Airbags and light passengers

[SwampNut]

Before I file an NHTSA complaint, I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced airbags turning off for passengers in the 100-110 pound range. My wife is 106-108 and the airbag often turns off. The SC checked this and said it was normal. No other car we've been in has done this, ever. NHTSA allows turning it off for passengers below 100, and this problem mostly happens if she reclines a bit or slouches, so some weight is transferred to the backrest. I think it's unacceptable. Curious what others are seeing.

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[Killer95Stang]

My guess is they meet the safety requirements. This is 3 years in and this same complaint comes up from time to time. Also, Kia/ Hyundai is the actual manufacture of the seats (according to Munro), so I figure they know how to make them function properly. Not sure we will find a fix, unless the safety requirements are changed.

 

[CharonPDX]

The weight sensor in the Rivian is in a different place than in other vehicles I've owned - my lighter kid sometimes triggers "airbag off", sometimes doesn't. In different "seating positions" in different vehicles. When someone is *RIGHT* on the edge of the weight, the placement of the posterior on the seat can impact the sensor.

Tell your wife to eat more pie.

 

[VSG]

There are a couple of long threads about this in the forum. My summary:

Airbags must be turned off for children. Because it is safer for them - an airbag deploying in a low speed crash can injure a child who would not otherwise be hurt, and there are a lot more low speed crashes than high speed crashes.

Rivian set a weight limit equal to 5th percentile adult female body weight = 108 lbs.
By definition, the weight limit covers 95% of adult females, and more than 95% of adult males.
I forget the exact number, but it also covers a large percentage of children under the age of 13 where the airbag off regulation applies.

In theory having the airbag off is safer for your wife in most cases, because of her low body weight. Rivian automatically makes the airbag off decision based solely on body weight, but Rivian could probably also make a button to override this choice for those that want it, if regulations permit it and if it doesn't open them up to legal liability when the driver overrides the airbag choice.

 

[SwampNut]

Tell your wife to eat more pie.

LOL, there's a running joke about making her eat more. Her whole family is perpetually thin.

 

[Schroederhc]

Same for my wife primarily when she leans the chair back to nap.

 

[SwampNut]

While I can appreciate the fine line she's riding, on weight, no other car has ever done this. So I'll probably file the complaint.

 

[Mellowyellow]

My wife would murder me if I listed her weight on a forum

 

[SwampNut]

That makes no sense, it's not like anyone can ID her from here.

"What exactly do you weigh so I can post on the Rivian forums?"

106-108, almost never 110.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Now you want her to make sense? Are you even married dude?!?!?

 

[inconceivable]

While I can appreciate the fine line she's riding, on weight, no other car has ever done this. So I'll probably file the complaint.

As others have mentioned, this is a thing. FWIW, I agree with you that no other car I’ve ever been in has this high of a weight threshold. I don’t have the data to say it’s unsafe, but since the threshold is the highest I’ve ever noticed, it was/is worrying to me too.

So, I filled a complaint with the NHTSA over a year ago about this issue. No response. ?‍

 

[Zoidz]

When this was discussed here a while ago, I was curious and did some digging/research. As I recall, I came to the conclusion that NHTSA recognizes variations will occur that are unavoidable. I am providing an excerpt and a link to a NHTSA document that basically says if the telltale light is on, that is sufficient warning. Manufacturers are not held to edge cases related to variations in seating position. Also, everything I read talks about 5th percentile and 108 lbs. I haven’t seen a reference to a 100 lb specification. I recall that there were other NHTSA documents discussing this threshold, but I don’t have references to them. I seem to recall reading a filed complaint similar to what you are concerned about and NHTSA dismissed it. There is a way to search for NHTSA responses to letters somewhere on their site.

“Similarly, the petitioners have not demonstrated that possible non-deployment of the air bag for adults in non-normal seating positions will create any significant safety problem. We note that DaimlerChrysler submitted a chart, on a page titled “Known Challenges for Interim Technology,” showing four seating positions in which an adult might be classified as a child. These positions can generally be described as the occupant leaning back with his/her feet on top of the dashboard, leaning back with his/her legs braced against the dashboard, leaning back with the seatback in a reclined position, and in a forward position with his/her knees against the dashboard and hands on top of the dashboard. DaimlerChrysler expressed concern that variation in sitting posture may create consumer dissatisfaction and loss of confidence in the system, citing the telltale that illuminates when the passenger air bag is off.

We agree that an air bag should not become deactivated as a result of normally seated adults making minor adjustments in their posture. However, the petitioners are not discussing that situation. The issue is instead one of possible non-deployment of the passenger air bag for adults in non-normal seating positions.

We believe this concern is appropriately addressed by the requirement for a telltale that illuminates when the passenger air bag is off. If a non-normal seating position results in the passenger air bag being deactivated, illumination of the telltale will warn the passenger and encourage him/her to adopt a normal seating position. We also observe that the benefits of air bags to occupants in non-normal seating positions are uncertain. Moreover, with reference to some of the positions cited by DaimlerChrysler, in which the occupant is extremely close to the air bag and even in contact with the air bag cover, suppression of the air bag might be preferable to activation, even for adults.[5]

We note that a supplier and a large-volume vehicle manufacturer have developed an algorithm that minimizes deactivation of the air bag in these types of circumstances. That algorithm is available to petitioners.


We recognize that owners of vehicles equipped with weight-based suppression systems need to be informed about how the systems work, the telltale, and the appropriate action to take when the telltale is illuminated. This type of information should be provided in the owner's manual.”

 

[Riv E In]

Had this happen one time. Wife in passenger seat (120 lbs). Only noticed when she went to adjust her air temperature and she asked “is my airbag supposed to be off?”

I obviously joked about updating her life insurance policy…

But in all seriousness I’ve never had this happen in a vehicle and it really shouldn’t. Rivian’s legal team should be concerned.

 

[Apatel323]

I believe the weight sensor is in the seat bottom towards the back. When my kid who’s 115 pounds slouches, the airbag would turn off. The only car I’ve had this issue with. If he sits up, the temperature controls come back. Rivian said it was normal.

 

[COdogman]

When I was in HS and had to wrestle 2 weight classes up, I had to down a couple extra gallons of water the day of weigh ins so I could make the minimum. I would also eat a footlong Subway sandwich in the last couple hours to put me over the top. The hardest part was remembering I couldn’t use the bathroom until after getting weighed.

You can have those ideas for free

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