This airbag restraint system should protect people in a range of serious side impacts in which there's intrusion in the area near an occupant's head, including two-vehicle crashes. Side airbags of this type are relevant to the recent public concerns about crash compatibility among different types of vehicles. The most effective way to address compatibility problems is to upgrade side impact protection because these are the crashes in which incompatibility is most apparent. Ford is doing this with its new side airbag system. Ford's side airbag with head protection deploys from a vehicle's seat, inflating forward and upward to cushion an occupant's head and chest.
Initial inflation is away from the occupant, toward the vehicle's B-pillar and door.
But a side impact into a fixed object at 18 mph is, in fact, very severe. The extensive intrusion into the Lincoln's occupant compartment from the crash test indicates the severity. Because head injuries are a leading cause of death in side impacts, many automakers are developing airbags designed specifically to protect people's heads in these crashes. Ford isn't the first. Side airbags with head protection are in all BMWs and Saabs plus some Mercedes and Volvo models.