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My airbag didn't go off in a serious accident - are Volkswagen liable for the injuries I suffered?

My Volkswagen Golf was hit from the rear by an SUV at over 50mph. My front and rear passenger airbags went off, mine didn't. I had facial injuries, was knocked out for 20 mins and off work with very painful back whiplash for five weeks. The case is still being evaluated by insurers for contributory negligence. My car was so badly damaged that the insurance engineer wrote it off. My Golf was new from 2013, with a full service history. Would Volkswagen have any liability for my airbag not going off in such a high speed and damaging collision?

Asked on 12 November 2017 by VW Driver, Berkshire

Answered by Honest John
Airbags only go off if their triggers are triggered. They are not and cannot be guaranteed to be triggered in every circumstance. But because personal injuries are involved and the compensation could be considerable, your insurer may have examined the airbag trigger and pyrotechnics and if an actual fault was found with them, it might take action against the supplier of the car.
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