DISABLE YOUR AIRBAG
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"WARNING!!! Think twice before you disable your airbag. They are there for your safety. If you have ever been in an accident you realize the intense amount of force at work in even relatively slow collisions. If you remove your airbag, you are taking your life in your own hands. This site is not liable for your actions."
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You can disable your airbag without government approval. There are lots of places that sell switches along with instructions on how to install it. The only difficult part is to match the resistance of the airbag to the switch so that the computer doesn't think that the airbag is malfuntioning & turn on the warning light (Inspection Sticker...).
NEVER USE A METER TO MEASURE THE RESISTANCE OF AN AIRBAG. THE CURRENT FROM THE METER COULD TRIGGER THE FIRING MECHANISM. Use a POT (potentiometer) in place of the airbag to tune the system until the airbag computer thinks there is a funtioning airbag (airbag light is off). Most airbags are in the 2.5-5 Ohms range. Measure the POT and put in a resistor with the same resistance in place of the airbag. Make sure the resistor is rated for least 5 watts.
REMOVING THE AIRBAG
To remove an undeployed airbag, it should be deactivated. To deactivate, the 12-volt electrical system of the vehicle must be de-energized. Not all passive restraint systems de-energize the same way. The capacitors used within the system may discharge as fast as 30 seconds or it may take several minutes before airbag removal can safely occur.
Deactivating or disconnecting an airbag assembly does not eliminate the risk of deployment. Since only a small amount of current is required to activate an airbag circuit, static electricity could still deploy an airbag. The best way to avoid static electricity buildup is to handle the airbag like a computer module: Ground yourself with an anti-static discharge strap, attaching the strap to vehicle ground. Once the airbag is out of the vehicle, remove the wrist strap and carry the airbag so that it would deploy away from your body. The undeployed airbag should be stored in a location where it is not subjected to conditions that could cause an airbag module to deploy, such as stray voltage or static electricity.
Airbag Notes
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-54067.html
Airbags in all modern cars that I know of have a secondary power supplies which will enable them to deploy regardless of the presence of a fuse.
33% percent of airbag deployments result in serious injuries, including broken upper extremities, and damage to sight and hearing. A common injury is a broken nose. A driver with their hand on top of the wheel backhands him or herself when the bag deploys. You are better off without them, especially if you are short, and/or sit close to the wheel.
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The airbag detonation circuit is extremely sensitive. in recent years, manufacturers have been twisting the detonation wires to reduce the chance of inductive reactance detonating the airbags. (Inductive reactance is current that can be induced by radio waves, etc. in a straight wire). Even using an ohm-meter on the circuit can detonate the airbags. The detonation, apart from being extremely dangerous because of its force, requires an expensive replacement of the airbag. If a disconnect is not performed properly, there may still be potential for detonation. Not only do some cars have a backup circuit to power the airbag, but inductive reactance, static electricity or capacitance in the circuit can also set off a bag accidentally.
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LINKS
Removal of Airbags - General Procedures
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