No Clear Answer For Why Some Airbags Just Don't Inflate

A review of federal records revealed that in the past decade, the airbags did not deploy in at least 180 car accidents where they should have. Experts say, sometimes airbags don't work. At least 400 traffic deaths in the past five years have involved airbag failures, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While some malfunctions can't be explained, others might be attributable to repair jobs that altered the safety device's trigger mechanism. Airbags are connected to sensors inside vehicle crumple zones, areas designed to absorb collision energy by giving way in a prescribed manner. The sensors instantly assess an impact and, if necessary, set off the appropriate airbags. Experts say that if a replacement part in a crumple zone doesn't collapse at precisely the same rate as the original, the vehicle's airbag might open too late -- or not at all. Automakers have warned that aftermarket parts can jeopardize an airbag's performance.