Five row side airbag debuts on 2015 Ford Transit
Ford is introducing what could be the largest airbag ever fitted to a production vehicle with the new 2015 Ford Transit 15-passenger wagon. The new side curtain airbag covers five rows of seating, and is the largest in any Ford vehicle, measuring nearly 15 feet long and 3 feet tall.
This side curtain airbag is built to deploy in the event of a side-impact or rollover crash, and will provide better head and neck protection for passengers. It is part of Ford’s Safety Canopy System in the Transit, and also features two of the industry’s largest inflators to fill the 120 liter bag in a fraction of a second.
The side curtain airbag is tethered to the Transit’s B-, C- and D-pillars to keep it supported when it is deployed. The bag will remain inflated for several seconds to ensure maximum protection for occupants. This new side airbag will be standard on all wagon versions of the Ford Transit, including all three roof heights.
Ford partnered with TRW Automotive to manufacture the larger than average airbag, which needed to provide a greater area of protection than a traditional light-duty vehicle due to the size of the Transit wagon. Ford also had a number of other safety features on the 2015 Ford Transit, including three-point safety belts for all seats, front and front-seat side airbags, AdvanceTrac, Roll Stability Control and SOS Post-Crash Alert System.
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