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My father showed me his car owners manual, the manual stated that the airbag installed had a 10 year lifespan, his car is a 1997 model.

I went home and looked at my partners car manual, and it stated the same 10 years, do these airbags now need to be de-activated or replaced? Could they pose a danger? There must now be thousands of 10 year old cars on our roads.

Rod.

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 23 April 2010

First of all, well done for reading your owner's manual, more people need to do this.

Manufacturer's recommend airbags are replaced after a given period (usually 10 years) as a precautionary measure only. Similar replacement intervals may given to items such as seatbelts etc, however this does not mean they are mandatory service items.

Replacing the airbag(s) at given intervals is not a requirement for a Warrant of Fitness and we would consider it unusual industry practice to replace the airbag parts unless a fault has been indicated.

It's your choice, but replacement of airbags could easily cost more than the vehicle's value. And remember, older vehicles are involved in accidents everyday with their airbags working just as intended.