dave_mcmillan
New member
Let me start as saying this was not expected and I wish I had a Mulligan.
I was helping a friend cut down some trees. All went well with this and we began the removal of the stumps. After successfully pulling up 1 stump (8" in diameter). I began on the 2nd (10" diameter). After the first pull the 2nd and larger stump budged so I gave it a little more acceleration and WHAM!!! both air bags deployed and the horn was singing. As an added side effect when the passenger air bag cover hit the windsheild it broke. I can see a shatter line on the windshield where the passenger cover hit which surpises me that plastic would break a windshield. :ybrick:
I was not hurt in this ordeal neither was the truck all other functions work fine (transmission etc....) other than the horn. I Started thinking this may have inadvertly answered the age old question about how do after market bumpers affect airbags. Since I was pulling from my trailer hitch (factory) I was really confused as to how the air bags wound up being deployed. After speaking with my neighbor who was a Toyota mechanic he expalined the Airbag sensor is not in the front of the vehicle (bumpers etc) but rather it is a module controlled event with the module being mounted somewhere near the center of the vehicle most likely around the transmission. Still doing the research as to where exactly this is located.
If you want to disable your airbags pull fuse #7 on your fusebox in the engine bay this will disable the airbags and emergency flashers. In retrospec this would have been good to know and would be saving me from having to repair the truck.
Other than the now really good story to share I am opening the question is there anything that I should look at other than fuses etc and trailer hitch mounting location to inspect for damage?
I was helping a friend cut down some trees. All went well with this and we began the removal of the stumps. After successfully pulling up 1 stump (8" in diameter). I began on the 2nd (10" diameter). After the first pull the 2nd and larger stump budged so I gave it a little more acceleration and WHAM!!! both air bags deployed and the horn was singing. As an added side effect when the passenger air bag cover hit the windsheild it broke. I can see a shatter line on the windshield where the passenger cover hit which surpises me that plastic would break a windshield. :ybrick:
I was not hurt in this ordeal neither was the truck all other functions work fine (transmission etc....) other than the horn. I Started thinking this may have inadvertly answered the age old question about how do after market bumpers affect airbags. Since I was pulling from my trailer hitch (factory) I was really confused as to how the air bags wound up being deployed. After speaking with my neighbor who was a Toyota mechanic he expalined the Airbag sensor is not in the front of the vehicle (bumpers etc) but rather it is a module controlled event with the module being mounted somewhere near the center of the vehicle most likely around the transmission. Still doing the research as to where exactly this is located.
If you want to disable your airbags pull fuse #7 on your fusebox in the engine bay this will disable the airbags and emergency flashers. In retrospec this would have been good to know and would be saving me from having to repair the truck.
Other than the now really good story to share I am opening the question is there anything that I should look at other than fuses etc and trailer hitch mounting location to inspect for damage?
