posted by
someone claiming to be not yet an owner
on
Wed Apr 30 11:07 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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What years of the 240 have airbags as original factory equipment? In those years, was an airbag standard or optional? And also, is it only a driver-side bag or did Volvo also offer a passenger-side bag as well? I'm in the market for a 240 and would like to buy an airbag-equipped one. Thanks in advance for any info.
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posted by
someone claiming to be woodstock
on
Thu May 1 08:48 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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Then - even the older models have airbags.
Depending on the temperament of your wife, your model Volvo may have dual airbags - if both the better half and the M-I-Law are along for the ride.
And depending on the seating arrangement, your model of volvo may even have rear airbags..
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Air bags! Air bags! How did we ever survive without them? (Maybe,three point seat belts had something to do with it!)
I noticed on my "98" V70 GLT the inside door jamb lable states, "Attention! This car is equiped with air bag..... BLAH, BLAH..... it must be serviced or replaced on Apr. 2007". I can't help but wonder how much that wil cost at the dealer. So...does a "90 thru 93" 240 have the same service lable? If it does, does it read service or replace on Apr. 2000 or 2002? Ask a dealer service rep. about this item,(why do it, cost and parts) it may be worth asking before buying the car.
Also, when air bags deploys it costs approx. $1000 dollars to replace. I've been told, (by my issurance agent) that extra cost combined with body damage, may TOTAL your early model car.
Maya "89" 245DL 114k
"98" V70 GLT 72K
GO CUBS!!!
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In the 700 & 900 series cars, there's a sticker inside the center console lid giving a 10-year replaceemnt interval.... obviously all 700's have exceeded that since they ended in 1992. The 940's run ended in 1995, so they're coming close even on the newest ones.
However, Volvo extended the replacement date a few years ago (I heard about it in 2000) to 15 years. I don't know if they will extend it further... obviously they build cars that are intended to live longer than that. They used to advertise the 240 as having an 18-year lifespan, and they're not far wrong as my 17-year old model can attest to. I've *never* heard of an accidental deployment, or of an injury to passengers in a Volvo due to the airbag. VW did get sued successfully in court with passenger side bags injuring small people- the result is those obnoxious warning stickers about placing children in the front seat that everyone has now.
Personally, I think the system will remain reliable for as long as the control modules continue working... they're on the floor, and I'm sure they don't like getting wet... once the floors rust on any of these cars, I think there will be more failures. But it's a fail-safe system- it's difficult to actually force it to deploy. I doubt there will be injuries to people in body shops, garages, junkyards, etc. Normal failure mode is, turn on the "SRS" light and the bag doesn't deploy even if there is a crash.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '86 244DL- 215K, 87 244DL- 230K, 88 744GLE- 198K, 91 244 180K
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I think airbags give people a false sense of safety. The auto environment is pretty harsh. Things do deteriorate quicker. How does one test an air bag after say 5 years, 10 years etc, to ensure that it will deploy properly when needed?
How safe is it to work on a door or console, if there's a possibility that the air bag may unitentionally be set off?
Use your seatbelts.
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There are standard operating procedures to follow when working in the vicinity of airbags. This is really no different than working around the gas tank, under a car elevated with jackstands, tinkering with the engine running, or anything else that might pose a danger to a person. Accidental deployments happen, but they are so few and far between, that the occurrance rate is tiny. Like a small fraction of one percent.
It is simply the fact that airbags are still "new" that they haven't been accepted as being a fact of life, and continue to meet with resistance. The safety factor of airbags is very obvious, and has increased with the addition of side impact airbags, side curtains, pyrotechnical seat belts, etc.
In ten more years, nobody will even remember what it's like to work on a car without them.
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.
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It will total your early model car, and it will likely total your late model V70 as well.
The reason? The V70 has a beautifully integrated passenger airbag. It's one of the nicer looking passenger bags, because it is totally concealed.
The problem? When the passenger airbag deploys (along with the driver's side of course) you have to replace the upper dashboard. Also the passenger airbag usually ruins the windshield as well.
Fortunately the pyrotechnical seat belts are only a few hundred dollars apiece, because those blow out too. That puts the cost of replacing airbags in a V70 well over $1000. At body shop retail price it's more like $1500 or so. And up.
That is why a lot of lightly damaged vehicles, easily repairable and with plenty of life left in them, end up branded with salvage titles, when they would otherwise be driving on the streets after a short trip to the body shop.
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.
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Thanks for the info Chris!
I had forgotten' about my late model car having (2) air bags.
$1500 plus...I guess, I better put down my Coffee and Cell phone and watch the road. :-P
Maya, in Chicago
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Hello,
240's had driver's bags from 1990 to 1993 and never came with passenger side air bags. Having had air bags save my life twice during the 10 years that I sold cars I feel that they are a nice thing to have if you can get them.
I speak on behalf of all bricksters when I say that we hope to see you as an owner and feel free to ask any questions (no matter how silly you think they are).
Happy Future Bricking
Richard
87 245 DL 351,000 km
82 242 GLT 121,000 km
http://members.cardomain.com/richink
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posted by
someone claiming to be 2oldVolvos
on
Wed Apr 30 12:24 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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I have an 89 without a bag and a 90 with one.
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US models:
All 240s from 1990 to 1993.
Jump to 91 and you might get ABS brakes too. In 92, you will for sure.
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.
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In '90 the drivers side bags appeared standard. But I am not sure if any safety improvement from putting an air bag, in what was already the worlds safest car, has been statistically validated yet.
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Was the 200-series (designed in the 1970s, with seat belt improvements in the early 1980s) the "world's safest car" in 1990?
In a 35mph or lower frontal crash, a 200-series does well without an air bag (as did a number of other cars in the pre-airbag era). An airbag could still help in a higher speed frontal crash. On the other hand, a first generation US airbag might not be a good thing for a belted short driver who sits close to the steering wheel in order to reach the pedals, since it may be overpowered and too easily triggered due to the requirement to save an unbelted 170 pound driver at 30mph.
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Yes, that is precisely the time period (model years 88-90 as I recall) covered by the Institute of Highway Safety study of driver deaths in all car and van models. The 240 was number 1. 700 series came in second and Corvette was "dead" last. Then too, you want to differentiate between real world actual driver death statistics and those bash the wall tests.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Dharvey
on
Wed Apr 30 18:55 CST 2003 [ RELATED]
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Kind of hard to establish that. The 240 airbag isn't very big. I haven't heard of any injuries resulting from the airbag, although there could be some.
NHTSA has information on this, but you have to wade through a lot of complaints (and some of the complaints are cranks).
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Chris Herbst, near Chicago.
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