Disableing Passenger Airbag
 

Is there a way to disable the passnger airbag in a '99 Boxster? I don't want to do anything major, I just want to know if there is a convenient way to do this. My 6year old was very upset when I bought the car..."why did you have to get a car with only two seats?!? I can't ride in it!!". After reasearching the laws in my state (NJ) I found that kids under 12 can ride in the front seat if there is no backseat. However, the airbag is an issue. It is safer for a kid to have it turned off.

Our Volvo has a switch that turns it off if need be, though I am not sure why you would want it off in that car. My Isuzu Trooper does not have that ability. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Do not put a child in the front seat unless you disable the airbag. The pressure created when the airbag deploys could easily kill or seriously injure a child. I have a 987 model so I'm not sure if it works the same but I had to get a dealer installed deactivation kit. Now I can use the key to deactivate the airbag by the passenger door. It was almost $700 to have installed. For the 986 I think the solution may be different but I do believe you have to have it installed.

Re: Disabling Airbag
 

Thanks for the info. I haven't let her ride in it (except for a very slow turn around the block) and don't plan to because of the danger. I'll look into the modification. It seems a little pricey just to let her ride in it once in awhile. It makes it all the harder because her 12 year old sister gets to go out in it! Oh well, she may just have to wait until she turns 12.

NJkayaker,

From the PCA tech section :

The only proper way that Porsche has to disable the airbag is with the seat. What they actually use is a buckle that plugs into a receptacle. This receptacle is fastened to the front of the seat by the means of a solid bar. It is then plugged into the seat harness. Every time the buckle is latched into the receptacle it safely deactivates the airbag. You can tell that the airbag is deactivated do to the warning light flashes for one minute when the car is started or key turned is on. A dealer or shop with a System 2 tester has to reprogram the control unit upon this installation. At no time is it considered safe for a child to sit in the front until this has been done. An airbag can even blow with just the key in the ignition and the car not running.

Scott Slauson - PCA WebSite - 6/7/2004

Link

Hope this helps...

Nick

Here's another option worth researching :

http://www.airbagonoff.com/

Nick

I found a child booster seat on eBay for about $250 (they pop up there from time to time) and then had my Porsche dealer install the airbag deactivation bar and re-program the OBC. I believe that was around $350 in time & material

Strange when you think that my buddy's Miata has a simple switch to turn the air bag on or off - but then again it's Por$che

You might want to go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admininistrations web site and do a search on air bags. (www.nhsta.dot.gov)

There are a lot of myths about children and air bags. Many of the children killed by air bags were either in a rear facing car seat or not properly buckled in the car. However, after children reach a certain size, it may be safer to have a working air bag if the child must ride in the front seat. It depends on the type of accident and the size and strength of the child.

This is definitely an area where you want to take every precaution possible. I faced this situation too, and I think it is best to either buy the Porsche child seat or not let your child ride in the front seat until you think they are big enough to do so safely.

The NHTSA web site has a lot of informaton that can help you make a decision.