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I had the same dilemma. My son is 5 years old and my wife was uncomfortable with him riding in the S2000 when there is a passenger airbag. I argued that when he is strapped in with a seatbelt properly, it is very unlikely that the airbag will even contact him. The only question here is that with a high impact collision, there is always some momentum that carries the passenger 'x' amount of distance forward. Will the child's safety be jeopardized with an exploding airbag? This is something that I don't know. That is why I chose to put in a deactivation switch.
Two weeks ago, itr-Gary installed my deactivation switch (Thanks again, Gary!). It took many months to get to this stage. You have to get permission from Transport Canada and then sign a lengthy document with Honda Canada before you can proceed with ordering the parts from Handa Canada. Then you have to pay the dealership before Honda Canada will ship the parts. The installation took about four hours. itr-Gary can provide more details and I would certainly recommend his services. PM me if you want some more details about the whole ordeal. I suspect I am the first S2000 with this switch in Canada.
In the end, I feel this is the most responsible way of enjoying my S2000 with my son.
Ya its basically the same here in the US, have to get a waiver from NHTSA then you can either order the parts and do it yourself or get someone to install one. I just faxed my request in yesterday, and the installer I talked to said it usually takes 3-4 weeks to get authorization back from them. Oh well, till then I will just put the seat all the way back and give my kid holy hell if she moves 1/2 inch forward lol.
I had a switch installed by Sensible Solutions as well (www.airbagonoff.com).
Process took about a month from sending the request to the NHTSA (the form is on the Sensible Solutions website) and to schedule the appointment.
I had the switch installed in the same location as the S2000 pic on their website. Took less than an hour for the actual installation, and not a scratch or sign of sloppiness anywhere. Looks factory.
Originally posted by Menus4me Took less than an hour for the actual installation
You're very lucky it was a quick and simple deal.
"Louie", I had Gary as my passenger for our "End of Summer" drive. He explained to me what was necessary to do the proper "legal" installation on your car. If you didn't see what he had to do to get all the stuff into your car, you are just as well off.
My passenger side airbag switch was also installed by Sensible Solutions back in August. They are based locally and I was lucky enough to have Bob Brown, one of the principals, install mine personally. He told me that they train installers around the country, and for smaller markets, he travels to do the installs (which is why in some areas, appoints run a few weeks or months out). Basically all the pertinent information is on their web site (http://www.airbagonoff.com/) or on NHTSA site (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/airbags/).
I think the bottom line is that children (and even small adults) are at great risk of injury from passenger side airbags even with the seat all the way back. Bob pointed out that most people don't realize that the passenger side airbag deploys with considerably more force and out from 32" to 38", whereas the driver side only deploys about 12" or so). If your child rides with you in the S, no matter how well belted or secured, get the switch installed! I paid $400.
