Airbags are an important safety feature in modern cars, but airbag systems were not installed in cars before the 1980s. Older cars were not designed to carry airbags. Unfortunately, you cannot put them in such cars.
It was not until 1998 that legislation required new cars to have front airbags for drivers and passengers, according to CarInsurance.com. Lighter trucks, vans and SUVs were required to have them starting in 1999. Airbag systems are designed to prevent or minimize injuries by cushioning the impact between occupants of the car and the vehicle interior.
Airbags are one component of an integrated system that determines if an impact is serious enough to deploy the bags. The airbag system consists of crash sensors and bag inflators, as well as the bags themselves. Airbag design and location vary among cars, according to BusinessWeek.com.
If airbags are put in older cars or cars they were not designed for, the system will be compromised and will not function correctly. This means the bags may not deploy at all, or will not deploy properly. Because airbag systems are such an important safety feature, only trained technicians should service or repair them.
