The Risks of Buying a Flood-Damaged Used Car: ABS and Airbags Could Fail

Buying a flood-damaged used car is not merely a matter of component damage risk or inflated repair costs. From a safety perspective, the threat could be far more serious.

Water that enters during flooding does not only damage interior components or the engine, but also has the potential to disrupt electrical systems and electronic modules related to driving safety.

“When floods submerge the SRS and ABS modules, which have functions directly related to safety, the potential for water to enter the module components is very large and almost certainly causes errors,” said Hakim to Kompas.com recently.

ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) functions to prevent wheel locking during emergency braking. If this system is disrupted due to corrosion or damage to electronic components, the risk of accidents could increase.

“When the ABS module malfunctions, which is usually caused by corrosion on the ABS valve, the danger that lurks is a disruption to the braking system,” said Hakim.

Equally crucial is the SRS or Supplemental Restraint System, which is an additional safety system in a car that works to protect occupants in the event of a crash.

Generally, SRS includes airbags, crash sensors, airbag control modules, and seat belt pretensioners.

“Similarly with SRS. If the system is in error, the potential danger is that the airbag does not deploy in the event of a crash,” said Hakim.