I'm a newb to my 2002 C4 Cab & the Forum so looking for some collective wisdom before inquiring at the local dealer about the side air bags & seat covers.

My 996 comes with the "Porsche Side Impact Protection" System where the side air bags are in the doors under the trim panels.

I mistakenly ordered some cheapie water resistant seat covers from Ecklers/Automotion only to discover after-the-fact the website & a note on the packaging says: "WARNING: Do not install this seat cover on vehicles with side impact air bags. Installation on such vehicles could prevent the side impact air bag from deploying resulting in serious injury or death".

So, finally to my question: How do seat covers impact (pun intended?) the side air bag deployment?

I see many Porsches with seat covers of all varieties & these were to tide me over before I can get a proper set of sheepskins. But, if I can't use the thin cheapies, how could I possibly be able to use sheepskins? Thus my confusion.

Thanks in advance to the Forum for its help! Cheers, Bob in AZ/USA

 

Welcome Bob. The side impact protection actually deploys from the doors and not the seats so you shouldn't have any issues.

 

Alpine: Thx alot for your reply! 106 views but only your reply so I thought my very first post was a really stupid question....

I understand the side air bag deployment from the door panel but still don't understand why any kind of seat cover would come with a "WARNING" label like I indicated. We're wired to pay attention to these things but, on the other hand, so many Porsches (& presumably 996's) have sheepskins/other types of seat covers. Do they all supposedly interfere with side air bag deployment? So, I'm still confused & I CAN'T mess up on this for obvious reasons!

But, thx for your interest in helping me, Alpine; I appreciate it alot & have alot more to learn about this car. The Forum is a gold mine of great info & entertainment. Love everybody's pics & can't believe the variety of interesting mods on this beautiful automobile. I'm having great fun on my very first 991 (996) journey.....

Bob in AZ/USA

 

Bob I suspect universal covers needs these warnings to cover all situations due to the lawsuit happy country we live in. I'm assuming the warnings only pertain to the seats that have airbags in them as the covers would obstruct the airbags built into the sides of the seats from fully deploying in an accident possibly.

As previously indicated, you should be all good. I would just get some covers on there and move on and enjoy the drive. There's a lot of other things you will discover and/or possibly be worried about with these cars.

 

Thx again, Alpine. I'll press on with the covers then. Meanwhile, didn't know Porsche made side air bags that deploy out of the seats. Is this correct? Sorry to belabor this topic and, again, many thanks for your help & encouragement!

 

Starting with the 997 models, the airbags were in the seats. Yours is a 996 model which did not have any airbags in the seats themselves. I provided a pic of the 997 seat in which you can see the opening for the side air bags.

 

NOW this is starting to make sense, Alpine! Again, many thx for the education & the 997 seat pic most definitely helped. I've been away from Porsches for a number of years so am playing catch-up re: years/features, etc.

I think this validates I can use the seat covers without worrying about the 996 side air bag deployments. Meanwhile, looking forward to learning more about ALL the models.

Great help, Alpine. Thx & many regards, Bob in AZ/USA

 

Np Bob, that is one of the pro's of these forums. The cons are bickering over opinions, egos, misinformation, etc, but if you can get past all the static, you'll find some good bits of info on these forums. Enjoy your ride!

 

Alpine, btw, this Forum is tame & full of great info as you know more than me. I belong to some motorcycle Forums where the fur REALLY flies; just ask "what kind of oil should I use?" & see the @#$% hit the proverbial fan.

One more final 'THX' to you for the help on this topic. Looking forward to learning much more & you've given me a great start to a worrisome issue.

Cheers from Arizona. Bob