this is probally a dumb question,
 but how can i deactivate the airbags on my 97 tracker before i start off roading with it?
 it has just started off road career, and as i was going down a trail the other day i realizied HOLLY SHIT thats an air-bag on the steering wheel!
how much of a bump/bang/impact whould it take to accidently trigger that thing

you need a hard hit to make that bag go off, deployment is very unlikely..  i fell into a hole the other day and a lot of the vehicles weight was on the front bumper suddenly, no issues. 

The airbags are SUPPOSED to be difficult to set off. It's not always the case. I have read about people bumping something and having them deploy off-road, and they're expensive to replace.

One guy in powerfest'08 blew his, & can be heard in the vid saying 'I didnt even hit that hard' or something along those lines:

http://www.zukiworld.com/month_120108/movies/zw-Powerfest-08-fixed-web.wmv

here's a link to the fsm procedure:

http://www.kick-fix.com/TSB/JPG/airbag-1-3.pdf
hth

Fuzz

One guy in powerfest'08 blew his, & can be heard in the vid saying 'I didnt even hit that hard' or something along those lines:

http://www.zukiworld.com/month_120108/movies/zw-Powerfest-08-fixed-web.wmv

here's a link to the fsm procedure:

http://www.kick-fix.com/TSB/JPG/airbag-1-3.pdf
hth

Fuzz

i was like 3 rigs back and we thought someone had fired a shotgun! i wouldnt recommend disconnecting them because it's aginst the law. that being said, i prolly wouldnt drive a rig off road unless it didnt have working airbags

One guy in powerfest'08 blew his, & can be heard in the vid saying 'I didnt even hit that hard' or something along those lines:

http://www.zukiworld.com/month_120108/movies/zw-Powerfest-08-fixed-web.wmv

here's a link to the fsm procedure:

http://www.kick-fix.com/TSB/JPG/airbag-1-3.pdf
hth

Fuzz

a:  you rock for posting the safe disabling procedure.

b:  i'd really like to know a good way to wire in a disabling switch.

c:  i guess the easy way would be to wire it in with a 90 second "wait for it....." requirement, huh?

I think it has something to do with his after market bumpers. Another person we know has been wheeling a newer tracker for a few years with no issue. Maybe it transmits more of a jolt? Yes Jason I know Gayle has Poohbuilt bumpers now, I think she used to wheel it harder than she does now.

a:  you rock for posting the safe disabling procedure.

b:  i'd really like to know a good way to wire in a disabling switch.

c:  i guess the easy way would be to wire it in with a 90 second "wait for it....." requirement, huh?

a: Thank Jerry (jtgh) who, like the venerable ack, does alot for the community. HUGE THANKS to both for thier sites!!
jtgh's site has moved, it's now here: http://www.kick-fix.com/
It's in the FSM, no reason it should be secret, but ofc this is just for disabling while working on the vehicle to avoid accidental (& expensive & dangerous) discharge.
Myself personally I don't trust gen 1 airbags much. I'm a little guy, & the damned things are just as likely to injure me as help in an accident, they're designed for a 5'9" 180lb dummy... & I'm not 1 of those. This is why there are gen 2 airbags now... they deploy with much less force.

b & c: There's been call for this for a long time, but I doubt manufacturers will do it for liability reasons... Could it be done? Prolly... trouble is the sensors have no idea if you just rammed a rock offroad at xx mph, or just got hit by a truck at xx mph onroad. There's also the problem of remembering to switch it back on when you go back on the road... 

i was like 3 rigs back and we thought someone had fired a shotgun! i wouldnt recommend disconnecting them because it's aginst the law. that being said, i prolly wouldnt drive a rig off road unless it didnt have working airbags

No doubt, basically it is a shotgun, only replace the gunpowder with air & put a poofy bag over the barrel.

I think it has something to do with his after market bumpers. Another person we know has been wheeling a newer tracker for a few years with no issue. Maybe it transmits more of a jolt? Yes Jason I know Gayle has Poohbuilt bumpers now, I think she used to wheel it harder than she does now.

Yeah, could well be cuz of stiff bumpers, after all the factory bumpers are squishy for the 5mph crumple req., which isn't a bad thing really since the jolt has to go somewhere, if the bumper doesn't absorb it... it moves inward. From what I gather, the trigger is a ball bearing in a tube with a ramp. If impact is enough to throw the ball over the ramp, it hits the contacts & BOOM, airbags deployed.

Ofc, I'm not recommending anyone disable their airbags, YMMV.      

Fuzz

Mine blew with stock bumpers. They just do sometimes. It takes a few seconds to pull the fuse before wheeling, and a few seconds to plug it back in. It takes me longer to lock / unlock the hubs. Cost me $600 to replace the air bags...

I realize this topic is old, but has anyone ever just removed their airbags?

I had the misfortune of being run offroad into a tree at 45 and the airbag deployed after the steering wheel pushed me through the front seat.  Instead of saving my life... It almost knocked me unconscious.

I would prefer if my next vehicle didnt have that issue.

I have seen several Track/Kicks with airbags that deployed during 4wheeling with some nasty injuries caused by the airbags, I personally watched one go off with only a 6" drop with the steel aftermarket bumper landing on a rock and not all that hard either, the results were a broken wrist, shattered cartelidge in the nose and cheekbones and 2 hierniated discs in the neck, all from the airbag deploying.

I am fabbing up a key switch to turn off the pass side bag or both bags, with a flashing warning light on the dash when not in 4wd. Airbags can and do save lives when they are activated in a true accident, but can cause death or serious injuries in off roading simply because the system is not designed or intended for dealing with the jolts and angles seen off road.

I'm a big guy, and having the airbag drive my right fist into my left collarbone and then smacking my face remains one of the most painful events of my life.

I'm in the latter group...
The only time I had a crash with an airbag deploying... I was being passed.... then cut off by a 1 ton
contractors rig as....Oh, Damn, here we are ....slammed on the brakes trying to make a left turn
(Also head-on'd a coming car)......

Well. I was trying to hard turn right onto the shoulder....BAMM-KABOOIE air bag went off throwing my arms off
the steering wheel, (just from the washouts in the gravel) caught the right rear of the 1 ton....out of work 2 weeks !!!

I disconnect the airbags on all vehicles, even "Rent a Wrecks' at the airport!!!

BUT,.....I AM A STOUT BELIEVER IN SEAT BELTS !!! WEAR THEM!!
AIR BAGS WILL NOT STOP YOU FROM A "EJECTED FROM VEHICLE" FATALITY  !!!
(10 year Vet, Fire Dept Crash responses)

CAPT

I usually wear belts, but the last accident I had, all of the injuries were from the seat belts. I was broadsided in my fedex truck by a 72000 lb truck, the fedex truck did a barrel roll and when she slammed down on the pass side i fell towards that side, the lap belt stayed put, but allowed the body to slide out and flipped my body forwards into the windshield and viola 5 ruptured discs.

What an "E" ticket ride!

The only restraint that would have prevented injuries would have been a full harness.