After being run off the highway by a SUV the air bags failed to deploy during a head on collision into the woods going 65mph down a 50ft embankment. Whole front end of the car, and the drive side of the car was destroyed, causing the engine to come up resulting in the steering wheel and console to come up.
2003 Mazda MAZDA6: airbags did not deploy in a crash
5 of the 174 complaints about the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6 describe airbags did not deploy in a crash.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 7 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Airbags did not deploy in a crash by model year
What owners say
My daughter was involved in a serious rollover accident last thursday and the car's airbags did not deploy.
Dt*: the contact stated after fainting, the vehicle struck a stop sign at 10 MPH. The impact occurred in the center of the hood. The air bags didn't deploy until the consumer opened the driver's side door to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and was deemed totaled by the insurance company. There has been no inspection of the air bag problem. Updated 6/16/2006 -
While driving at 45mph consumer's vehicle was hit from behind, causing it to rear end another vehicle. Upon impact, both frontal air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries. *ak prior to accident, left front tire kept loosing air. Dealer re-beaded it but didn't found anything wrong with the tire. Dealer told consumer to come back if tires still losses air.
While driving the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. The front, side, and rear air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a broken arm and the vehicle was declared a total lost. Please provide any additional information.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Subject: UPDATE
- The Workshop Manual has two-different airbag procedures, one for Standard Deployment and one for Two-Step...
- Stopper plates for air bag module connectors have been established as new service parts.
- Mazda Motor Corporation is going to evaluate the following inflators to ensure the safety of the inflator...
- Takata recalls general information purpose: this page was created to assist with handling takata air bag...
- Mazda: an increased combustion, during air bag deployment, is due to inflator propellant material, that...
- Non genuine accessories affect air bag operation
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2005 MPV, 2004 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V130, 14V362, 14V773 and 15V869.
Recall number 19V781000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 and 2004 MPV vehicles nationwide. Mazda is also recalling 2005-2006 MPV vehicles in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. On July 9, 2019 this recall was expanded to include certain 2004-2011 RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V‑354 but have not yet been repaired. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Mailing to the affected RX-8 owners began July 6, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 16V354.
Recall number 18V402000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1417G. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V‑382.
Recall number 17V474000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6 no deployment
Is airbags did not deploy in a crash a common problem on the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6?
5 of 174 owner complaints about the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6 (3%) mention airbags did not deploy in a crash. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6?
There are 3 recalls and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Mazda MAZDA6
Check engine light 25Grinding brakes 15Jerking 11Stalling 9Hesitation 8Harsh shifting 7
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Mazda MAZDA6?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history