Passenger side airbag activated at minimum weight?

[Jm91rs]

I have a 2021 Laramie on order due in October. I also have a baby on order due in March. The baby will put me at 4 kids with car seats, forcing my 8 year old to the front seat. I completely understand she’s under the recommended size for the front seat, but there will be times when i have no choice as i can not reasonably expect my wife to do all of the driving to sports , etc. I know there’s no way I’m putting her in a seat with an active airbag.

So my question is-at what weight does the passenger activate the airbag? In my silverado my girl plus a car seat won’t activate the airbag so I would feel ok with that for random short trips. What’s the weight for the Ram or is it on all of the time?

 

[smoke8r]

Before I say the below, let me say I would Not hesitate to put my kids in the front seat with the airbag still active. I have seen the protection it offers.

Not to sway you one way or the other but it's not just about the weight. It's about the impact G forces that cause the actuators to set off the bag. With over 20 years of firefighting service I have seen many airbag deploys, some with no more than a briefcase sitting on the seat. The briefcase ( in this example) does not weigh much but the g force of the impact caused it to weigh enough to activate the airbag system. The combined weight of the passenger and car seat in your case might be enough deceleration G forces to set off the bag. Another item of consideration is whether or not you have seat belt pretensioners. They pull you back into your seat upon impact by tightening up your seatbelt which there again might be enough to set off the airbag.
Having said all that, airbags do save lives and add a layer of protection that seatbelts alone do not.