Disabling airbag

[KaiserM715]

@treypal knows which fuse it is.

 

[2014RubyRed]

I'm with @13raptorcrew. I would never disarm my airbag system. If off-road mode doesn't do what you want, maybe you should consider going with a full cage restraint system. I know that you guys are just running dunes, but if you are tricking the airbag system into thinking you are rolling the truck over, then you have to be on the ragged edge. It may be time to take the next step regarding safety.

Good luck and stay safe!!!

 

[PalmaVirtuti]

I just wish that we had some definitive evidence that running in off-road mode actually did "de-sensitise" the airbag sensors to some extent, then I could sleep easier at night. My Raptor is my daily drive truck so going with a cage and restraint system isn't really practical. Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions though.


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[Dan06]

I just wish that we had some definitive evidence that running in off-road mode actually did "de-sensitise" the airbag sensors to some extent, then I could sleep easier at night. My Raptor is my daily drive truck so going with a cage and restraint system isn't really practical. Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions though.


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Set mine off in off-road mode...

 

[Deleted member 12951]

Set mine off in off-road mode...

Are you saying that you've had you airbags deployed when in off-road mode? I've hit pretty hard and even gotten quite a bit at an angle and the airbags never deployed when a few times I would have thought they would have.

 

[2014RubyRed]

I don't think off-road mode is going to make it so the airbags NEVER go off, but I can tell you that in off-road mode they aren't so sensitive. I've nosed my truck into a few obstacles at speeds where a normal airbag would have deployed, and I've seen a lot of others do it as well.

My point wasn't that you NEED to cage your truck, my point was that if you are in off-road mode and your truck still deploys the airbags thinking that you are rolling over, then the G's associated with that deployment are getting close to the edge of what the truck can handle. Period.

My truck is a daily driver as well, and I drive it accordingly. Some reach the threshold of what the trucks can handle and pay the high repairs bills associated with that. Whatever.

The point that I was trying to make is that maybe, being a daily driver, you pull back a little until the truck is ready and capable of handling more. Removing the fuses and disarming the system isn't fixing anything. It's just eliminating the last bit of safety that is possibly keeping you alive in a serious event......

 

[Trick.Raptor]

@raulsterXDozer might be able to tell more about side airbags deploying on the dunes...

 

[13raptorcrew]

I just wish that we had some definitive evidence that running in off-road mode actually did "de-sensitise" the airbag sensors to some extent, then I could sleep easier at night.

Due to legal reasons, you will never find an answer to the question of air bag sensitivity in any mode. In the same reason, you will never find the answer to how much weight on the passenger seat will turn the airbag on/off. If they tell you a number and some freak accident happens and the airbag should or shouldn't go off, then someone is liable. A blip from the Raptor Supplement from your owners guide states this:

During off-road mode the AdvanceTrac system provides the vehicle with
alternative AdvanceTrac calibrations, which improve off-road performance. Off road AdvanceTrac calibrations are enabled for 2H and 4H. When the AdvanceTrac button is pressed once AdvanceTrac Sport will engage. In this mode the vehicle will have ABS, traction control and yaw control settings specifically calibrated for off-road conditions.

The RCM (module that controls the airbags) uses the yaw and roll motions to determine severity of crashes/roll overs, etc (along with lots of other data). Since the calibrations are changed to 'specific to off road conditions', the data that is coming in from the sensors is the same however, the module allows for a higher threshold before intervening. Again, this is interpreted based on the information from the owners guide and therefore the information is only that... Use or ignore as you wish.

Understand that the air-bags are intended to keep your head/body from contacting surfaces that would hurt. In my opinion, the air bags are there for a damn good reason and like hell if I want to try to get close to reaching the threshold of deployment. My head has hit an airbag once already and although I am very thankful it was there, I do not want to experience that again. Ford has performed extensive testing on the truck to avoid any accidental deployments, trust me.

I know @PalmaVirtuti is just looking for piece of mind. How about this: The air bag is piece of mind. If it goes off, be glad that it did and not mad that it did. I bet these guys are not mad that the bags deployed (along with post-crash alert horn and lights).

 

[Deleted member 12951]

^^
Interesting.

 

[Dan06]

Are you saying that you've had you airbags deployed when in off-road mode? I've hit pretty hard and even gotten quite a bit at an angle and the airbags never deployed when a few times I would have thought they would have.

Yup, I'll tell the story in person sometime.