2003 XK8 I have little speakers (silver meesh metal) or something up near the garage door buttons, on the pass side A piller and on pass side in the back facing towards the front.

 

I beleave these measure your occupancies and distance for air bag deployment

 

if so why are there none of these on the left side of the car?

 

Sometimes even Jaguar designers get it right.

They cleverly worked out that the driver's seat should always be occupied when the vehicle is in motion but the passenger seat may be empty. Consequently different occupancy sensing arrangement for the left and right sides.

Graham

 

so do these sensors go bad? If they do not work do the airbags still work in a wreck?
The whole thing looks kinda odd.

 

The system self tests. If something goes bad you will get an airbag warning light.

 

As others have mentioned they are ultra-sonic airbag sensors. On a 2001 convertible there are two by the garage door openers, one on the passanger A-pillar and one on the passanger half B-Pillar. They supposedly control the airbag deployment.

I don't know that there is any real evidence they are an better than a traditional airbag system. Early airbag systems weren't very good in a crash anyway and they killed more people than they saved.

As far as the self test goes that can be hit or miss. I had the sensor on the A-pillar removed for a while and I never got an airbag warning on the IP or any codes set. I occasionally got the passanger airbag light illuminated on the passanger dashboard but even that was hit or miss and sometimes it would be on for a while, go out, then come back on etc. Sometimes it would never come on.

 

just looks like a system that would fail rather easy. By 03 I thought most airbag systems were decent, even having the pass seat sensor in it to check if anyone is in it.

 

The sensors detect size and location of the seat occupant to determine airbag deployment and amount of deployment pressure. Way overly complicated. If a small child is n the seat the airbags are turned off, if a regular size person is in the seat but leaning forward and to close to the airbag the pressure of deployment is lowered.

Most systems these days just detect weight and leave it to the driver to deactivate the airbag if needed.

 

Very interesting, I wonder how well this system works.

I wont ever forget when Erica's 95 XJ6 was tboned on the right hand side........the car pretty much was ticked off and punched her in the face with the airbag about 25-50 seconds after impact. It was a total, thanks a lot! kind of move

 

No offense intended, but it looks like it may have knocked her butt out of wack

 

I'll let you tell her that and see how it goes, while i'm in a bunker in Colorado. I think it's safe to say that a mix of the posture, significant leg muscles from marathons and heels. I could always ask her if the wreck did that, but don't have a down payment on a hideout yet.

 

very interesting.