It had to be hit pretty hard to pop the air bags. If someone went through all the work to repair the crash damage, why didn't they put new air bags in it already?

You can do internet searches and check at local salvage yards to get prices and availability. We don't know that here. In addition to the air bags, expect to need the clock spring under the steering wheel. The connector is usually burned or melted. Also, most manufacturers specify to replace all the crash sensors too. Electrically they will test okay to the computer but the concern is there could be an arced spot where the contact hit, and in the event of another crash, that burned spot might prevent that sensor from triggering. Older cars had two front crash sensors and a third one inside the computer. All of those had to be replaced. Many newer cars have the systems down to just one sensor inside the computer. If you have another crash resulting in injury and the air bag doesn't deploy, lawyers and insurance investigators will see that old computer and you'll have no recourse.

Answered by caradiodoc (expert)
17,292 answers provided