Customizing your car can be a fun way to make it feel more personalized, but it’s important to be cautious about the modifications you make. While stick-on badges for your steering wheel may seem harmless, they can actually pose a serious safety risk. The NHTSA has issued warnings about these decorative badges, highlighting the dangers they can present in the event of an airbag deployment.
These badges, often adorned with plastic rhinestones or alternative colors, can become dislodged and turn into dangerous projectiles when the airbag is activated. In some instances, pieces of the badge have caused injuries to occupants in crashes. The NHTSA has even received reports of individuals losing sight in one eye due to aftermarket badge-related incidents.
Beyond the potential for injury from these accessories flying off during a collision, attaching anything to the area where your airbags are located can interfere with their proper deployment. Manufacturers design airbag systems to function in specific ways, and any modifications that hinder this process could compromise safety.
The good news is that addressing this issue is simple. If you have one of these decal badges on your steering wheel, it’s recommended to remove it immediately. You can do this by firmly pulling the badge off or using a screwdriver to detach it if necessary. Avoiding the use of these centrally located badges altogether is the safest choice to protect yourself in the event of an accident. Remember, other interior decorations are not the focus of these warnings, just those placed on or near the airbag deployment zone.
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