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Air Bag Related Vehicle Modifications

Steering Wheel Air Bag Modifications

The steering wheel air bag can be affected by numerous vehicle modifications.

If the OEM steering wheel is removed and replaced with a smaller diameter wheel, the air bag is disabled.
When a seat is removed in a drop floor minivan, to allow for wheelchair driver, the steering wheel air bag can be affected. A plug must be installed in the conversion minivan to let the air bag electronics use an alternate resistance value to replace the seat weight sensors. Otherwise, the air bag will deploy with maximum force.
Drivers who sit closer than 10" to the steering wheel (from driver breastbone to air bag cover on steering wheel), are advised to disable the steering wheel air bag with an on/off switch which gives them to disable the steering wheel air bag. Short stature adults are at risk of injury if they are positioned too close to the steering wheel and air bag module. If possible, pedal blocks should be used to allow the short stature driver to position farther from the steering wheel and air bag module. In one study of over 20,000 air bag deployments in which the driver was under five feet tall, only nine resulted in fatalities. All of the fatalities involved a short stature driver who were positioned too close to the steering wheel air bag module or were not wearing their seat belt. There is minimal risk from a steering wheel air bag module if the driver can be positioned at least 10 to 12" away from the steering wheel.
Steering wheel devices such as spinner knobs do not affect the steering wheel air bag deployment. Steering wheel devices are also not ejected by the deployment of the air bag. No modification should occur to the air bag as a result of installing a steering wheel device.
Steering column extensions should not necessarily require the disabling of the steering wheel air bag. Because the steering wheel can be moved closer to the driver, an ON/OFF switch for the driver air bag may be appropriate.

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What Legal Requirements Must be met to Alter the Steering Wheel Air Bag?

If the Air Bag is Affected as part of other vehicle modifications requiring an allowed FMVSS exemption

If the steering wheel air bag is being disabled as part of a project that will require other FMVSS exemption to be taken by the vehicle modifier, then a FMVSS exemption is taken to perform the air bag alteration and no NHTSA approval or pre-approval is required.

If the Air Bag is the only modification or is being done as part of other vehicle modifications that do not require an allowed FMVSS exemption

The consumer typically cannot disable the air bag, i.e. permanently prevent the air bag from operating. Instead, you can get permission to install an on/off switch to the front driver or passenger airbag that will allow the consumer to effectively turn off the air bag when desired.
The consumer must download and fill out a form requesting permission from NHTSA to install an on/off air bag switch.
Must then receive authorization letter from NHTSA that gives permission to install an on/off air bag switch.
If an ON-OFF switch is not made for a particular vehicle, NHTSA will consider allowing an air bag to be permanently deactivated. The approval process for deactivation is more rigorous. While an ON-OFF switch allows the driver or passenger frontal air bag to be turned on and off in appropriate circumstances, deactivation is permanent for all occupants.

Under what kinds of conditions, can I disable my air bag?

If you have a disability that requires adaptive equipment and the installation or use of the adaptive equipment, requires FMVSS exemptions to be taken.
If you apply to NHTSA to get permission to install an ON-OFF switch and neither a manufacturer or aftermarket switch is available, then NHTSA will consider deactivating your font air bag.

Under what situations, can I ask for permission to install an ON-OFF switch on my air bag?

Air bag ON-OFF switches can be installed for either one or both of the frontal air bags in their vehicles. The car occupant must have one of the following conditions:

Individuals with a medical condition where the risks of a deploying air bag exceed the risk of impacting the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield in the absence of an air bag. (For both driver and passenger side.)
Individuals who cannot position themselves to properly operate the vehicle with breastbone at least 10 inches back from the center of the steering wheel air bag cover. (For driver side only.)
Individuals with the need to transport an infant in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat because the vehicle has no rear seat, the rear seat is too small to accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, or because it is necessary to constantly monitor the child's medical condition. (For passenger side only.)
Individuals with the need to carry children between one year old and 12 years old in the front seat because the vehicle has no rear seat, the consumer must carry more children than can be accommodated in the rear seat, or because it is necessary to constantly monitor a child's medical condition. (For passenger side only.)

Medical Conditions and Air Bags

At NHTSA's request, the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine convened an expert panel of physicians to formulate recommendations on specific medical indications for air bag disconnection (deactivation) at the National Conference on Medical Indications for Air Bag Disconnection (July 16-18, 1997, George Washington Medical Center, Washington, DC). The panel consisted of 17 physicians, each nominated by a professional society or organization. The medical conditions considered were provided by NHTSA as the most common concerns expressed by members of the public in regard to disconnection requests.

The panel recommended disconnecting an air bag if a safe sitting distance or position cannot be maintained by a:

Driver because of scoliosis or achondroplasia, or
Passenger because of scoliosis or Down syndrome and atlantoaxial instability. The physicians also noted that a passenger air bag might have to be turned off if an infant or child has a medical condition and must ride in front so that he or she can be monitored.

The panel did not, however, recommend disabling air bags for pacemakers, supplemental oxygen, eyeglasses, median sternotomy, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, breast reconstruction, mastectomy, scoliosis (if the person is capable of being positioned properly), previous back or neck surgery, previous facial reconstructive surgery or facial injury, hyperacusis, tinnitus, advanced age, osteogenesis imperfecta, osteoporosis and arthritis (if the person can sit back at a safe distance from the air bag), previous ophthalmologic surgery, Down syndrome and atlantoaxial instability (if the person can reliably sit properly aligned in the front seat), or pregnancy. The full report with details for each medical condition can be read online.

The panel emphasized that air bags are proven effective in both saving lives and preventing injuries.

Air bags protect the vast majority of people in a frontal crash by avoiding injury and death.
Disabling an air bag carries increased injury risk for the person requesting the modification as well as other potential occupants from the loss of air bag protection.
It is important that future owners of vehicles with disabled air bags clearly understand the status of the air bag system.
More research and study on the issue of occupant safety and air nags is needed.
Children and infants should always ride in a back seat whenever available.
All occupants of motor vehicles should wear their seat belts. The air bag system is not a replacement for the seat belt but is considered a supplemental restraint.

Knee Bolster Air Bag Modifications

Knee bolsters started as not much more than foam covered metal plates installed under a vehicle’s lower dashboard. In the event of a frontal crash, the driver would slide forward and their knees would impact the knee bolster creating a lot of stress on the person's thigh bone and hips. You can imagine that a lot of bones were breaking with this safety design because the forces were carried almost entirely by the thigh bone. A knee bolster air bag is a small airbag that deploys against the person's lower legs. Basically a smaller version of the steering wheel airbag that most people are familiar with. Sometimes the airbags contact the occupant directly but mostly they push the lower panel or bolster out in front of it. The stresses are distributed along the person's lower legs, preventing the axial stresses on the thigh bone, and because it comes out to meet the person's body, does a much better job of holding the person in place and minimizing overall stress on the lower extremities.
Hand controls that are steering column mounted may have parts installed in a location that would jeopardize the knee bolster air bag. If required as part of the installation of column mounted hand control adaptive equipment, the knee bolster air bag can be disabled.
Floor mounted hand controls do not require the disabling of the knee bolster air bag.

Turnout or Rotating Seat Vehicle Modifications and their affect on the Air Bag

The installation of a turnout or rotating seat on some vehicles can have an impact of the air bag.
The air bag electronic system can detect the presence of additional equipment and generate an air bag fault signal, disabling the air bag.
Many seats have air bag installed directly in them or weight sensors that are used by the air bag control system to detect if the seat is occupied. On some modifications, the OEM seat is replaced by an adaptive equipment seat. It is possible to reinstall the occupant detection sensor.

How Should an Air Bag be Properly Disabled?

The air bag should be properly removed to avoid accidental deployment in the future. The vehicle modifier should also properly shunt the air bag control system. If done properly, the air bag system will remain operational for all other vehicle air bags. If not shunted, the entire air bag system can be disabled.
At the point of the disassembly or shunting, a permanent note should be affixed, explaining what was done and the reason. This is for the benefit of future vehicle owners and vehicle modifiers.
A permanent label should be installed visible to the driver or front seat occupant, warning that the air bag has been permanently disabled.
An insert is placed in the vehicle's owner's manual indicating the air bag has been permanently disabled.
So as to ensure future vehicle owners understand the air bag status, complete all FMVSS paperwork and vehicle labeling requirements.

How Should an Air Bag be Modified with an ON-OFF Switch?

You first need to read NHTSA's brochure, " Air Bags & On-Off Switches: Information for an Informed Decision".
Download the form Request for Air Bag On-Off Switch.
If you decide that an ON-OFF switch is appropriate for you, fill out and submit the request form to NHTSA at the following address:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Attention: Air Bag Switch Requests
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590-1000

You will need to certify on the request form that you have read the brochure and that you, or your other vehicle occupants are in one or more of the high-risk groups for which the installation of an air bag ON-OFF switch is allowed.
In most cases, you can expect a response back to your request for air bag ON-OFF switch within one week from the date your request for an air bag ON-OFF switch is received by NHTSA, but not longer than two weeks. For a faster response, write your phone number on the form and fax it to: 202-493-2833. For any questions, call the Air Bag Division at 202-366-0296.
If the form requesting an air bag ON-OFF switch is properly and completely filled out, NHTSA will then send you an authorization letter that you can take to your dealer or repair shop.
After the dealer or repair shop installs the air bag ON-OFF switch, they will return a form along with the authorization letter to NHTSA, indicating the work has been done for you. You can search the NHTSA website by VIN for vehicles with air bag modifications.

What Requirements Does an Air Bag ON-OFF Switch Have to Meet?

The on-off air bag switch is operated by a key or key-like device.
The on-off air bag switch has to be separate from the ignition switch, i.e. the driver can't simply turn on the ignition switch to turn off the air bag.
Once the air bag is turned off, the air bag has to remain off until it is turned back on using the key. If a single on-off switch is installed for both front air bags, then on-off air bag must allow for separate operation (on-off) for each air bag.
The vehicle's existing or OEM air bag indicator will continue to monitor the readiness of the air bags even when one or both air bags has been turned off. The OEM air bag indicator can't be illuminated solely because an air bag has been deactivated by means of an air bag on-off switch.
An additional indicator light needs to be installed that indicates whenever a front air bag is turned off by means of the air bag on-off switch. The indicator needs to be visible to the driver for a driver airbag ON-OFF switch and visible to all occupants in the front seating positions for a front passenger air bag ON-OFF switch. The telltale for an air bag:
- Needs to be yellow;
- Needs to have the identifying words "DRIVER AIR BAG OFF'', "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF'', or "PASS AIR BAG OFF'', as appropriate, on the indicator or within 25 millimeters of the indicator;
- Needs to be illuminated for the entire time that the air bag is OFF and can't be illuminated when the air bag is ON, i.e. the indicator light needs to show the correct status of the air bag.
In addition the dealer or vehicle modifier who installs the air bag ON-OFF switch must provide an insert for the owner's manual that meets the following requirements:
- Describes the operation of the on-off switch,
  - Lists the risk groups on the request form,
  - States that an on-off air bag switch should only be used to turn off
    an air bag for a member of one of those risk groups
  - States the safety consequences for using the on-off air bag switch to
    turn off an air bag for persons who are not members of any of those risk
    groups. The description of those consequences includes information,
    specific to the make, model and model year of the owner's or lessee's
    vehicle, about any seat belt energy managing features, e.g., load
    limiters, that will affect seat belt performance when the air bag is
    turned off.

What Companies can Disable by Air Bag or Install an ON-OFF Switch?

Only authorized dealers and repair shops registered with NHTSA as a vehicle modifier can install ON-OFF switches or disable your airbag using an allowed FMVSS exemption. If an ON-OFF switch is being installed, the dealer or modifier must have the authorization letter from NHTSA.

Frequently Asked Questions About Air Bags and Vehicle Modifications

What is an air bag ON-OFF switch? A switch that allows the front driver or passenger air bag to be turned on or off depending on the needs of the occupant.

What is the difference between disabling an air bag and installing an ON-OFF switch? Disabling permanently prevents the air bag from operating. This affects not only the person for which this might be intended, but other occupants as well. Of course disabling the a driver air bag does not affect the front passenger air bag and vice versa. At least it shouldn't if the air bag is properly disabled.

What if I just don't believe in or like air bags, can't I just disable the air bag in the car I own? No. A dealer or repair shop will not disable your air bag without the proper authorization paperwork from NHTSA. Removing an air bag is a very dangerous project and should NEVER be undertaken by an individual to their own car.

What if an air bag ON-OFF switch is not available for my car? If no ON-OFF switch is available from the manufacturer, investigate if an aftermarket ON-OFF switch is available. If one is available, it should be used. If an aftermarket switch is not available, you can ask NHTSA for permission to disable the air bag instead.

Is it safe for a short stature adult to be seated in the front passenger seat of a vehicle equipped with a front passenger air bag? Yes. The passenger should wear their seatbelts and the seat should be moved as far rearward as possible, and recline the seat back slightly.

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