Air bag disconnect/front child seat..

[PeteVX]

Shortly after getting my VX some 4 weeks ago and putting my child seat in the back, squeezing my svelte girlish figure through that tiny opening to buckle up the kid got old real quickly. My last car, a wrangler had an airbag disconnect switch for putting a child seat in the front passenger seat, the VX doesn't, though alarmingly the VX handbook shows that it is permitted to have a forward facing child seat in the passenger seat which is crazy not to mention against the law.

Soooo bit of research and it turns out the National Highway Transportation & Safety Authority regulates the use and safety of all automotive air bags, after completing a form requesting permission to install a disconnect, 1 week later the approval letter arrived, I called Airbag Solutions (aoielectrical.com) and they sent me a NHTSA approved disconnect switch that just interrupts the wires to the passenger airbag with a key operated switch and status indication lights contained in a small module that just sticks to the underside of the dash.

$199 very quick and easy installation, safe, legal and both me and the kid are happy!!

I also worried about having him in the back incase there was an accident or fire it would be difficult getting him out. Also I can now keep the seats folded up and have more room in the back for the dog!!

Pete

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Please post instructions and any wiring diagrams.

[PeteVX]

I'll see if i cant take any pics and post them but its really easy to do, first step is to goto www.nhtsa.dot.gov click on airbags and download the form for installing an airbag disconnect switch, complete the form and fax it back to them.

Then goto www.aoielectrical.com you can also call them and speak to Raymond, he put the kit together for me, most of them are just plug in kits but they didnt have the correct plug ins for the vehicross to he sent me a couple of extra plugs with pre wired fly leads that were correctly color coded for the VX. That way if ever you decide to remove the switch you just have to unplug it and plug the harness back together. Cost is $204 inc postage.

To install...
Disconnect the battery and wait 5 mins (to make sure there is no power left in system, capacitors etc)

Remove the 2 screws under the glove box and lift the glove box out.

Locate the disconnect plug going to the passenger airbag (its bright yellow and the wires are covered with yellow wire wrap) snip the 2 wires either side of the plug and crimp in the new plugs that come with the kit.

Plug in the disconnect switch to the new plugs, there are 2 more wires that must be connected a ground and a switched power for the illumination status light, I connected these onto the wiring coming off the stereo, they do not affect the airbag, just the status light.

Button everything back up and tuck the new wiring in between the ecu cover infront of the shifter and the dash. Mount the switch on the dash low down kind of infront of the drivers knee using the double sided sticky pad on the switch.

Hook the battery back up and you're done!!

Takes less than an hour to install, and comes with instructions, you could have one of their approved dealers install it but they want another $200 to do so. Air bags are pretty easy to work with, you'd have to do something pretty stupid to screw it up and if you get anything wrong with the wiring the airbag light would come on and the bag would not work, anytime theres a problem the goto default non operational.

Thats all there is to it!!

Let me know how it goes if you decide to install one


Pete

[kpaske]

I am interested in disconnecting my airbag for a baby car seat also, but $200 for a switch sounds kinda of steep (especially with a new baby in the house ;). Is this just a simple switch? Someone in another thread mentioned that there is probably a resistor or something in there that prevents the airbag light from coming on. Can you post a simple wiring diagram, or at least tell me if I could possibly build this switch myself?