Car customization is a lot of fun. Adding that little bit of personal flair can make something feel like your own. But some modifications can not only hinder the car’s functionality but, more importantly, safety. And the most dangerous are the things that can hinder your activities car safety device. One that NHTSA are highlighting give the second time are sticker badges that you can have to decorate your steering wheel.
You can find them almost anywhere on the internet, often with plastic or simply different rhinestones. color than the usual chrome steering wheel badge. While they may seem innocent, the problem is, as NHTSA points out, they can become dislodged, broken, and ejected from the steering wheel when driving. air bag deployment. It received a report of a person having an accident in which two pieces of the badge were lodged in the person’s neck and face after the airbag deployed.
This is also not unique. Back in November, NHTSA issued a similar warning after receiving reports of someone’s behavior. aftermarket broken badge. The person lost sight in one eye.
Besides the projectile launching capabilities of these add-ons, NHTSA also notes that placing anything where your airbags are could interfere with their operation. Automakers have carefully designed their airbag panels and devices to open in specific ways, and attaching things that might prevent that can also be a risk.
The good news is that this is an easy problem to solve. Ideally, don’t get one of these decal badges in the first place. But if you have already purchased and installed one, then simply remove it. Grasp and pull it out, or even get a screwdriver to pry it out if it’s really stuck. In any case, from the sounds of it, it probably wouldn’t have been attached that tightly anyway. Please note that we are talking specifically about the badges located centrally on the steering wheel, where the airbags are, other bright interior details will not be mentioned.
