Properly Installed Windshield Is Necessary for Airbag to Work Right

Your vehicle’s windshield needs to be installed properly for the airbag on the passenger side to work correctly. So, if you need to have a windshield replaced, make sure the work is done by a professional, certified installer who understands its importance to your safety and that of others riding in your vehicle.

Bob Beranek, owner of Automotive Glass Consultants, who is often called to testify as an auto glass industry expert trial witness, advises consumers to ask the installer about the airbag when having a windshield replaced.

“When a vehicle is involved in a collision, a passenger-side airbag is designed to deploy off the windshield at speeds up to 200 mph,” Beranek explains. “So it is imperative for the windshield to be installed correctly. You don’t want the airbag to force the windshield out of the frame, which would defeat the purpose of the airbag and possibly allow passengers to be ejected from the vehicle.”

Federal law requires windshields in vehicles without passenger-side airbags to be able to sustain pressure of up to 56 pounds per square inch and remain in place, Beranek said.

“Windshield installations in vehicles with dual front airbags must be able to take up to six times that much force.” All airbags are not alike, so auto glass installers must know how to remove and replace a windshield so that proper airbag performance will not be affected. “It’s important for the installer to know how to disable and enable the airbag, especially with the sophisticated computer technology in many of today’s cars,” Beranek said.

Because of the importance of the windshield installation to correct function of the passenger-side airbag, the glass must fit properly in the frame and be installed with the proper materials, Beranek says.

“I recommend consumers ask for a windshield made by an auto glass manufacturer that is also a supplier to the car manufacturers,” he advises.

For the passenger-side airbag to deploy, the windshield must remain in place, Beranek says, so it is important for the installer to use urethane adhesive.

“The installer has to use the right urethane adhesive system to bond the glass to the car frame for the windshield to be installed properly. Two-part chemical cure systems are designed to provide the needed bond strength.”

Once the car owner knows that the right glass and urethane will be used, Beranek says to ask about the installer’s training.

“Make sure the installer is certified by an industry organization and an adhesive manufacturer,” Beranek says. “Ask to see the installer’s credentials. Professionals won’t be upset if you ask but will appreciate your concern and be glad to show you their certificates.”

In the Twin Cities Metro Area, Rightway Auto Glass, located at 8573 Jefferson Hwy., Osseo, MN is a certified auto glass shop that can provide quality work. For convenient auto glass repairs and replacements, call (763) 420-7014.

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