbag battery
In many situations, you might be dealing with a depleted car battery. For example, you might be thinking that there is a light turned on overnight that caused the problem. However, did you know that if your airbag backup battery is depleted, you'll also deal with a vehicle battery problem?
Therefore, if your car's battery doesn't work properly, look at the backup battery inside your airbags and consider replacing it if necessary.
4. Troubles with the airbag clock springs
There are some situations where the airbag might be in good condition, but there are problems with other accessories connected to the airbags. For example, the airbag clock spring is extremely important because it ensures a consistent connection between the electric wires and the airbag itself.
When the spring doesn't work properly, you'll notice that your vehicle might throw some error codes in the dashboards and require your immediate attention to resolve the problem before it gets more complicated.
As we mentioned earlier, driving a vehicle with a malfunctioning airbag is never a good idea because it is one of the most critical safety features you must maintain to prevent major consequences after car crashes.
5. Faulty airbag module
Finally, your mechanic might say that your airbag module, part of your vehicle's computer, might not be working properly. That's why you will most likely need to replace the airbags because it means that these airbags are not functioning properly, and there's a chance that you might be involved in major risky situations.
Is it worth fixing the airbags?
Fixing the airbag is important, and there is no way you can continue driving your car for a long time without the airbags. However, some more important is to understand whether it's worth fixing this vehicle or not.
We always like to have our readers look at the situation holistically and determine what other problems the vehicle suffers from. For example, if you have some other troubles in the engine, transmission, or other expensive components, you might be dealing with a little bit stressful situation because repair costs are going to pile up.
If you go to a point where repair costs are getting close to 75% or more from the value of your vehicle, that is considered a common threshold for where you should sell your vehicle rather than wasting your time and money.
If you decide to sell your car and you know it doesn't have an active airbag, you have to be clear about this problem. Then, when you post it on classified websites, you must be upfront with the buyers and highlight the problem before talking to them about any potential profits.
Keep in mind that it can be a little bit challenging to sell a car without an airbag, and that's why you might want to consider other options like checking in with junkyards, or probably junk car buyers like cash car buyers.
Note that Cash Cars Buyer is willing to purchase your vehicle whether it's in good condition. So we're not only focused on buying completely damaged cars because we pay what it takes for your vehicle as long as we understand its type and condition.
Final thoughts
Airbags are one of the essential safety features in your vehicle. When deployed because of a car accident or external forces, you must replace them as soon as possible. Otherwise, your vehicle is not going to be safe to be driven.
This article provided details about the average airbag replacement cost, which ranges from $150 to $800 and depends heavily on whether you're looking to replace the airbags on the driver side or the passenger side.
Keep in mind that if you're looking to replace both airbags on the two sides, repair costs can be significant and that's why we always encourage you to evaluate the situation and determine whether it's worth fixing this vehicle or selling it instead.
If your car has other major problems and you're getting to a point where repair costs are piling up, it might be worth selling your vehicle rather than wasting your money.
if you're looking to sell your car and it doesn't have a working airbag, you can always consult Cash Cars Buyer!
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