25 years passenger airbag at Mercedes-Benz

[MBFanToDeath]

25 years ago Mercedes-Benz was the first automobile manufacturer in the world to introduce the front passenger airbag in a series-production car. The technology debuted in the S-Class (model series 126) at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September 1987. It elevated the safety standards in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars to a new level and thus represented yet another logical step by the pioneer in passive vehicle safety in a long line of outstanding innovations.

Mercedes-Benz had already introduced the world’s first fully operational driver airbag in a production vehicle in 1981 – also in a 126 model series S-Class. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), consisting of driver airbag and belt tensioner, was available as an option for DM 1525.50. It was the result of the rigorous work undertaken by corporate research that had started in the mid-1960s. When sensors detect a collision, a propellant charge is ignited and within a few milliseconds the nitrogen produced by this process inflates a bag made out of a special woven material. The resulting cushion protects people against impacting the dashboard. While the driver airbag is housed in the steering wheel, the front passenger airbag in its early manifestations occupied the spot where the glove compartment would normally have been. Thanks to refined and smaller airbag modules vehicles later regained the glove compartment.

The front passenger airbag introduced in 1987 utilised the same technology as the innovative driver protection system. It went on sale as an option on S-Class saloons and coupés in February 1988. Soon afterwards Mercedes-Benz also offered the front passenger airbag as an option in the mid-size model series 124. As early as 1994 the front passenger airbag became standard on all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars; the driver airbag had already been part of the standard equipment of all passenger car models since 1992. To further improve the protective effect afforded by airbags, the Mercedes-Benz engineers went on to develop additional systems such as the side airbag and the side curtain airbag in the years that followed...

More: 25 years passenger airbag at Mercedes-Benz: The World Of Mercedes-Benz AMG™

Enjoy!

 

[stom0020]

I believe this is not true.

http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/stat.../1975_Cadillac_Brochure/1975 Cadillac-25.html

 

[Monster]

Mercedes-Benz was the first automobile manufacturer in the world to introduce the front passenger airbag in a series-production car

I believe this is not true.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Cadillac/1975_Cadillac/1975_Cadillac_Brochure/1975 Cadillac-25.html

Yes I thought so too, but then again what is the definition of "series-production car"

 

[Merc1]

Mercedes has been saying this for years, if it weren't true then someone (especially big mouth Cadillac) would have challenged this by now. It appears that it was a German who invented the idea, but there is a disconnect in there between him the next guy and GM. It appears the GM application didn't work too well and was only offered for short time and then they backed away from it. Enter Mercedes in 1981 with the W126 as a series production car, i.e. no hiccups its widely available on all models, not just a select few as on the Caddys and Buicks years before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag


M

 

[Gullwing]

GM had driver's airbag for one or two years, the air bag option cost about as much as the car itself so little to no cars had them. "First fully operational driver airbag", so not sure what the GM airbag did.
Front passenger air bag was MB.

 

[Carmaker1]

Yes, like some have said above it was used by MB as a proper safety restraint and NOT as a replacement for seatbelts like GM. I guess my grandfathers were probably some of the first few(besides kleptocrat dictators) in West Africa(if not all of Africa) in 1988 to have a car with dual airbags as three of their W126s(560SEL[2], 500SE/L[3])had passenger side dash fascias that weren't adorned in wood like other ones. I had always thought MB offered them from September 1985 upon facelift and not even as late as this. Stuttgart was obviously on a roll as Porsche offered them on the 944S that same year.

 

[Merc1]

That must be why it was suspected in a few deaths back then. Silly GM, had the idea right, but executed it poorly as they do most things.

M

 

[Wolfgang]

Pic above was from a W221. Here's a W126 pic with passenger side airbag deployed.

http://translate.google.com/transla...e-beifahrer-airbag-bei-mercedes-benz/&act=url

 

[Wolfgang]

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