If Airbags Deploy is a Car Totalled & Written

The short answer: yes and no. Here's a closer look.

Before answering the question ‘is car totalled if airbags deploy,’ we should know ‘what is a totalled car.’ A totalled or written-off car is one that your insurer deems not fit for repair because its overhauling cost exceeds its market value. The insurance firm will pay the actual cash value minus deductibles for the totalled vehicle (if you have a comprehensive policy), so you can buy a new one.

The insurer must follow your state or province’s law to declare a vehicle ‘totalled.’ Every state has its own total loss threshold, which may range from 50% to 100%.

For instance, in case your accidental vehicle’s value stands at $5,000 in Iowa, the insurance firm will declare it write-off/totalled if the repair cost goes above $2,500. The reason is the threshold value in Iowa is 50%. On the other hand, the insurer will write off the same car in Colorado only when the repair cost is $5,000 because the limit in the Centennial State is 100%.

Now that you know about total loss cars, let us answer the most crucial question:

Yes and No!

Understanding the definition of totalled/written-off/total loss, if your airbags deploy after a crash and the cost of their replacement and other repairs surpasses your state’s threshold, the insurance firm will write it off. If it does not, you can still have your vehicle and get the necessary repairs through your insurer.

As mentioned earlier, you will only receive some compensation for a total loss if you possess a comprehensive insurance policy. Unfortunately, the liability coverage will leave you empty-handed.

Most vehicles receive a totalled status after airbags deployment because of their old age. Let’s consider a scenario for easy understanding:

If you own an eight-year-old car with a comprehensive insurance policy and you meet an accident that deploys your airbags, chances of getting a total loss status are very high. On the other hand, if the airbags had been deployed in a six-month-old vehicle, the insurance company might have fixed it.

Once your vehicle’s airbags deploy, they are useless because you cannot reuse them. In case your airbags went off after an accident, and your insurer did not declare it a total loss, you need to replace them. In an unfortunate event if this vehicle meets another accident in the future. Your fatal injury chances enhance by 30 percent because the car does not have airbags.

Every state has its own rules about airbag replacement. For instance, the Georgia state penalizes you if you install or reinstall a bogus, non-operational, and low-standard airbag. If you live in Alabama, it is up to you whether you want to install new airbags or not. However, while selling, you are responsible for telling the buyer that the car does not have airbags, or else the buyer can sue you.