QuestionI bought a secondhand Volvo S40 1999 (2L) model four years ago. Next year (2009) the airbags need servicing which I think will be quite costly. Just wondering what happens if I donot service the airbags?
I guess they may not work properly during a collision. Any other risks?
Answer Sunita, the airbag system performs a self check of the system everytime you start the vehicle. If the light goes out, no problems are detected. The air bag modules, called squibs, are charged with basically, a fancy form of gunpowder to deploy them. The chemical stability of the charge can erode over time and the concern is even if the system sends the "fire" signal, they may not deploy.
I cannot advise as to what to do, but I can state that I have never seen one not work for that reason. But, I did not service every Volvo worldwide, so I cannot speak to global issues.
Worst case scenario is that they will not deploy at all, or only partially, or only some, not all squibs. HTH
Mark
