Had Accident, But No Car Accident Response?

[Teh Prof]

I am very sorry to report that I was in an accident this evening. I am physically untouched--BMW's really are built very strongly. I was travelling in the right-hand lane of three lanes of traffic when a Ford E-250 van pulled out in front of me. I braked hard, but I was literally about ten feet away from him when he came shooting out of nowhere. I hit him going somewhere between 15-25 mph. He was also unharmed in the accident. The officer on the scene immediately diagnosed the accident to be entirely his fault. My car is not in good shape. Pictures follow.

What troubles me afterwards is that the airbag did not deploy, and many of the things that I have heard bmw's do in accidents did not happen. No safety lights came on automatically, the doors stayed locked, etc. As you can see from the pictures, the crash was definitely bad enough to make these things happen. Should I be thinking about suing BMW???

[Torque]

Yeah, make America a better place, sue ...

I was about to throw in the rest of my hateful reply, but I think I'm gonna hold off ...

[mdimbler]

I am sorry to hear about the accident, and glad you are ok.

My thoughts:

From my 97 540 owner's manual: "Deceleration sensors continuously
monitor the physical forces acting upon the vehicle. The system responds to the extreme deceleration rates associated with high-intensity impacts - of the kind in which the safety belts alone might not be able to provide adequate protection."

So the computer probably determined that the accident did not require anything more than seat belts to keep you safe... It was obviously right, as you said you came out without injury.

As far as the doors not unlocking, they will only unlock if you used the central locking button to lock the doors. Perhaps you locked the door manually, or didn't lock the doors at all?

I don't know why the hazard lights did not come on... perhaps they are linked somehow to the airbags, and only come on if the airbag deploys?

And the interior lights are supposed to come on as well. Perhaps also linked to the airbags, or maybe they did come on and it was still light enough outside that you didn't notice?

Anyway, I would be grateful that the car protected me. You said yourself that "I am physically untouched--BMW's really are built very strongly." I would agree with you. Your car did it's job to protect you. Perhaps if you had been injured, you would have a case against BMW for not deploying the airbags properly. But, you seem to be ok, and now it is up to the insurance companies to work out getting your car replaced.

[tbhtjd]

Just as stated above: the computer probably determined you did not need the air bags. It obviously made the right decision. Air bags can cause injury and are really a last resort measure to save your life. Be glad you're alright and talk to your dealership about the lights and stuff.

[africanrider]

Hey there M3UOND, to sue or not to sue, completely your prerogative - review the facts and review the contract you made explicitly and implicitly with BMW by paying money (consideration) for your vehicle.

You held up your end of the contract when you made the purchase and in effect certain promises were made with respect to the performance of your car. Determine if all parties to the transaction met their end of the deal then determine your course of action.