PSA: Steering Wheel Decorations Can Be Deadly!

Thinking of decorating your car's steering wheel or dashboard surfaces? Given the details below, you might want to think twice...

In this day and age, many car owners are easily tempted into the idea of customising their rides to suit one’s personal style preference. This has led to a trend of drivers sticking things on to their dashboard and also adorn their steering wheel with decorations. 

While all this might sometimes appear to uplift the interior of the car, it can cause unexpected injuries in the event of an accident or collision. In such instances, these decorations could hurt in-car occupants, especially when the airbag is deployed in an accident. 

Almost all modern cars sold in the market today are equipped with airbags, and at least one housed in the steering wheel and dashboard.

In a crash, the forces created from an airbag’s deployment can turn the decorative products placed on to the surface of the steering and dash into a projectile, thus resulting in serious injury or death. Consumers should also remove any decals they have already applied to their steering wheels.

“Unlike the permanently affixed emblems on your vehicle’s steering wheel, these aftermarket decals can easily become dislodged when the airbag deploys. Any alterations or changes to your airbag or its cover can also cause it to malfunction,” adds the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in North America through their latest warning.

Examples of 'steering wheel bling' we found on sale on a popular local online shopping platform. In the event of an accident where the airbag is deployed, these 'bling' could become shrapnel and cause more injury or death.

NHTSA’s latest consumer alert issued recently regarding the matter follow up from a similar note released in Nov last year warning vehicle owners about the dangers of decorating their steering wheels with rhinestones and similar materials.

Said warning stems from a recent case where a driver lost vision in one eye. This was reportedly caused by a metal rhinestone-emblazoned decoration on their steering wheel that came loose after a crash that struck them in the face.

Empty and undecorated surfaces on your steering wheel and dash exists for a reason, one of which is for the effective deployment of airbags. 

A similar case also occurred recently that saw a driver suffer severe injuries after two pieces of a metal object with rhinestones  - likely mounted on the airbag-equipped steering wheel - flew into their face and neck. 

Although such warnings have not been released in Malaysia, perhaps this should serve as a good warning and perhaps dissuade any of you from considering to decorate your car’s steering wheel and dash with accessories as such. KR