Takata Air Bags ....seriously?

[Stephen Workman]

I would like to see a poll on this site (I don't have the tech expertise to do it).....
Should Paul Elio drop Takata from the Elio Autocycle we all want - even if it costs a few more $ ?
YES______
NO_______

 

[Thomas Maule]

I would like to see a poll on this site (I don't have the tech expertise to do it).....
Should Paul Elio drop Takata from the Elio Autocycle we all want - even if it costs a few more $ ?
YES______
NO_______

With all the options available for the elio, im wondering how hard it would be to have a "premium airbag" from another company as an option?

 

[JEBar]

I would like to see a poll on this site (I don't have the tech expertise to do it).....
Should Paul Elio drop Takata from the Elio Autocycle we all want - even if it costs a few more $ ?
YES______
NO_______

unfortunately, if Paul did just that .... switched to a more expensive airbag and raised the price accordingly .... history has shown we have members (not to mention haters in general) who would fly into a rage .... if the base price isn't $6,800 (or possibly less) they would make all manner of accusations ranging from lying to out and out corruption for misleading advertising and false promises

 

[Stephen Workman]

unfortunately, if Paul did just that .... switched to a more expensive airbag and raised the price accordingly .... history has shown we have members (not to mention haters in general) who would fly into a rage .... if the base price isn't $6,800 (or possibly less) they would make all manner of accusations ranging from lying to out and out corruption for misleading advertising and false promises

And, just how much more would it cost - do you figure? I think my life and the possible risk to the lives of my fellow Elio aficionados are worth it. Don't you? Doesn't Paul? Save the couple of bucks on something less important - like the Elio badging. I want safety first - Takata wants profits first.

 

[JEBar]

its clear from your post that this is a major, emotional issue for you and that's fine and I respect your belief .... that said, I don't share it .... I believe that the intense, world wide scrutiny Takata is under will force them to produce a good/safe product or they won't be around very long .... EM is still a year from production, by then I believe they will be producing quality products .... I also believe that saying because Paul has chosen a given supplier he doesn't want safety first is way off base .... if he didn't have a long term commitment to producing as safe of a vehicle as possible, there would be no talk of crash testing or other such expensive things .... I believe that if he feels any product is unsafe he won't use it ....

 

[WilliamH]

And, just how much more would it cost - do you figure? I think my life and the possible risk to the lives of my fellow Elio aficionados are worth it. Don't you? Doesn't Paul? Save the couple of bucks on something less important - like the Elio badging. I want safety first - Takata wants profits first.

First you wanted an option for "no airbags" then you stated you wouldn't disable them if you could, then you want a poll to allow you to pick the manufacturer of the air bag in Elios, now you want to be able to pick the manufacturer of the unit used in your vehicle.
In a year you will passionately want a different brand of radio standard, or maybe you will demand a different transmission as the standard, or maybe that the automatic be the standard.
Please Mr. Pavlov, stop ringing Stephens bell, or tugging on his chain, or whatever you are doing to get him so upset. Somewhere he has been conditioned to expect instantaneous response when ever someone says safety or cost.

 

[McBrew]

It is good that there is a recall, but don't blow this out of proportion.

Out of 1,200,000 Takata airbag deployments in the last 15 years, fewer than 100 have suffered from ruptured propellant cartridges.

That's 0.0083%. So, let's assume Takata doesn't fix the problem. Now, let's assume EVERY front airbag in all 44,000 pre-ordered Elios goes off. Only 4 of them would be affected.

 

[HHH]

It is good that there is a recall, but don't blow this out of proportion.

Out of 1,200,000 Takata airbag deployments in the last 15 years, fewer than 100 have suffered from ruptured propellant cartridges.

That's 0.0083%. So, let's assume Takata doesn't fix the problem. Now, let's assume EVERY front airbag in all 44,000 pre-ordered Elios goes off. Only 4 of them would be affected.

Also, if you review the list of Takata airbag recalls, most of the cars are a good many years old. Leads you to surmise that subsequent design changes have cleared up the problem for newer installations (as well as the recall replacements). Don't think this will be a safety issue for Elio. A PR issue, but not a safety issue; especially if the latest newscasts are correct that it will take years to produce all the replacements. That, unfortunately, will keep the issue on the public mind.

I recall the general consensus in the car enthusiast magazines when air bags (passive restraints) were mandated. The view was that they didn't want anything exploding in their car and were against them. Yes, we have a design defect that was widely deployed, but many lives have also been saved.

In contrast with the car scribes, I recall that GM first introduced airbags as an expensive safety option on certain Oldsmobiles. A policeman was called to the scene of a head-on collision. When he saw the result of the collision he expected at least two fatalities. Instead, he saw the drivers exchanging insurance information. They each had Oldsmobiles ordered with airbags. When one tried to order a replacement vehicle, he found GM had discontinued the airbags due to low demand. Since it had saved his life he was hopping mad. IIRC the option was around $1000 back in the day.

 

[goofyone]

There is a new wrinkle to the Takata air bag recall story. The NHTSA is now investigating similar failures with at least one other airbag manufacturer and they are beginning to suspect that their could be an issue with the explosive airbag inflation technology as these appear to deteriorate over time.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/aut...n-widens-nhtsa-examines-agings-impact-n395836

http://www.elioowners.com/threads/7...g-parts-reliability-questioned-nbc-news.6383/

 

[CompTrex]

There is a new wrinkle to the Takata air bag recall story. The NHTSA is now investigating similar failures with at least one other airbag manufacturer and they are beginning to suspect that their could be an issue with the explosive airbag inflation technology as these appear to deteriorate over time.

http://www.elioowners.com/threads/7...g-parts-reliability-questioned-nbc-news.6383/

Maybe cars, or at least all the components, weren't meant to last as long as they are now...