Is A Car Totaled If The Airbags Deploy? Here's What You Need To Know

One of the worst moments in a driver's life is when a car accident occurs. That can be made even worse if the airbags have been deployed or your car has potentially been totaled. However, while the deployment of a vehicle's airbags is seen as a reaction to something potentially horrible, it doesn't always mean that a vehicle is totaled.

Airbags will deploy during a moderate to severe auto accident, although it will depend on how sensitive the airbag sensors have been set at. Your vehicle will likely deploy airbags when the sensors detect a crash equivalent to hitting a wall at 10 mph. There are also side airbags that deploy faster than front seat airbags, and the side airbags can deploy during a forward collision.

Just because the airbags of a vehicle have deployed during an accident does not necessarily mean that a car is totaled. Generally, a car is only considered totaled if the price to repair the issues caused by the accident is more than the current value of the car, or a certain percentage — it can vary depending on your insurance provider. If you only got into a minor fender bender but the airbags deployed, the likelihood of the vehicle being totaled is low.

Just because your vehicle has been totaled doesn't necessarily mean that it's undrivable; it could just mean it requires some expensive repairs. Options for drivers who have totaled their vehicle include accepting the insurance money, selling the individual parts of your car, take it to be salvaged at a junk yard, or even possibly trading the vehicle in as you get a new one. Also, just because your airbags have been deployed doesn't mean you can't drive your vehicle, though it's not recommended.

Accepting the insurance payout is the easiest and most common thing to do for a totaled vehicle. The biggest issue that can arise in this situation is if you have a remaining loan balance on your vehicle. In that situation you would still have to pay the remaining balance, and the insurance payout will likely go to that balance.

While it happens less often than taking the insurance payout, you can also earn some money from a totaled vehicle by taking it to a junk yard or by selling the parts. You can sell individual parts of a totaled vehicle to car owners working on project cars.

If the airbags in your vehicle have deployed, the most likely reason is because of a severe accident, though some rough driving situations such as off-roading have caused airbags to deploy. The airbag sensors detect when a collision occurs, send a signal to the airbag's control, and activate the airbags to inflate. Then, after an airbag has been fully inflated, it slowly begins to deflate to allow the driver and passengers to exit the vehicle.

While airbags are designed to save lives and prevent injuries, the likelihood of walking away unscathed from an accident where the airbags were deployed is highly unlikely. When the airbags are deployed, they inflate quickly and are aimed directly at the vehicle's occupants. It's not uncommon for noses to break when the airbags inflate, or an occupant to receive some whiplash via the push from the airbag. After a crash, be sure to check yourself and other occupants for soft tissue injuries, potential neck injuries, and even concussions.

There have also been situations where an airbag may deploy too quickly, causing more injury to a driver or passenger than the crash itself caused. In recent history, more than 65 million vehicles were recalled due to airbags that could potentially explode when deployed.