Why Didn’t My Airbags Deploy When I Was Rear-Ended?

Airbags are life-saving equipment and they’re just as important as your car’s seatbelts. According to the NHTSA, they’ve saved over 50,000 lives in the past 30 years. However, what happens when they don’t deploy?

If you were in a car accident and your airbags didn’t go off, you’re probably wondering if something went wrong. Was your car defective? Was the crash not serious enough? Or did someone fail to maintain your vehicle properly?

If you’re asking yourself, “Why didn’t my airbags deploy when I was rear-ended,” it’s important to know whether something went wrong, what you can do next, and how a personal injury lawyer can help if you’ve been hurt as a result.

Why didn’t my airbags deploy when I was rear-ended?

Let’s start with the basics: airbags aren’t designed to go off in every car accident. In fact, they’re only supposed to deploy in certain types of crashes.

Typically, they should deploy in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal impacts. The idea is to keep occupants from slamming into the steering wheel, dashboard, or side pillars in an accident. So, if you were rear-ended in a minor crash, your airbags may not have deployed. They may not deploy in side impacts, either.

Of course, there are instances where airbags should deploy (front collisions that meet all deployment criteria) but don’t. Why might that happen?

Understanding how airbags work

Airbags rely on sensors located around the exterior of your vehicle. You’ve probably seen the impact sensors built into your front bumper, for instance (small, circular pieces of plastic).

In a crash, these sensors measure the force and direction of impact. If the car’s computer decides airbag deployment is needed to protect the occupants, it sends a signal to the inflator modules, which then rapidly inflate the airbags (inflation happens at 200 miles per hour, or as little as 1/20^th of a second).

But those sensors are selective. They’re programmed to only trigger the airbags under certain conditions, usually when the crash involves a frontal force above a certain speed threshold (often around 12 to 18 mph, depending on the car). In many rear-end collisions, the force doesn’t meet that threshold in the right direction, so the airbags don’t deploy.

Common reasons airbags might not deploy when you’re rear-ended

Here are some of the most common reasons your airbags didn’t deploy during a rear-end collision:

1. Rear-end collisions don’t usually activate frontal airbags

Front airbags protect you during head-on or near head-on crashes. If someone hits you from behind, your car may lurch forward, but the impact force is coming from the rear, not the front.

Since the sensors for front airbags detect forward momentum from a crash, they may not “see” a reason to deploy in a rear-end hit.

2. The collision wasn’t forceful enough

Your airbags might not go off if the impact wasn’t strong enough. If the collision happened at a low speed (say, in stop-and-go traffic or a parking lot), your car might not have registered it as a crash requiring airbag deployment.

That said, low-speed crashes can still cause serious injuries like whiplash, concussions, or spinal damage. The fact that your airbags didn’t deploy doesn’t mean you weren’t hurt or that your injuries aren’t real.

3. Your airbags may have been defective

If the impact was significant and your airbags still didn’t deploy, you could be dealing with a defect. These are not rare instances. Tens of millions of vehicles were affected by the Takata airbag recall for faulty inflators. Even if your vehicle doesn’t fall under that recall, it may be defective. Airbags are part of a complex system that can fail in different ways:

• Faulty sensors may not detect the impact correctly.
• Software issues might prevent the system from deploying.
• Electrical failures could break the communication between crash sensors and airbags.
• If your airbags were deployed previously, incorrect sensor or airbag replacement might mean a failure to deploy.

4. Someone disabled or removed the airbags

In some cases, airbags are turned off, either on purpose or accidentally. This could happen if a mechanic disconnected the system during repairs and didn’t reconnect it properly. Some used vehicles may have missing or disabled/nonfunctioning airbags due to previous accidents where the owner failed to replace them.

If you recently bought a used car, and were rear-ended only to find the airbags didn’t work, you should absolutely investigate whether they were present and functioning.

5. The crash involved side or curtain airbags, not frontal ones

Many modern cars come equipped with side, curtain, or knee airbags in addition to frontal ones. These may deploy in different types of crashes, including side impacts or rollovers. But they usually won’t deploy in a straight rear-end crash unless there’s significant sideways movement.

If your vehicle has multiple airbag systems, which ones deploy depends heavily on the direction of impact and what part of the car was hit.

Injured in a crash but airbags didn’t deploy? You may have options

If your airbags did not deploy, you may still have a strong case, especially if you suffered serious injuries. Here’s what you should do:

Document everything

Take photos of the scene, your vehicle, and your injuries. If possible, get a copy of the police report. These documents can help establish the severity of the crash and the extent of your injuries, even without airbag deployment.

Get medical care right away

Don’t wait to see a doctor. Some injuries (like soft tissue damage or concussions) may not show symptoms right away, but they can be serious. A medical evaluation will help establish a clear link between the crash and your injuries.

Have your vehicle inspected

Ask a qualified mechanic to evaluate your airbag system. If there’s a defect or if the airbags were tampered with or removed, you may have a claim against the manufacturer.

Speak with a personal injury lawyer

An experienced lawyer can help you determine whether you have a claim and guide you through the next steps. If a defective airbag or faulty repair job contributed to your injuries, you might be able to file a product liability or negligence claim.

Can I sue if my airbags didn’t deploy?

It depends. If the airbags didn’t deploy because of a defect or someone else’s negligence, you might have a case. For example:

• If the manufacturer sold a car with defective sensors or software
• If a mechanic failed to reconnect the airbag system after repairs
• If a dealership or licensed seller failed to disclose that the airbags were missing or disabled, and knew or should have known, they may be liable for misrepresentation or fraud

You’ll need strong evidence to back up your claim, but with the right support, you could recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

Talk to a Maryland car accident attorney today

If you’re asking, “Why didn’t my airbags deploy when I was rear-ended?”, you’re not alone. It’s a common question, and it deserves a clear answer. Whether your airbags didn’t deploy because of crash dynamics, a mechanical failure, or a manufacturer defect, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden of your injuries alone.

At Plaxen Adler Muncy, we’re ready to help. Our team has decades of experience representing people across Maryland in car accident and product liability claims. We can investigate what happened, explain your legal options, and fight to get you the justice you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.