This is it! When she called me from the scene, I drove right past her looking for a badly crashed Fusion. I saw it parked and thought "wow, that's a nice looking fusion". She called me and said she saw me drive past! In the driver's side shot, you can see the offending pole in the background. The car is not a Titanium, but it is loaded out like one.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tommydogg,

At first glance I thought that the damage wasn't that bad, maybe a few grand. Then I saw the popped airbags. That's what did it.

It sounds like pretty much anymore when airbags deploy, it's a loss as they are really expensive to replace properly.

That and the fact that they're all over the vehicle now, as opposed to being just in the front.

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In the good ole days, you got first dibs and you could purchase the carcass for next to nothing!

You still get first dibs... but if you want to keep it they will deduct the salvage value from what they pay on the claim.
You might be able to find a lower-cost body guy to fix it. The airbags are a pain, but there are people who do just airbags.

I've been an adjuster for quite some time now and can agree with everything already said about all the tech and material costs, as well as what the vehicle will sell for at salvage being responsible for these "total losses". Based on the damages and photos, it is clear that the damage isn't physically that bad, but they also factor in what is going to be involved when they tear down the vehicle. The reason the airbags deployed is because the impact looks like it is close enough front to back to be close to inline with the right frame rail where one of several impact sensors are located, while the turning direction of the vehicle being enough to trigger the lateral impact sensor typically located in the center B-pillar between the doors. I do agree that in the quest to minimize LIST damages (low impact, soft tissue injury claims) and the quest for ultimate saftey, the saftey systems have been tuned to be way on the conservative side. Obviously it was a movie and the impact much greater but I always think of the scene from Demolition Man where Sylvester Stallone crashes the police car and it completely fills with safety foam that hardens instantly turning it into a "cannoli" to use his words. Can't help but think we are heading towards a time where there will be mostly self driving cannolis cruising the streets.

Sounds like the mileage hurt the vehicle the most as it looks to be in really good, well cared for condition otherwise. When it comes to trim levels, if you like more fully equipped cars, it usually helps to have the upper trim level than what the equipment adds a la cart to the value of the vehicle so keep that in mind when shopping for a new one and negotiating the price difference between the two. Hopefully you never have another TL to deal with but it does also help with trading in or selling the car in the future.

Glad you guys had GAP insurance and that your wife was ok!

Since cars today are built to crumple is it safe to drive them without air bags? I am asking if it is safe, not if it is responsible. Point being perhaps one could fix all but the bags and keep going until a better solution presented.

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Originally posted by ffips:
Since cars today are built to crumple is it safe to drive them without air bags? I am asking if it is safe, not if it is responsible. Point being perhaps one could fix all but the bags and keep going until a better solution presented.

Now you've got me wondering-if (specifically the driver's side) an air bag deploys but the car is functional, does it enter a "limp home" mode until codes are reset?

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Since cars today are built to crumple is it safe to drive them without air bags? I am asking if it is safe, not if it is responsible. Point being perhaps one could fix all but the bags and keep going until a better solution presented.

I don't like airbags. I've driven a few cars without them. I think seatbelts are important but airbags not so much. I've heard many stories of airbags doing more harm than good.

Here is a good one! On my insurance policy, I had a coverage called replacement car assistance that I was paying 2.59 a month for. I had not thought much about it until I got the actual settlement notice. It was 20% of the car's value, so there was an extra 3 grand in the settlement. I thought, there is some cash to add to the new car kitty! Wrong answer! That goes into the settlement pile to the lienholder. Basically it was a 3 grand gift to the GAP company! They pay out 3 grand less than than they would have without it. If you have GAP, don't get the replacement assistance on your regular insurance, your blowing cash.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommydogg:
Here is a good one! On my insurance policy, I had a coverage called replacement car assistance that I was paying 2.59 a month for. I had not thought much about it until I got the actual settlement notice. It was 20% of the car's value, so there was an extra 3 grand in the settlement. I thought, there is some cash to add to the new car kitty! Wrong answer! That goes into the settlement pile to the lienholder. Basically it was a 3 grand gift to the GAP company! They pay out 3 grand less than than they would have without it. If you have GAP, don't get the replacement assistance on your regular insurance, your blowing cash.

The lien holder is a lot like Uncle Sam. They get theirs FIRST. Keep us posted on the progress.

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Originally posted by PASig:
It sounds like pretty much anymore when airbags deploy, it's a loss as they are really expensive to replace properly.

Yep and the buying public/gov't is so obsessed with safety that that number of airbags popping as well as the number of mandatory replacement items is ever increasing.

He had three bags pop, curtain, knee and front driver. Depending on what Ford REQUIRES the following items could all need to be replaced from this deployment:

all deployed airbags, all seat belts and buckles, the headliner, the dash board, the steering wheel, the steering column, any airbag sensors in the area of impact, the airbag computer, the pillar trim, etc etc etc.

It's not just the arbags that get you, it's all of the ancillary equipment that goes with them.

I just had to look at a Taurus that was involved in an even smaller accident than the OP. minor front end damage and only the driver airbag deployed. They had to replace the front sensors, the airbag, the steering column, the airbag computer (which is under the center console which requires partial disassembly of the dash to come out). $7000 in damages with the only body damage being the bumper cover.

Back in '06 I slid on a patch of ice at the bottom of a dip in the road,, did a 360 and slammed into a BIG tree. The force of the collision shattered the right front wheel. but I'd hit more on the left side. Not one of the air bags deployed!!!! I called Chrysler and told them, they sent a representative who after a through inspection of the wrecked vehicle told me the computer did not sense the collision!!!!!!