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GM air bag deployment / black box / EDR / event data recorder crash data recovery for 1994 and newer General Motors, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC, Hummer and Saturn vehicles using the Bosch / Vetronix CDR crash data retrieval tool.
Logan Diagnostic offers air bag deployment crash data retrieval via the air bag SDM module for General Motors (GM) and Saturn vehicles. This can only be done using the Bosch / Vetronix crash data retrieval tool (CDR) and a PC. We can offer a report on the stored crash data in the air bag SDM module recorder (aka the 'black box', EDR or event data recorder). The air bag SDM recorder can offer extremely important vehicle data in the final 5 seconds leading up to an accident event.
Logan Diagnostic is a certified operator of the Bosch / Vetronix CDR tool. Logan Diagnostic has been deeply involved with General Motors vehicle electronic system diagnostics since 1989. We have extensive experience using the Vetronix GM Tech 1a, Vetronix / HP / Bosch GM Tech 2, and the Bosch / Vetronix crash data retrieval tool (CDR).
GM dealers do not use the Bosch / Vetronix CDR tool. The only way to recover GM crash data is to use the Bosch / Vetronix CDR. A factory dealership GM Tech 2 scan tool cannot recover the air bag crash data.
GM AIR BAG SDM / BLACK BOX / EDR / CRASH DATA AVAILABLE
(depending on model year and SDM module configuration):
Vehicle speed (in five one-second intervals preceding impact) Engine speed (in five one-second intervals preceding impact) Brake status (in five one-second intervals preceding impact) Throttle position (in five one-second intervals preceding impact) Driver's seat belt state (On/Off) Passenger's airbag enabled or disabled state (On/Off) Airbag Warning Lamp status (On/Off) Time from vehicle impact to airbag deployment Maximum Delta-V ( DV ) for near-deployment event Delta-V ( DV ) vs. time for frontal airbag deployment event Time from vehicle impact to time of maximum Delta-V ( DV ) Time between near-deploy and deploy event (if within 5 seconds)
Additional crash data available 2006 and newer GM vehicles:
Low tire pressure warning system status
Traction control status
Anti lock brake status
Transmission range
Service engine lamp status
Vehicle door 2/4 status open/closed
Outside air temperature in degrees F
Passenger seat belt switch
Yaw rate
Lateral acceleration
Steering wheel angle
PDOF / Principal direction of force degrees
And more...
How does it work? The GM air bag SDM module is removed from the wrecked vehicle and shipped to Logan Diagnostic. We will then power up the air bag SDM module and download the recorded crash data report from the module using the Bosch / Vetronix CDR. Our report services include:
High quality printed and bound report of the stored air bag crash data.
CD-ROM of the stored air bag crash data in PDF format.
Return overnight shipping of the airbag deployment crash data report, CD-ROM, and the original SDM airbag module.
The PDF crash data can also be sent by email the same day.
Our service is only available for 1994 and newer GM, Saturn. and Hummer vehicles.
Please feel free to contact us if you require more air bag information or if you need the crash data downloaded from a GM air bag SDM / EDR / event data recorder.
How do I know if my GM car has a crash recording air bag 'black box' SDM / EDR?
Please see our 'SDM tech info' page for airbag 'black box' SDM / EDR locations by year and model.
I had an car accident, and the air bags did not deploy. Is there stored crash data?
Depending on the year and model, there can be two types of recorded data. Deployment and 'non' deployment data. Deployment data is permanently written on the eeprom chip inside the airbag SDM module. 'Non' deployment information can often be recovered, and display the same last 5 seconds of pre crash vehicle data. Non deployment SDMs require special handling, please contact us for proper airbag SDM removal procedures in these cases. Pre crash data events apply to 1999 and later vehicles.
Depending on year/ model/ module, there can be valuable 'deployment' and 'non deployment' crash data stored in a GM / Delphi air bag SDM module. Please note! Non deployment data is not permanently stored in the air bag module and can easily be lost by untrained technicians. Non deployment data will also be lost after about 250 ignition key cycles.
How fast does my car need to be to deploy the air bags?
GM electronic air bag SDMs do not look at vehicle speed to determine an air bag deployment command. The airbag SDM looks for a change in acceleration on the vehicle 'X' axis to determine deployment criteria. So technically, a GM car could be stopped or moving very slowly, be in an accident event, and deploy the air bags.
Why is the air bag module sometimes called the 'black box' ?
There are several possible origins of the term 'black box'. Some believe it is because early (flight data) recorders and WWII radar units were painted black. Yet another description is, "the term black box has been used to describe something that performs a function, but its inner workings are complex and mysterious." In media related stories, CNN uses the term 'black box' to descibe the airbag module crash data "due to a lack of a better term."
On airplanes, the technical term is flight data recorder. On GM and Saturn vehicles, the technical term is air bag SDM or air bag sensing and diagnostic module.
Are General Motors vehicles the only cars that have a EDR / event data recorder / black box?
No, based on a directive by the NTSB, almost all vehicles sold in North America since 1997 are recording vehicle crash data. These include Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and Mitsubishi vehicles to name a few. Currently, only GM , Ford, and Chrysler have released the crash data to Vetronix / Bosch.
NTSB Directive:
"Develop and implement, in conjunction with the domestic and international manufacturers. A plan to gather better information on crash pulses and other crash parameters in actual crashes, utilizing current or augmented sensing and recording devices."
For many years, airplane crash investigators have had the benefit of retrieving data from the flight-data recorder. This information has proven invaluable for helping to determine what happened in the critical time before a crash. In 1997, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) made the recommendation that vehicle manufacturers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration work together to gather information on vehicle crashes using onboard collision sensing and recording devices. As a result, General Motors expanded the data downloaded to permanent memory in the air bag sensing and diagnostic module at deployment or in a near deployment collision. Since 1973, when GM first introduced air bag equipped cars, some crash data has been recorded. As explained in the owner's manuals of GM vehicles, the amount of recorded data has expanded with time and technology. The capability to record pre-crash data was included with some 1999 GM vehicles following the NTSB's recommendation. The Vetronix CDR System helps further the NTSB's recommendation by creating a product that downloads the data stored in recordable air bag modules.
General Motors has authorized Vetronix Corporation (now Bosch) of Santa Barbara, California, to develop software, hardware and interface cables to allow the recorded data to be downloaded to commonly used computers. Data useful to researchers and investigators, such as delta-V, driver seat belt usage, and pre-impact data is stored and displayed in an easy-to-read format. This new tool also allows the investigator to input other pertinent information, such as weather conditions, and export the data to a remote database. Interface cables that connect directly to the airbag module are available for vehicles that cannot be powered up after a crash.
Early GM airbag system testing. 1974 Oldsmobile shown.
