Dashcam wire and airbag

[russd1978]

Hello, I'm expecting to take delivery of a Advance Sport in a week or so and preparing to install my dashcam (my last Jazz was written off by a drunk driver only 10 days old!)

For years I had happily run a wire from the dash cam along the window across and down the door seal to the 12V socket. Then I saw this video which shows how easy it is to block the curtain airbag with the wire:

I just wondered if anyone else has any solutions to ensure that they don't block the airbag when running the wire? Apparently when the airbag goes through the wire it can mean that the dash can become the projectile or the wire itself can do some damage to the passenger.

[5thcivic]

Not impressed. He shows the cable diagonally across the airbag, something common sense tells you is wrong. If you run the cable only under the edges of the moulding and tuck upwards and sidewards it will not interfere with the cover or airbag.

[russd1978]

Not impressed. He shows the cable diagonally across the airbag, something common sense tells you is wrong. If you run the cable only under the edges of the moulding and tuck upwards and sidewards it will not interfere with the cover or airbag.

I assumed the curtain airbag ran all the way above the passenger's window in seeing how they deploy, in which case it needs to be wired from the top down the window side surely? Would love to be proven wrong though.

[Kremmen]

This will be controversial to some but I'm still of the opinion you can safely tuck the thin dashcam power wire under the top 1cm of the A pillar cover safely.

The airbag does not go all the way to the top and when deployed the A pillar trim gets pushed outwards.

Mine goes up the A pillar crevice, behind the door rubber, just under the top of the A pillar trim, then along the headlining to the dashcam.

The Honda Drive Recorder kit contains new A pillar clips that must be replaced if the A pillar is removed. I assume this is to ensure the trim deploys correctly and not straight at the driver due to weakened clips.

[Nicksey]

Mine exactly how Kremmen describes. You really don't need to be pulling off trims and mouldings.

[ADCO]

On the contrary, the airbag is behind the top few centimeters of the A pillar trim. I would strongly recommend removing the A pillar trim, it's not difficult and routing the cable away from the airbag. I just used some tape to secure it to the metal bodywork so that it stayed put. Removing the trim is the same as here

After removing the rubber door seal pull the top of the trim out a little way and then slide upward. The Jazz trim is in two pieces but they stay together. The red airbag clip needs resetting as shown in the video before sliding back in the trim as shown. I've done this twice and the second time was very quick and straitforward. Take your time for the first.

[Jazzik]

Ours is installed the "Kremmen method".

[5thcivic]

Even if there is a slight overhang (which there is not if you tuck up) the idea that the explosive force of an airbag from its centre is not enough to get past a few inches of thin wire right up at the top cm of bag while designed to be whacking a great piece of plastic trim out of the way is something I'm not worried about without cast iron evidence.

[Steve_M]

The curtain airbag is tethered half way down the A pillar, so if your wiring is crossing over the air bag at any point above this. (Which it will be if its come from windscreen side to rubber side above the top clip) then there is the possibility that the wire will impede/interfere with the airbag deployment. What the actual outcome would be it, would be difficult to predict. Perhaps it would snap the wire, perhaps it would pull the wire and the camera becomes a projectile. When you see the movements during these fairly low speed accidents, that is probably going to happen anyway.

The only safe way to run wiring down the A pillar is to remove the trim and run down the windscreen side of the airbag and out the bottom following other wiring harness and replacing the top clip with a new one following its removal.

[Kremmen]

What would be useful is a picture of the airbag, in place, after the trim has been removed

[ADCO]

Here you are.

[Kremmen]

Yes, that is very high, higher than I expected

[5thcivic]

It come's out of the soft roof lining then?

[Kremmen]

I've rotated it to help

Looks like the very top maybe OK ......... maybe

[5thcivic]

Hmm it would be nice to know for sure. My wire only goes from the windscreen roof under the 4 inches of top A pillar gap to the roof lining and straight to the door rubbers to travel downwards to power etc so does not run down the long at A pillar gap. Since there seems to be no airbag in that area, only where the sensor/trigger box appears to be I still can't see how a thin wire like that will be a huge problem, particularly if the bags push the soft roof lining out to operate anyway?