Somebody in charge would have just taken some money and turned a blind eye.
A lot of people dont know the extend of our problems.

mee!:

YOU NIGERIANS ARE BUSY BLAMING KOREANS, HOW MANY VEHICLES HAVE YOU PRODUCED AS A COUNTRY?
AND YOU ARE BUSY RAISING TANTRUMS. YOUR GRADUATE ENGINEERS CANNOT EVEN DESIGN A CIRCUIT AND YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AIRBAGS. DO YOU KNOW THE MECHANISM BEHIND DESIGNING A VEHICLE. I THINK YOU NIGERIANS NEED TO BE COLONIZED THE SECOND TIME. THIS TIME BY THE KOREANS. IT IS CLEAR YOU CANNOT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS YOURSELVES. TAKE FOR INSTANCE, POWER GENERATION, REAL ESTATE, RESTAURANTS. VERY SOON YOU WILL COMPLETELY BE TURNED INTO SLAVES. VERY SOON!

watch ya trap! just because we cannot produce any car of ours yet does not mean we should joyfully
snuff out our lives inside these korean contraptions!  

had a kia rio without airbag from dana motors. got rid of it. how can dana be importing cars without airbags? i am never going to use their airline again.

KIA Cerato that looks more beautiful and bigger in size has no Airbag. I wonder why people now expect KIA Rio which is smaller in size and in Engine size to have Airbag. But why do people expect too much from cheap cars? If the cars have all the features and durabilities that are available on the Toyotas, don't you think it would be more expensive than its current price?

Dana Motors's aim is to produce a beautiful fibre, powered by an engine, to take you from one place to the other. If you need anything else outside that, you may want to consider other brands.

Well i use a Kia Rio at present and it has no air bag which is no fault of the producer. I can tell u authoritavely that even Kia Picanto comes with air bag and alloy rims but the price you will be getting that for will be like getting a toyota yaris. So in order to make it more affordable for Nigerians this cars are stripped off some (important) specifications so that someone like me can be able to afford it.

So it is a simple marketing strategy sell a cheaper spec against the established branded name cos personally if Kia rio and Toyota Yaris cost the same amount i will surely buy the toyota.

My slogan has always been that it is better to buy a cheap new car than to buy an established brand name car that is second hand!!!!

@ aktunde

point of correction Kia Cerato has air bag, the ones sold in Nigeria except you buy a base model

most car manufactures try to cut cost by reducing the features in their cars. Kia is a budget car brand and might feel air bags are too expensive. then the safety law s in nigeria (if there are any ) are very lax. Most countries banned cars without airbags in them.

aktunde:

KIA Cerato that looks more beautiful and bigger in size has no Airbag.

Thats a lie.

Its got airbags

flyuche:

had a kia rio without airbag from dana motors. got rid of it. how can dana be importing cars without airbags? i am never going to use their airline again.

Dont worry. Their planes have airbags.

@ Akinalabi

I use a brand new KIA Cerato bought last year. I'm not sure of the 2010 model. But the one I use has no airbag. The KIA Cerato and the KIA Rio I see in this picture came out the same time. There dates of manufacture can only be different. But they all came the same time.

no airbag.this is not funny at all.

samcc30:

b4 u say anything on this matter u have to be very careful , how come they wrote airbag on the steering and u said there is no airbag in the car and u sure the car is not tokunbo or someone send u to do this.

You're talking like a typical Nigerian. Airbags are safety related items, and these are removed prior to shipment, to keep costs down, thus maximising profit. What's so hard to comprehend there? Of course these cars still have "AIRBAG" / "SRS" stamped on the driver's wheel, and passenger side of the fascia. Do you honestly expect new panels without AIRBAG / SRS to be produced? This will increase costs, which is what unscrupulous importers are trying to avoid!

cassidy:

Well i use a Kia Rio at present and it has no air bag which is no fault of the producer. I can tell u authoritavely that even Kia Picanto comes with air bag and alloy rims but the price you will be getting that for will be like getting a toyota yaris. So in order to make it more affordable for Nigerians this cars are stripped off some (important) specifications so that someone like me can be able to afford it.

So it is a simple marketing strategy sell a cheaper spec against the established branded name cos personally if Kia rio and Toyota Yaris cost the same amount i will surely buy the toyota.

My slogan has always been that it is better to buy a cheap new car than to buy an established brand name car that is second hand!!!!

You're speaking from the point of view of a buyer, who wants a brand new car at all costs, not from the point of view of one that puts safety above all else. A brand new Kia or Hyundai is no match for a 5-year-old Audi, Mercedes or BMW! I come from an engineering background, and have been in the automobile industry for over 20 years. I see Kia / Hyundai models here in the UK. Sure, they have airbags, but they are no match for established brands. They are what they are - cheap transport, they may look pretty, but there's more under the skin than you'd ever know, and you wouldn't want to either.

I've just purchased a 2005 Audi RS4 Avant. You reckon any brand new Korean car will come even close?

cassidy:

@ aktunde

point of correction Kia Cerato has air bag, the ones sold in Nigeria except you buy a base model

Base models where the cars are manufactured have airbags. Airbags are a legal requirement on all new cars since 1996. Of course in Nigeria, dealers are also likely to charge "extra" for airbag-equipped models, and will probably point out to you that to have an airbag-equipped car, you'll need to by the next model up.

They'll call it "full option", a phrase that is as fake as the dealers that con their buyers. Why pay more for safety items that are fitted as standard, bearing in mind the car was built with it in place? Any dealer charging extra for an "airbag model", i.e persuading their buyers to pay more for a CDX fitted with airbags, rather than a CD with the airbags removed should be shot between the eyes!

Cassidy, I'm sorry to say, it's customers like yourself, that allow unscrupulous dealers to get away with selling you junk, because your statements here seem to back them up. By removing the airbags from your car prior to sale, they're putting your life, and that of your passenger/s at risk, and robbing you blind!

samcc30:

b4 u say anything on this matter u have to be very careful , how come they wrote airbag on the steering and u said there is no airbag in the car and u sure the car is not tokunbo or someone send u to do this.

Lmao, and what would i gain by doing that. Also there is no airbag written on the steering.

ziga:

@post and replies

The fact that you do not see airbags in the PICTURE of a car is enough to deduce that kia rio doesn't come with airbags

Nigeria is a world of rumors and no facts.

I believe the pics below would help clear your doubt and that of other doubting thomases. Just took them this morning.

This thread is very good eductaion for car owners and intending buyers.

If anyone is buying a brand new - Its a good move to walk into an authorised manufacturers' dealer and be very clear on the model AND specs. one is buying. One has to be sure if its the Luxury, Standard, Base or even Taxi specification being displayed or priced.

My feel is that - at the authorised dealership; chances are low of getting these tampered vehicles. Car dealership is a business where even with the papers, any grey area can lead to some funny sales - for instance, a base model might be sold with airbag BUT without some other accessory or part that is also essential to normal/standard driving - the ultimate protection is to research more on threads like this one and find out little things that one must confirm to be available on whatever specs one's budget can cover.

Also, we all need to understand that its possible to buy a tokumbo full option vehicle without airbags - when parts are stolen at the ports or removed for sale by local dealers; common parts removed in high-end full options vehicle usually includes the airbag sensors and wiring, auxilliary fan, ESP block. This simply shows that some of our local dealers strip down some actual brand new imported vehicles that are standard spec. models and make them "basic" by their own standards - hence incidents like this very unfortunate one here. Its not a joke with loss of lives.

@Aare 1

What IF (just one quick one to all); what IF that vehicle was stationary, parked, engine off and a vehicle ran into it?

What IF it was on a very low (regular) speed, and some heavy vehicle ran into it - would that also deploy the airbag?

Did the circumstance of the accident meet the preset conditions for airbag deployment??

I think we need to clarify these first.

From the pictures we have here, IT IS NOT a head-on collission -if it were that headlamp wont be there, and the bonnet will be folded up completely. Also with the tyre still there, it looks more like the vehicle was stationary and then hit from the side - hence the tyre removed from the wheel and still intact; just like a vulcaniser hitting the tubeless off the sealant/wheel.

Onwan:

What IF it was on a very low (regular) speed, and some heavy vehicle ran into it - would that also deploy the airbag?

From the deformation that took place, yes. The Kia Rio has two impact sensors, just behind and below the headlamps. Those areas are completely trashed, so they would have triggered both airbags, if two were fitted.

Onwan:

What IF (just one quick one to all); what IF that vehicle was stationary, parked, engine off and a vehicle ran into it?

Again, I checked with Kia UK. As long as a battery was connected, the airbag would have deployed, with the impact the one from Dana Motors suffered. The crash sensors behind the headlamps have a permanent 12V+ at all times. This also applies if the front seats are unoccupied, ignition is in the off position, and the seat belts are not engaged.

Onwan:

Did the circumstance of the accident meet the preset conditions for airbag deployment??

From the pictures, and angle of impact, yes.

Again

From the pictures we have here, IT IS NOT a head-on collission -if it were that headlamp wont be there, and the bonnet will be folded up completely. Also with the tyre still there, it looks more like the vehicle was stationary and then hit from the side - hence the tyre removed from the wheel and still intact; just like a vulcaniser hitting the tubeless off the sealant/wheel.

Onwan:

@Aare 1

What IF (just one quick one to all); what IF that vehicle was stationary, parked, engine off and a vehicle ran into it?

What IF it was on a very low (regular) speed, and some heavy vehicle ran into it - would that also deploy the airbag?

Did the circumstance of the accident meet the preset conditions for airbag deployment??

I think we need to clarify these first

Honestly, dunno , all i have said is what i know, but on second thot, take a look at the bend on the frontal bar, there's no doubt that the car ran into something. Pics don't lie

Another possibility is that we do not know IF there was a battery in the vehicle in the first place. It could have broken down by the road side and probably a bad battery or a dead alternator or wiring problem leading to overheating in one of our everyday hold-up, leaving the vehicle on the road at a very dangerous corner.

From the pictures, both airbags should have triggered. The driver's side headlamp and chassis rail don't exist anymore, so the sensor should have worked, if it had one! The passenger's side headlamp has also gone back at least 7 inches. The crash sensor sits 5 inches behind it. Again, it should have triggered the passenger's side airbag. Even if we assumed it didn't have a passenger's side airbag, the driver's side would definitely have one, and that's the are that took the brunt of the crash.

I've attached the original picture, with the crash sensor areas circled in red.

Onwan:

Another possibility is that we do not know IF there was a battery in the vehicle in the first place. It could have broken down by the road side and probably a bad battery or a dead alternator or wiring problem leading to overheating in one of our everyday hold-up, leaving the vehicle on the road at a very dangerous corner.

Not sure what the driving culture's like in Nigeria, but. . .

Unless the car that ran into this Rio was driving on the wrong side of the road, facing uncoming traffic, I don't see how this could have happened. If it had been smashed from the rear, then yes, more plausible. But then, no airbags would have been liable to deploy anyway, and this thread wouldn't exist.

Another point worth noting. . .the SRS control unit only needs between 5,3 and 6 volts to be active. So, even a battery 50% discharged would still allow it to function.

That still looks like the vehicle was stationary to me. What could be lower than the bonnet of that vehicle to impact it with such damage and affect the passanger side?

I think actual details of owner, circumstance (pre-impact) of the accident will help clarify issues. Those sensors will work IF there was a battery, and IF they actually existed in the vehicle.

I personally dont think we have enough details to knock Kia Motors Nigeria, [b]because the vehicle might also have had Airbag error lights on for months without the owner paying any attention to it. [/b]Afterall I know a lot of people reading these thread have those light on in some of their vehicles. This only teaches us not to ignore those.

Onwan:

That still looks like the vehicle was stationary to me. What could be lower than the bonnet of that vehicle to impact it with such damage and affect the passanger side?

I think actual details of owner, circumstance (pre-impact) of the accident will help clarify issues. Those sensors will work IF there was a battery, and IF they actually existed in the vehicle.

I personally dont think we have enough details to knock Kia Motors Nigeria, [b]because the vehicle might also have had Airbag error lights on for months without the owner paying any attention to it. [/b]Afterall I know a lot of people reading these thread have those light on in some of their vehicles. This only teaches us not to ignore those.

I believe this answers my question. So there is a way to know if you have air bags or not. Maybe it was faulty or not on. One needs to check it out before buying a car or even b4 driving it. This is our responsibility and not the govt. It is your safety.

Some times a few folks here argue like daft people.

1. Have you visited the Kia website and checked if this particular model has airbags?

2. Were you are the scene of accident and saw no airbags at the point of impact?


3. Do you drive a kia or know any one who drives one and has complained about airbags?

4. That pic looks as though it was taken at a mechanic's workshop, did you ascertain if the airbags have being retrieved?

5. Do you have undeniable evidence to back your spurious claims?

6. Do you know if this particular car is brand new or second hand?

If your answer is no to atleast two of these questions, then shut up and go research for facts before coming here to spew your verbal diarrhoea!

Onwan:

That still looks like the vehicle was stationary to me. What could be lower than the bonnet of that vehicle to impact it with such damage and affect the passanger side?

The rear end of a flat-bed trailer. If it was hit by the Kia itself, it would create damage below the bonnet / grille area.