Airbag thefts on the rise (August 18, 2006)

Increasingly, over the past eight to 10 years, thieves have been breaking into cars for their airbags, according to Robert Tremblay, manager of industry issues at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
Depending on the type and make of a car auto safety airbags can cost upwards of CD$2,500 per unit, which may be motivating thieves to steal the bags.
Kevin McClafferty, a research scientist with the University of Western Ontario’s collision research team, says driver-side airbag can cost up to CD$1,500 to buy, while airbags on the passenger side range from CD$1,000 to CD$2,500.
Tremblay says the IBC is concerned regarding what is done with the stolen airbags because it is possible damage might occur during the break-in and may therefore be dangerous if it used as parts into another car.
Current airbag models are complicated and have different levels at which they will deploy depending on the severity of a crash, according to McClafferty.