Rear Side Airbag Deactivation

[kab123]

Hi guys, sorta new to the forum.

I drive a 320d E90. We recently had a baby and the car seat for him is installed on the rear seat facing backwards as it should be.

However there is a rear side airbag on the rear seat facing straight down towards the baby’s face…. From what I gather, there is no way for me to deactivate this airbag by myself?

I phoned the dealership and had a bit of an argument with the technician. He argued with me that this airbag is in the roof and not the seat. However, there is a straight line from the airbag towards the babies face. He also told me that it’s a huge mission for them to deactivate this airbag.

Am I missing something? Surely BMW won’t build that kind of “dangerous” safety into their cars?

 

[danieljames]

Have you tried contacting another dealership? Most dealers are franchised if I'm not mistaken so after sales service will vary. Otherwise complaints department Germany!!! It's unfortunate that you have to argue over the safety of your loved one

---

Quality of after sales service

 

[moesaley]

hi Bud

the car seat should be installed facing forward, whilst in the back seat, you shouldn't have any issues with that airbag, as it's a curtain, and drops along the side window

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

hi Bud

the car seat should be installed facing forward, whilst in the back seat, you shouldn't have any issues with that airbag, as it's a curtain, and drops along the side window

+1

 

[kab123]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll do some more research. However I’m not quite sure from a child safety perspective that a baby (0-18month) should be facing forward. I don’t even think our 0-18 month child seat can install itself facing forward.

 

[danieljames]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll do some more research. However I’m not quite sure from a child safety perspective that a baby (0-18month) should be facing forward. I don’t even think our 0-18 month child seat can install itself facing forward.

Technology these days. WOW!!!Ur seat installs itself?



JK

 

[ChefDJ]

As far as I know, baby seats should face forward in the back seat, and backwards in the front seat. It should only ever be in the front seat if the front airbag can be deactivated.

The rear airbags are a curtain as said above and will be nowhere near the baby, like so:

 

[Le Clue]

So what your saying is that your are not using the ISOFIX mounting points for the baby seat?

Please go read the manual and you will see that it says the seat must face forward, and you must use the ISOFIX points and like has been mentioned, the curtain bags won't touch the baby. If you really want to deactivate it you will have no protection yourself in a side accident.

 

[netercol]

please dont ever deactivate the curtain airbag.. it is more of a lifesaver than the front airbags imho.. side impacts kill.

 

[zippy320]

Hi Guys , Is he talking about the Curtain Airbag or the Door airbag?

My E46 had this as an option , Rear Door airbags , I know of this because while ordering the car back when it was new I had seen this as an option box to tick.

I have only seen one car in person though with REAR door Airbags. An E46, I would assume that the E90 had this option as well?

Are are the door airbags completely different to that found on an E46?

Can software not switch off the airbag?

Regards

 

[Worm]

I'm pretty sure 0-3 months babies' seats should be facing backwards, regardless of where they are placed in the vehicle. Their necks can't handle any form of impact if there was a collision, but being rear ended would have the opposite effect I guess. So don't know really...

 

[AshG108]

Gents,

lets get something straight first as a lot of people have different points (parents will be familiar with this):

1. 0 - 10kg baby weight - baby seat at the rear of the car must face backwards towards the rear windscreen.
2. 10.001kg till whatever "CAN" face forward (dependent on car seat design & manufacturer with safety regulations also) towards the front windscreen.
3. Baby seats SHOULD NOT be in the front seat of a vehicle, yes you may de-activate airbag but it is also NOT SAFE for the child and also distracting for the driver.

The OP has installed the seat correct and has the child in the correct manner. The question is simple and the answer is NO, do not de-activate that airbag as it has been mentioned previously, it is a curtain airbag and would not do anything to your child directly in his face.

You should worry about having smash & grab on your windows which is in good condition for the window not to shatter onto your child's face as a precaution.

Now, before everyone or anyone flames me, this is what I learnt and experienced in my time before and being a parent.

My buddy with a new Hyundai Santa Fe was in a sandwich collision on Van Reenen's pass and the airbags (incl. the curtain and side airbags protected his 8 month old baba very well)

Please try not to de-activate it for your baba's safety.

thats my 2c, no intention to insult or harm anyone.

Ash

 

[ChefDJ]

Gents,

lets get something straight first as a lot of people have different points (parents will be familiar with this):

1. 0 - 10kg baby weight - baby seat at the rear of the car must face backwards towards the rear windscreen.
2. 10.001kg till whatever "CAN" face forward (dependent on car seat design & manufacturer with safety regulations also) towards the front windscreen.
3. Baby seats SHOULD NOT be in the front seat of a vehicle, yes you may de-activate airbag but it is also NOT SAFE for the child and also distracting for the driver.

The OP has installed the seat correct and has the child in the correct manner. The question is simple and the answer is NO, do not de-activate that airbag as it has been mentioned previously, it is a curtain airbag and would not do anything to your child directly in his face.

You should worry about having smash & grab on your windows which is in good condition for the window not to shatter onto your child's face as a precaution.

Now, before everyone or anyone flames me, this is what I learnt and experienced in my time before and being a parent.

My buddy with a new Hyundai Santa Fe was in a sandwich collision on Van Reenen's pass and the airbags (incl. the curtain and side airbags protected his 8 month old baba very well)

Please try not to de-activate it for your baba's safety.

thats my 2c, no intention to insult or harm anyone.

Ash

Very informative, but I disagree with what I've highlighted in red above.

If you are alone in the car with your baby in a seat, and it's in the back facing backwards, how do you as the driver quickly tend to something like your baby choking on something if you can't pull over quick enough?

 

[AshG108]

Gents,

lets get something straight first as a lot of people have different points (parents will be familiar with this):

1. 0 - 10kg baby weight - baby seat at the rear of the car must face backwards towards the rear windscreen.
2. 10.001kg till whatever "CAN" face forward (dependent on car seat design & manufacturer with safety regulations also) towards the front windscreen.
3. Baby seats SHOULD NOT be in the front seat of a vehicle, yes you may de-activate airbag but it is also NOT SAFE for the child and also distracting for the driver.

The OP has installed the seat correct and has the child in the correct manner. The question is simple and the answer is NO, do not de-activate that airbag as it has been mentioned previously, it is a curtain airbag and would not do anything to your child directly in his face.

You should worry about having smash & grab on your windows which is in good condition for the window not to shatter onto your child's face as a precaution.

Now, before everyone or anyone flames me, this is what I learnt and experienced in my time before and being a parent.

My buddy with a new Hyundai Santa Fe was in a sandwich collision on Van Reenen's pass and the airbags (incl. the curtain and side airbags protected his 8 month old baba very well)

Please try not to de-activate it for your baba's safety.

thats my 2c, no intention to insult or harm anyone.

Ash

Very informative, but I disagree with what I've highlighted in red above.

If you are alone in the car with your baby in a seat, and it's in the back facing backwards, how do you as the driver quickly tend to something like your baby choking on something if you can't pull over quick enough?

hey Chef,

cool bud, firstly you shouldnt give your child something that they can hold on their own thats smaller than theri mouth or shaped in a size that fit into their mouth or throat. All my daughters toys in the car are big ones and also, they are attached to headrest so it reach her mouth.

to tend to your child, your vehicle must be pulled over in a safe place and then you tend to your child. You cant attend to your child while driving or car is in motion.

My wife and I both had the car seat face the rear and i bought mirrors that attach to the windscreen and the rear seat to help the kid to still see us and not be afriad that she is alone (one of the other options to still be able to see and calm your child down).

till today, we had no issues with this sequence...I feel that having the seat in the front is a no no, if you can have it at the back...i rather having the child cry than have the option to look and laugh and interact while i drive (I cannot help but want to interact with my child when she is in front of me so I know the front seat thing will be bad)

 

[akash]

As far as i know with both my e90's there is no air bag in the rear door. The rear air bag deploy from the roof and is a curtain.

If anything it will save the baby from the glass particles from a side impact