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Can anybody either help or throw light on a problem that some friends of mine have.

They own/owned a 2000 A4 2.5 quattro tdi avant

They were travelling on a motorway in France during a heavy storm, the road became flooded and they aquaplaned down the road hitting the bank "side on" this then sent the car spinning down the road where it then flipped on its roof before returning upright.

My friends wife in the passenger seat suffered a broken sternum, broken wrist, fractured skull and cuts and bruises, her husband who was driving came off slightly better although had the skin ripped from the back of his head, when his head came out of the window etc.

Luckily they both survived and are now starting the road to recovery. On inspection of the car (tyres were all OK) it was found that NONE OF THE AIRBAGS HAD ACTIVATED. They contacted Audi who basically said "tough" seven year old car, you have not had it from new, not a full Audi service history"

The car has been serviced regularly and has a current MOT.

What should they do?
Why didn't the bags go off - is it that it was not a direct "head on collison"?
Should airbags be checked - I did not think there was anything to check?
Should Audi do more?

Any help greatly appreciated

I assume these are the same safety airbags as fitted to a B5 RS4 that can travel at twice the speed they were going (about 80mph)

kc

The Audi dealer is talking <beep>, as far as i know the airbags are a 10 year service item thus need to be checked after that time.
Is Audi liable? not sure,they have a point about service history but if you can find out if the airbag system should be guaranteed for ten years and then obtain a reported stating that they should have gone off you may get somewhere.
Airbags are very impact specific IE they only deploy if the impact is at certain points on the car.
I have been to loads of nasty crashes (I'm a Paramedic) and never failed to be surprised that there has been no airbag deployment.

Finally i wish your friends a speedy recovery.

Tom

if there was an issue with the airbags,there should have been a fault code or/and a light indicator on the dash saying that the airbags are not working.The only way for an airbag not to activate is if the angle of the hit is not the one at which the airbag ECU is programmed to activate.I dont know about new ecu's but in the old ones there is a mercury drop that is balanced in a special tube with a delicate string.The way this operates is that as soon as the car crashes abruptly somewhere,that drop passes through the string cutting it at the same time,thus closing the circuit and the airbags utilise.In order for that drop to move in a velocity in which the momentum would cut the string,the tube containing it would have to be directed towards the position of the crash.At least this is why in older cars if you dont crash at a certain angle in front the airbags dont open.

For side airbags and curtain airbags,the ecus should be placed in a way looking at that direction i guess..

Did they have thier seat belts on? if not, they do not deploy ever.
Hope they recover soon.

I hope they recover soon.

Would it be the case that the original side impact was insufficient to set the side bags off and everything after that was , actual impact wise, less force, especially with the comments of tom1, above.
I'm sure the service book in our ( hers !) B5 quattro T Sport (1999.5) say that the bags should be replaced at 15 years !

I read something recently that the DVLA reckon the average life of cars in the UK is 7 years...... so there will be few cases when the bags are replaced, except the drivers seat has already been done as it became faulty