Mazda 3 accident *pictures*?

I'm sorry im posting again because i got one answer.

just got into a pretty bad accident last night with my brand new 2008 Mazda 3. I went to the mazda website and it said that all these things come standard in my car,
Advanced dual front air bags, side-impact air curtains with
third-row coverage, and front-seat mounted side-impact air bags
Side-impact door beams – front and rear
Collapsible steering column (following air bag deployment)
Also i looked in my manual and it said there are sensors all over the car, not just on the bumpers

And not one airbag went off!
My accident was pretty bad ( see pictures)
These are pictures of my car a few minutes after my accident when the car was taken to a junk yard.
I am thinking about sueing mazda.

How much do you think i could get??
Also do you think its worth it? and what should i do to get the ball rolling?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/3048710409_4a71192597_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/3048710405_eef70533da_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/3048710403_ea2bc5da40_b.jpg

zap1234

I am a little concerned that the damage to the 'B' pillar did not trigger an airbag to deploy - having said that I am not familiar with the triggers needed for a curtain bag to fire or the location of the sensors.
I am aware the impact looks like a deep sideswipe but still that pillar has deffinately gone in.
Here's what I would do:
Get the car towed out of the junkyard and towed to a reputable repair shop (advise your insurance Co of every step along the way)
Ask them to locate and show you the Airbag "sensors" and to tell you if any of them sustained any damage.
Be aware they may charge you for this and you may need to pay the accident tow fee and the trade tow for moving the wreck. Make sure you keep original reciepts for these as you will need to be initially re-imbursed by your ins co and then later if it goes to court these costs will need to be covered if you win.
Have them prepare a quote for the damage and inlude any sensors on the parts list in the itemised area of the quotation.
Have your insurance co assess the vehicle and see if it is going to be repaired or 'written off' as either a "structural total loss" or an "economic write-off"

Now, based on the comments from the Ins assessor and the crash repair estimator you can make the decision as to whether you need to contact MAZDA or not.
If the sensors are damaged and the airbags didnt fire then thats pretty serious and there are big questions that need answering: why not, has the car been smashed and repaired before? Has an aftermarket accessory been installed that has interfered with the sensor? was there a fault from the factory?

Remenber that sometimes the sensor doesnt get hit or the type of hit doesnt require the bag to fire e.g. the answer above about no-one sitting in that particular seat etc.

Just make sure to get all your paperwork in order before you try anything legal as companies such as this can afford a team of lawyers to work for a whole year if they want. Dont give them any excuse to kick you out of court.

On the other hand if the crash shop says its just a case of - "every accident is different" you'll probably need to accept this.
I hope this helps and your not too badly hurt.

Jason

I dont think you can really sue mazda because im sure they have a loop hole for every situation that arrives into there facilities. Plus depening on there set up for the air bags and at what time they go off and where the impact needs to be brought across the vehicle for there air bags to deploy is probably different on every model. But being an 2008 i would of thought you would have it under full coverage. Plus mazda would probably keep it under wraps and drag the process out so long and have the highest paid attorneys available which depending on the situation might not ever go to court over because they wouldnt want the television hype.

Mandy R

The direction of impact shows that air bag deployment was not needed. It was a lateral force at a less then critical angle not meeting the required design criterion.
Just how many times do you have to ask this question?
Three should be enough!

George A

If the front of the car is not struck, the sensors (since they are located behind the front bumper in most cars) will not activate the front airbags.

The side curtain airbags (I'm not sure if Mazda uses this) in some model cars will not deploy if no passenger is on the side of the vehicle that is struck. (helps save you some money in repair costs or so the car manufacturers claim that allegedly use this technology) Was someone sitting in the front passenger seat when you had your accident or were you alone?

jeffsmiley22

I personally think they should have gone off, thats pretty bad, I have side impact airbags in my car, and sensors all over the sides of it to, The side air bags shouldnt go off just because you get hit in the front the defeats the purpose of them, Id def look into it and see what you can do. You could have been seriously hurt, if that would of hit different, and they didnt go off.

people are idiots

How can you have 3rd row coverage when your car only has 2 rows of seats? Look up the correct car first. Then you can think about suing.

Super mom

ooof!! that looks awful!! i hope you are ok!! i dont know if you can sue them though because i think air bags are set to deploy only when the front of the car is impacted...i could be wrong but that is my understanding...good luck!! and be safe!!

UCANTCME

Not to be rude but no, you can try but you wont get anything.

Front airbags deploy only when they might be needed to prevent serious injury. Frontal driver and passenger airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe "frontal" crashes only.

Like the frontal airbags; side impact airbags must have a crash sensor to recognize that a crash has occurred. These sensors are usually mounted in the frond door, the B post, or most are located inside of the rocker panel just below the B post.

Also like the frontal sensors; these sensors must experience an impact from a "certain" direction to deploy an airbag.

You will get (ACV) actual cash value unless you had GAP insurance.

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