Hello all, I am lusting over the S2000 and I wan to get into one soon. My only concern is that I have a child that will ride with me on occasion. Can the passenger air bag be turned off? I could not find a switch or even an owners manual in the used S2000's that i have looked at. What do you guys think?

- T -

 

There is no air bag cut off switch. Children should not ride in the S.

 

I remember a thread a while back that talked about taking the S to a mechanic to have the airbag disabled. I don't remember if the mechanic added a switch or just permanently disabled the air bag.

 

Don't get the S unless your child won't be riding in it with you and you have another car. They will be seriously injured or worse in this car if you ever got into an accident. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my child in a 2 seater convertible, even if it did have a cut off switch. Especially with the way that they are making the fronts of the SUV's these days. I live in the South and every other car is an SUV around here (Although everyone drives by themselves). My girlfriend even has an SUV and is complaining about gas being $40 a week. I've known her for about a year now and I have yet to see her with more than one other person in the car with her? What gives?

 

here in calif, the body shops will install an airbag cut-off switch...
but i agree with the posts above- i would not be comfortable with a small child in my car.

 

Why exactly would you not have a child in the S2K? The cars are built to handle a certian ammount of force. I have a 93 reg cab pickup that she rides in, would that be any better in a crash? I am not sure that it would be.
Should children only ride in camry types or suv's? Keep your thoughts comming...


- T -

 

There are documented reports of air bags killing children and small adults. You would be irresponsible to let a child ride in your car. I just bought an S and my 7 year old will not ride in it but my 13 year old can because she is the same size as my wife ( 5 feet and over 100lbs). The seat will be as far back as possible. This is a size and weight issue.

 

What is irresponsible? Letting a child ride in a two seat convertible or letting a child ride in an airbag equipped seat that cant be turned off?

I am ready to get my car out of storage soon and have the daily responsibility of dropping off my two year old on the way to work. I was thinking about having a switch installed to override the air bag. Its my belief that his car seat which is equipped with a 4 point harness will keep him more secure than an adult with the standard belt.

I don't want to do anything unsafe for my sons sake, but would it be ok with some type of switch installed?

 

you can have http://www.airbagonoff.com install a switch. you just have to make sure that they send a good installer as one person on the board had a problem.
you need to fill out form from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/airbags/brochure/...e/Req_Form.html first. few people on the board had them done.

 

Greg,
I have let my at the time 2 year old ride in the front seat of my old corvette convertible. No passenger airbag. If you disable the airbag and have a seatbelt you will be OK. Most dealers will not do it for liability issues. Airbags can KILL kids. When I have to pick up my son I take a different car than the S. I realized this was an issue when I bought this car. My wife drives the kids most of the time in a full frame SUV, depowered airbags, seat all the way back (she is small) the kids strapped into the back seat /carseat. In general a small 2 seat convertible is not the safest car on the road but the issue here is the airbag. Even witha carseat if you cannot disable the airbag do not take him in the car. I almost bought a Z4, corvette or a miata because these cars have airbag cuttoff switches. I waited a year hopeing Honda would have this switch in 2003, but they did not , I wanted a S bought it and decided my son will not ride.