I want to setup a kill switch for disabling my RX8's passenger airbag so my 4-year-old can safely ride in the front seat.

I looked in the fuse box, but it wasn't obvious to me which ones are for the airbags (I dunno if the airbag system has its own fuses or not).

Can I cut the wire(s) to the passenger airbag itself and install a switch so that I can enable/disable it on the fly? Is a switch like that reliable, safe, and legal? (assuming it's properly installed)

Obviously, I'm not going to mess with airbags until I talk to someone experienced with this sort of thing. Can some of the more knowledgeable owners here provide some advice? Attached are some diagrams from the workshop manual (sorry about the crappy quality).

Related threads:
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=7345
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=22346
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=40933
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=29670

The 06 comes with a sensor in the passengers seat that disables that airbag when my
9 year old is sitting there.
It probably could be a retrofit without too much difficulty for your 04...

YOU'RE not even suppose to put a 4 yr o in the front, is it even legal to do so ?

place your son in the back seat. If he cries ..... tell him to be a good boy.

You could get into some legal trouble if you do anything to a safety device on a car. Of course no one will know unless you get in a wreck but that's exactly when they'll want to give you every ticket they can dream up.

If you do find a way to disable it just don't forget to enable it for all other passengers. ;)

YOU'RE not even suppose to put a 4 yr o in the front, is it even legal to do so ?Yes it's legal, though the back seat is generally considered a safer seat. However, with the front airbag deactivated, I would feel comfortable with my 4-year-old riding in the front seat when needed.

EyeBall Fixer...(o)(x), I appreciate the information. Since the 2006 RX8 has a sensor and since the Miata has had a kill switch for years, I'll look into whether or not Mazda themselves can do it. I also found a little more info (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/kids/research/airbag/) on how to request approval (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/airbags/pages/FAQsABDeactiv.htm
) for such a retrofit.

Obviously, I have no interest in doing anything that'd risk the safety of a passenger (especially a child). So, it's gotta be a legit install.

Yes it's legal, though the back seat is generally considered a safer seat. However, with the front airbag deactivated, I would feel comfortable with my 4-year-old riding in the front seat when needed.

EyeBall Fixer...(o)(x), I appreciate the information. Since the 2006 RX8 has a sensor and since the Miata has had a kill switch for years, I'll look into whether or not Mazda themselves can do it. I also found a little more info (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/kids/research/airbag/) on how to request approval (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/airbags/pages/FAQsABDeactiv.htm
) for such a retrofit.

Obviously, I have no interest in doing anything that'd risk the safety of a passenger (especially a child). So, it's gotta be a legit install.

In my old GMC 4x4 I disconnected my battery unplugged the passengers side
airbag (under the glove box). I never had any problems except for an idiot light
in the gage cluster that stayed on all of the time.
I don't know if this could be done to our 8 without throwing a CEL...
might be worth a try...

I am interested too, I have a 5 year old that needs to sit in the front cause not enough room in the back and they don't make a seatbelt extender so I can put his booster seat in the back and get access to the buckle putting him in. They only make a seat belt extender for the front, how worthless is that unless you are an adult with alot of girth in the waist.

YOU'RE not even suppose to put a 4 yr o in the front, is it even legal to do so ?



It is legal...just think of all the pickup trucks with only a bench seat in them. My wife gets on me about this with my 9 yr old son. I do let him ride in the front seat when he has his football helmet and pads on though :-) I too would love to be able to disable that front passenger air bag.

I bougfht the 8 specifically so I would have a back seat for my kid to sit in. Can't see any reason to go out of my way to not use it.

First, I can't imagine putting a 4-year-old in the front seat. You have a back seat that's safer for them. Why the hell move them to the front??

Second, why are some people so paranoid about airbags? You're safer with an airbag than without one, presuming you're also responsible enough to wear a set belt too.

From the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Airbags (http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/airbags.html)

AIRBAGS

About Your Airbags (PDF)
Airbags save lives but can sometimes cause injury — a few simple steps can eliminate the risks. English | Spanish

Kids & Airbags (PDF)
How to transport children safely and eliminate the risk of airbag injury.

Need an Airbag On/Off Switch? Probably Not (PDF)
Once you know the facts, it's clear that leaving airbags intact is almost always best.

Most Shorter Drivers Can Avoid Deactivation (HTML)
research paper excerpt

Q&A: Airbags (HTML)

First, I can't imagine putting a 4-year-old in the front seat. You have a back seat that's safer for them. Why the hell move them to the front??
I bougfht the 8 specifically so I would have a back seat for my kid to sit in. Can't see any reason to go out of my way to not use it.There couldn't possibly be any reason in the world that someone would want to put a child in the front, eh? Three cheers for jumping to conclusions!

If you must know, there have been a couple times that I wanted to carry three kids. That got me to thinking that if it didn't cost much, it might be worth putting in a switch.

Anyway, I contacted Mazda about it and they don't do this sort of thing due to liability. They suggested that I go to a stereo shop... I may call around, but I don't want anyone to mess with the airbags unless they absolutely know what they're doing so I probably wont bother.

Second, why are some people so paranoid about airbags? You're safer with an airbag than without one, presuming you're also responsible enough to wear a set belt too.
I've read the pages you linked to before, and they support the notion that there is additional risk to kids riding in the front with an airbag. From one of them:

"There’s no significant airbag injury risk to properly belted adults sitting back in the seat. The risk on the passenger side is mostly to infants and children who are unrestrained or unbelted — and the remedy is usually as simple as properly restraining kids in a back seat"
Kids have been seriously injured because of airbags even though they were belted in properly. I'm a big supported of seatbelts and airbags, but I'm in the camp that believes that the passenger airbag should not be used when a kid is in the front seat. Only in an emergency would I let my 4-year-old ride in the front with an airbag (and only with his seat was all the way back).

There are other reasons that the back seat is generally considered safer (as I wrote before). But those additional risks can be minimized by keeping stuff off the dash, making sure front passengers are belted in properly, not using an airbag with a child in the front, etc. At that point if you're going to worry about front vs back, then I figure you might as well stop driving a sports car an get an SUV (which is safer in many accident scenarios, especially if you don't drive like a roll-over-inducing-idiot).

I want to setup a kill switch for disabling my RX8's passenger airbag so my 4-year-old can safely ride in the front seat.

There couldn't possibly be any reason in the world that someone would want to put a child in the front, eh? Three cheers for jumping to conclusions!

In your initial post (top), it did not come across that you only wanted to use this feature an "exception" basis.