Did the 2000 Firebirds come with black boxes or another way to tell speed if the airbags deployed?

 

yes they came with blackboxes. as far as i know, 99 and up all got black boxes.

 

how would someone go about reading the black box and what info would it have on it

 

i'm not exactly sure how you retrieve the data from it, but i know its not as simple as plugging into the odb2 port and downloading. i'm guessing you'd have to actually remove the thing (which is part of the airbag system) and have special equipment designed to read it.

i pulled up a bunch of info on it a few years ago after i had wrecked my 2001 camaro.. and here it is.



AIR BAG SDM / BLACK BOX / EDR / CRASH DATA AVAILABLE (depending on year and model)

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)



from the national highway traffic safety administration's own website (nhtsa.gov)
it is in pdf format and is basically archiving a usa today article.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/edr-sit...ack_boxes-.pdf

relevant quote:
"Motorists never learned that ''it would be possible for GM, or anyone else
to whom GM provided the data surreptitiously recorded by the SDM, to
invade the driver's privacy and monitor the particular driver's driving
characteristics and seatbelt use habits at a particular point in time,'' the
lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit targets the 1999 model year or later for eight cars: the Chevrolet
Corvette and Camaro; the Pontiac Firebird; the Cadillac DeVille, El
Dorado, and Seville; and the Buick Century and Park Avenue."

 

They arent gonna let just anyone have access to that info. Probably only ins companys and law enforcement I would be willing to bet.

 

Those are the only two institutions that I wouldnt want to have the data. haha

 

Exactly right. When cases end up in court, subpoenas (or court orders) are issued to obtain the data. Usually law enforcement is only interested in serious injury/death situations, and only then if there is some doubt about the cause of the crash. If they need additonal probable cause to make an arrest in such an instance, they will utilize every tool available to make the case. The same applies to the prosecutors who would bring the law enforcement case to court. If someone's 'black box' shows triple digit speeds at the time of crash, kiss their *** goodbye.

 

Law enforcement agencies, at least in my area, do not have access to that information on their own unless it is provided to them by the vehicle manufacturer or insurance company.

 

/\/\

That's the understanding I had for my local area as well...

 

98's don't have them from what I've read hopefully I wont be in a position where it would get used though lol.

 

You are correct. Law enforcement can't get it on their own, otherwise they could intrude into privacy issues. That is why it takes a court order to obtain the information. The facts and reasons why they need this information must be explained to the judge. The judge will weigh the evidence and circumstances and make the decision whether the car company should comply. It is time consuming and a decision that has to be made in only the most severe circumstances just as I mentioned earlier, in severe injury/death investigations, especially when no witnesses are available. Do a regular Google search and pull up the information for yourselves. I know all this as fact but why listen to someone on a blog?? Learn for yourself. Below is just one link (out of many) that may assist those who may have doubts.

http://www.cardriverecorder.com/car-...stigation.html