Hello all. I am an attorney, investigating a car crash involving a 1998 XJ8. I'm hoping that some of the experts here can help. I apologize in advance if I am posting in the wrong forum, or otherwise violating forum rules.

My issue is this: there is a dispute as to whether there was a passenger in the car at the time of the accident. The car was involved in a severe front end collision. I am trying to see if there is anything in the vehicle which would show whether someone was in the passenger seat.

My questions are:

1) Does the 1998 xj8 have any sort of Occupant Classification System as is now required on all new models which prevents the passenger airbag from deploying if nobody is in the seat?

2) I understand the 1998 xj8 has "pyrotechnic" seatbelt tensioners. After an accident what happens to the seatbelts? Do they permanently remain in a locked position? I have heard they need to be replaced after deployment. In this case the passenger seatbelt will not move at all and will not release the tension.

3) Finally, my most important question. Will the pyrotechnic tensioners go off if the passenger seatbelt is not in use?

Thanks for any input anyone has!

 

I far as I remember...... The 1998 MY Sedans had no detection for passenger seat occupation.

I believe that the steering wheel and passenger front airbag deployment is controlled by a 'single point sensing system' and the side airbags use 'side impact sensors'.

The front seat pretensioners are deployed with the airbags and are electrically activated.

It has been a LOOOOOONG time since I attended intro to 1998 sedan training.

I do remember a customer car that was in the body shop with a BIG RED LIPSTICK STAIN on the passenger airbag (A BIG RED 'O') and the HUSBAND denied having a 'girlfriend' in the car with him!!!!!!!

All this info is in the Jaguar issued 1998 sedan intro publication......
XJ Sedan 98MY Intro_jjm18151280.pdf (about 8mb)

It should be in the large file download area. I am sure I uploaded my copy to this area.

I found a smaller file size version to upload.

bob gauff