Here's a few pics of the damage. I was going 20-25 at impact - my anti-lock brakes failed (i.e. all four wheels locked up) and my airbags never deployed. I'm going to find out today wether or not it's salvagable. I hope it isn't - there's so much damage I don't think it will ever be the same, and I think I bent the frame. Couple questions, though - does anyone know the minimum velocity for airbags to deploy, and has anyone else had trouble with the anti-lock brakes not functioning as intended? WTF? I'm so bummed out about this. I really liked that car.

Before

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2..._/DSCN0159.jpg

After

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...pmple_zone.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...th_/crunch.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...mith_/ouch.jpg

 

I hope your alright. Any injuries? I'm qurious on the airbags as I thought they would have deployed as well. Next time we have some snow or ice I'll test my anti-lock brakes and make sure they are working.

Hope it all works out for you ok.

Hodakaguy

 

That looks like a hard hit man! glad to see you are ok! A car is a car and can be replaced. A life can't, But what happened?!

 

I'm a little dinged up - I banged my knee on the dash and my shoulder hurts from "seat belt grab" but otherwise ok. Took yesterday off from work and night class to take it easy and start the insurance machine in motion.

I rear-ended a giant Ford SUV. She was unhurt, and the Ford suffered only minor cosmetic damage. A new bumper cover and she'll be good as new. She had one of those black steel fram tow hitches, though, and that's the reason for extreme damage to my Xa.

We were in moderate to heavy city traffic at 6:00 pm, she stopped abruptly and I just didn't react quickly enough. A classic "I only took my eyes off the road for a second" accident.

Thanks for the well-wishes. It's appreciated. hodakaguy, I'd suggest testing your brakes on dry pavement

 

that's strange about your ABS, I'm glad you're ok.

Modern airbags are designed to only deploy during a sudden and extreme deceleration. The sensors in your xA may have decided the accident wasn't severe enough. Do you feel that the airbags may have prevented injury?

If you were not injured in the accident (I'm assuming you were wearing your seatbelt), then I'd say, be thankful the airbags didn't go off, because airbags can cause some nasty injuries themselves.

But yea, glad you are ok! Hope it all works out for you man.

 

OUCH!!!! Man, that was a hard hit!

Glad you weren't hurt any more than you were!

And I agree, be thankful the air bags stayed put...you don't need to add burns and a broken arm to the list of troubles...

 

Interesting observations about the airbags. I thiought that was just 20/20 trying to induce consumer panic.

Yes, I was wearing my seatbelt and glad of it. I could easily have been very badly hurt if not for the seat belt. I swear by 'em, and this is case in point why we wear them. Still no word from the Appraisal Company. The suspense is really killing me.

 

Seatbelts..yes. Airbags...not for me.

 

possible parts, new fender, radiator, hood, headlight ac condesor, bumper, grill. not sure what else probably a few bumper supports.

glad to hear your ok. they might try to fix the car though. what is the plan if they do toatal it get another one?

 

Replacing air bags is a major expense. They may fix your car. Sorry for your misfortune!

 

Thanks. Yeah, it's possible that it looks a lot worse than it actually is, and they could have it all back together in a week. Then again, it looks like the frame is a little bent - if that is what I think it is, at tleast, and it's possible that the engine was effected by this, too. I don't know how far back everything got pushed. . I just don't know. I've got an '04 Accord, and I think we can get by one one car for a while. That lease will ne done this August so I'll be turning it in. My mother-in-law has a Taurus she wants me to have - it's in great shape and she'll either give it to me or sell it to me for next to nothing. It's been really well maintained and has a 6 cyl engine, so it goes like hell. I'd never buy one (it's like admitting you've given up on your dreams), but like I said - she'll either just give it to me, or let me have it real cheap.

I've been making car payments on two new cars for the last 2 1/2 years, and it's left me a little bit cynical (and broke). If I can get out from under the car payments and the insurance I'm paying on them I'll have a LOT of extra money. With payments, insurance and maintenance I'm on the hook for about $1000 a month, and I'm kind of tired of it. A nice beater like the Taurus with no monthly payment and cheap insurance is just what I need.

 

I just got off the phone with the appraiser. They are going to write the car off as a total loss. He said he got to $9,700, and that was just the easily visible damage that he could see without touching anything.

To be honest, I'm relieved. The car would never have been the same again.

Oh, well.

 

First off I am glad your ok. The car could be fixed cheaper than what they say but you are right to, it would never be the same. You could buy the car back and sell parts off of it.

 

good thing that you're ok too and ABS... it works for me but i do have braking problems also. when i'm about to handbrake and i run over like a slight pot hole or a shallow bump i can feel my brakes losing its grip and that scares me because i dont know what the hell is going on. so i had to step it down harder for it to stop.. it happens to me all the time when i run over something shallow. wondering if you guys have the same problem?

 

sorry to hear about your xA, but if you planing on getting a new xa you may want to hurry. I hear they stopped production on them in 06 and wont make anymore until 08. I also don't know why your abs didn't kick in, I came around a corner once and wouldn't you know someone parked their car about 6feet away from the corner, didn't see it right away but when I hit the brakes I could tell that abs was doing its stuff. Hope everything works out for ya.

 

Wow, that sucks, at least your ok. Hope you get a new car soon! Oh, and btw: LOL at "Ford Taurus goes like hell".

 

I know it - it's like the words don't want to be in a sentence together.

 

love the way you name your pix...
I've read somewhere that airbags will only go off at preset manufature setting about 35-40mph, frontal impact...but don't hold me to it though. Strange that ABS didn't activate, make sure to have that check while ur car is in the shop.
Good luck man....hope everything works out.

 

ABS works on mine ever since Denver got snow on the ground.

I drive delivery with my xA and when we get busy I drive way too fast with all the snow on the ground the ABS works every time. Even though stock Bridgestones is feces in snow and ice.

Brake pedal kicks back pretty hard, you gotta keep very firm pressure on it. It also is pretty loud too. Sounds flicking a very fat bungee cord.

 

If you have taken off your front end as much as I have, You'd relieze that the Airbag sensor is on the bumbper support. Clearly your headlight area took the brunt of the force. Therefore no-deployment of the airbags.

I'm glad to see that you came out of the accident pretty much unhurt though!!!