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Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

3419 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2013 at 4:51 PM

You are in the Hyundai Elantra Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Elantra, Hatchback, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 257 of 342

#2559 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [shelly5th] by nj2pa2nc

Sep 17, 2006 (10:20 am)

Replying to: shelly5th (Sep 16, 2006 8:38 pm)
I am glad to hear your daughter and her passenger were not injured. My daughter totaled her 2002 elantra which she bought new. She ownedit just over two years. She insisted to us that her brakes failed and the steering locked up causing her to hit a tree when she tried to go around a sharp curve. We found out later she was driving way to fast and was unable to negotiate the curve. The skid marks were over 150 feet so the brakes worked fine. Her car hit the tree dead center and the air bags did not go off. Luckily she was wearing her seat belt. I personally would prefer not having airbags inthe car. I am just glad my daughter was o.k. Is your daughter telling you the whole story. Maybe she was talking to her passenger. I was always taught you have to be in control of your car at all times. Try to keep your distance is case of sudden stops and be alert to your surroundings. There is a class action suit against Hyundai. We just recently received information on the proper way for the passenger to sit in the front seat.

#2560 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [shelly5th] by jlflemmons

Sep 17, 2006 (6:31 pm)

Replying to: shelly5th (Sep 16, 2006 8:38 pm)
Not being a witness to the accident, I cannot say what happened or didn't happen, but many, many times I have heard a young driver involved in an accident state that "the car wouldn't turn" when the evidence at the accident indicated that the front brakes were locked right up to the point of impact. In the moment of panic, many drivers will not pump the brakes (non-abs car) and will lose the ability to steer the car. Afterwards, they will swear something happened to the car causing the accident.
 
Once again, I am not saying that is what happened here, but it is a very common element in accidents with young or inexperienced drivers.
 
More importantly, I am very glad your girl is okay. Cars can always be replaced. Loved ones cannot.

#2561 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [snakeweasel] by shelly5th

Sep 17, 2006 (9:12 pm)

Replying to: snakeweasel (Sep 17, 2006 8:23 am)
The first estimate was over $6,000 damage. They told her it could be more once they start taking the car apart!

#2562 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [shelly5th] by jimijames

Sep 18, 2006 (5:02 am)

Replying to: shelly5th (Sep 17, 2006 9:12 pm)
If she locked the brakes (assuming no ABS) which is highly probable in an accident situation, 1) you will have no directional control... in other words you turn the wheel and nothing happens which could be confused with 'locked up steering' and 2) the ABS system will see a zero wheelspeed and therefore think the car is not moving. There is a low speed cutoff for the airbag system (can't remember the exact number but I think it's in the manual), so the bags don't deploy if you hit something at parking lot speeds.
 
It's not a Hyundai specific issue. Someone in a sentra slammed into me on the highway a few years back and his airbags never deployed because he locked his brakes. We probably hit while still over 40mph and he did $5000 worth of damage to my car.
 
Anyway glad everyone is ok, and that is what really matters.

#2563 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [jimijames] by doohickie

Sep 18, 2006 (6:52 am)

Replying to: jimijames (Sep 18, 2006 5:02 am)
The air bags are certainly a concern, but... this is another in an ongoing series of Elantra accident stories I've heard where the people in the Elantra did not sustain serious injuries. You can talk about crash safety ratings- I understand the Elantra is not the best- but the anecdotal evidence I see on this and other forums gives me a lot of faith in the safety of my car.

#2564 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [doohickie] by nj2pa2nc

Sep 18, 2006 (7:08 am)

Replying to: doohickie (Sep 18, 2006 6:52 am)
I have to agree with you. Even tho the front of my daughter's elantra was almost completely crushed in the inside of the car had no damage. She is now driving a 04 elantra, bought new. She does alot of driving. (25,000 a year)The cops, after the accident, said they could not believe she had no injuries.They were amazed with the elantra.

#2565 of 3419 Re: AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! [nj2pa2nc] by jlflemmons

Sep 18, 2006 (7:18 am)

Replying to: nj2pa2nc (Sep 18, 2006 7:08 am)
Hyundai is making a very strong statement on vehicle safety. A friend that works at a Hyundai dealership has talked about the philosophy that is used in the design. "Scrap the car, save the passengers". Sort of a two way benefit if you think about it. Say you come upon a wreck, or have someone you know in a wreck in a Hyundai. Car is a complete mess, but the passengers are unscathed. Might very well make you look at Hyundai in a different light, no?
 
Side note: One of the rarely mentioned safety factors of the late Pontiac Fiero was its complete integral roll cage and crash protection. The son of a good friend was the passenger in one when the driver fell asleep and ran off the road on cruise control, hitting a stalled car at over 70MPH. The Fiero was an absolute pile of rubble, but the passenger compartment was intact with no intrusions, and both walked away with lots of bruises from the seatbelts. The police were amazed that they survived, and moreso without injury.

#2566 of 3419 throttle body cleaning by nodule

Sep 18, 2006 (11:03 am)

Have any folks here have done throttle body/injector cleaning
on a regular basis??
What are the mileage intervals anyone has done this?

#2567 of 3419 Re: throttle body cleaning [nodule] by snakeweasel

Sep 18, 2006 (11:16 am)

Replying to: nodule (Sep 18, 2006 11:03 am)
Well one thing is fuel has cleaning agents in it. So you really don't need a fuel system cleaner. I have gone close to 140K miles without using any and have had no problems.

#2568 of 3419 Re: throttle body cleaning [nodule] by backy

Sep 18, 2006 (2:34 pm)

Replying to: nodule (Sep 18, 2006 11:03 am)
I don't have time to look it up now, but there is a TSB recommending AGAINST throttle-body cleaning of the type that some dealers will try to sell you as part of their maintenance "packages" at, for example, 15k miles. The first time my dealer tried to sell those extra services to me, I just said, "No, thanks--please perform only the services recommended by the manufacturer in the owner's manual."

Messages Page 257 of 342

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