New car challenges
September 13, 1999
VEHICLES WITH UNUSUAL CHALLENGES
Note!!! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requests from any responder to
a motor vehicle accident where there has been a deployment of either a side impact airbag,
head protection airbag, or knee airbag that you notify the Special Crash Investigation
Notification 24 hour line at 202-493-0400, or fax at 202-366-5374. Please copy this
information to Bob Brown, Holmatro, at 307-587-8702, fax at 307-587-8703, or e-mail at bobbrown@wyoming.com.
Acura; 3.2, 3.5 RL & 3.5TL Sedans Front seat-mounted side impact airbag,
front seatbelt pretensioners.
Acura NSX; Front seatbelt pretensioners ***Battery located under
and forward of spare tire in front (under hood) location. ***
Audi A4, A6, A8 (2000); Introduction of Audi’s version of
the Window Curtain, similar to the Mercedes and Volvo. This airbag deploys downward from
the roofrail covering both the front and rear windows on the driver and passenger side. As
with the current systems, this bag is inflated with compressed gas stored in a cylinder
located in the "C" or "D" pillar. For roof removal cut as high as
possible (in line with the top of the rear window) to avoid this cylinder. If in doubt,
remove the interior pillar trim to get a visual on the system. Optional on the A4&6.
Identification for this system will be a tag "AIRBAG" on the headliner near the
"B" or "C" pillar.
Audi A6 & A8; Front and rear seat-mounted side impact airbags. Single
point sensor module mounted under back seat. Front and rear seatbelt pretensioners
(introduced in 1978). Note that the A8 has laminated glass all around.
A4 & Avant Wagon; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags. Single
point sensor module under front seat. Front & rear seatbelt pretensioners
Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Note: Audi uses sensor mats on all seat positions. The deployment speed is faster if
seatbelt is not used, slower when seatbelt is used, and no deployment in vacant seats.
Audi TT (`00); Front seat-mounted head/thorax airbag.
Bentley Arnage, Azure, & Continental; Front seatbelt pretensioners
BMW; 3, 5, &7 Series, M-coupe & Z3 Door panel-mounted front side
impact airbags. Single point sensor module between front seats. Optional door-mounted rear
seat side bags on 3, 5 & 7 series. As of May ’99 purchasers of rear seat side
bags in BMW must request activation of these bags due to concerns for child occupants
The Head Protection System (HPS) is standard on the 3, 5, and 7 series. Anchored at the
bottom of the "A" pillar and on the roof rail behind the front seat location,
this system deploys down from the headliner to form a cushioned barrier between the
occupant’s head and the "B" pillar, window, or intruding object in side
impact collisions. Inflator modules located under dash at the base of the "A"
pillar, with the sensor between the seats. If roof is removed on vehicle with live system
identify the open end of the "A" pillar as a hot zone to all personnel on scene.
Identification for this system is on the trim cover of the "A" pillar using the
letters "HPS". For the 2000 model year 7 series BMW has added a rear seat
"HPS" which deploys down from the roof rail just forward of the "C"
pillar. The letters "HPS" will be found on the roof rail in the rear seat area.
Inflator is located in the lower "C" pillar area, below window level.
All BMW’s are equipped with seatbelt pretensioners, attached directly to the buckle
latch of the front & rear seats.
***Note: battery location is under the rear seat or in trunk in BMW’s***
BMW X5 (Intro fall ’99); Same bags as 3, 5, & 7-series, add rear
seat head airbag, deploying down from the roof rail forward of the "C" pillar.
Inflator is in the lower "C" below window height
Buick LeSabre; My 2000; Seat-mounted side impact airbags. ***Battery
located under rear seat***
Buick Riviera & Park Avenue; ***Battery located under right side of
rear seat, positive cable runs thru rocker and up lower "A" pillar on driver
side.***
Buick Regal & Park Avenue (2000); Add front seat mounted side impact
airbags.
Cadillac De Ville Concours & DeVille D’Elegance; Door-mounted
front side impact airbags. Sensor module located in front doors. There is a fuse for the
system located in the trunk. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Cadillac Allante: ***Battery located behind right front passenger seat,
under panel***
Cadillac Catera & Seville; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Cadillac Eldorado; ***Battery located under rear seat.***
Chevy Prism; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags, optional. Sensor
module mounted in lower rear corner of front door. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Chevy Venture; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags, sensor mounted in
"B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Chrysler LHS, Concord, & M300; ***Battery located in right front
wheel well***
Daewoo Leganza & Nubira; Front seatbelt pretensioners
Dodge Stratus, Cirrus; Battery located in left front wheel well.
Ferrari F131; Front seatbelt pretensioners
Ford Focus (2000); Front seat-mounted head/thorax airbags, optional.
Ford Taurus (2000); Front seat-mounted head/thorax airbags, optional.
This model will be the first vehicle to introduce electrically adjustable accelerator and
brake pedals to allow short statured drivers to properly adjust seat positioning for
airbag deployment.
Ford Windstar & Explorer; (fall ’98, optional) Seat-mounted
head/thorax side impact bags.
Ford Econoline Van & Wagon; Front seatbelt pretensioners, located on
transmission tunnel side of seat.
Honda CRV, Odyssey; Front seatbelt pretensioners
Hyundai Elantra; Front seatbelt pretensioners
Hyundai Sonata; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags, optional. Front
seatbelt pretensioners.
Infinity Q45, I30, & G20; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Sensor module mounted in "B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt
pretensioners. Laminated rear window glass.
Infinity QX4; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags, optional. Front
seatbelt pretensioners.
Jaguar XJ, XK Series, S-Series & VDP; Front seat-mounted side impact
airbags. Sensor mounted in "B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt
pretensioners. ***Battery in trunk right of spare tire under cover housing.***
Kia Sportage; Knee bolster airbag panel deploys below steering column to
protect driver’s knees. Passenger airbag uses hybrid compressed gas inflator.
Land Rover Discovery series II; Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Land Rover, Range Rover 4.0 & 4.6; Front seat-mounted side impact
airbags, optional. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Lexus RX300; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags. Front seatbelt
pretensioners.
Lexus LS, GS, & ES series: Front seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Sensor module mounted in "B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt
pretensioners.
Lexus SC300/400, LX470; Front seatbelt pretensioners
Lincoln Continental, Town Car, Cartier, LS 6&8; Front seat-mounted
side impact head/thorax airbags, optional.
Mazda 626 Sedan & Protégé (2000); Front seat mounted side impact
airbags.
Mercedes Benz C, CL, CLK, E, S, SL, SLK, M & ML-CLASS; Door
panel-mounted front side impact airbags. Single pole sensor module in dash behind radio.
Seat sensors prevent deployment in unoccupied positions. Some optional rear seat side
impact airbags standard in the E-class as of 2000. ***Note; battery in E-Class is under
back seat, C, S, SL & SLK-Class in trunk***
In September ’98, Mercedes introduced a window curtain airbag in the "E"
& "S" Class models. This device deploys down from the roof rail 14", is
2" thick, and 6’ long. Inflation is from a compressed gas cylinder located in
the "C" pillar. The bag consists of 9 chambers, with full inflation occurring in
25 milliseconds. During roof removal make high cut in "C" pillar at the rear
window roofline to avoid the gas cylinder. Identification for this bag is at the top of
the "B" pillar.
Mercury Couger & Mountaineer (optional); Seat-mounted side impact
head/thorax bag.
Mercury Sable; (2000) Front seat-mounted head/thorax airbag, optional.
Mitsubishi Galant (’99); Front seat-mounted side impact airbags,
optional.
Mitsubishi Diamonte; Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Nissan Maxima & Pathfinder; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags,
optional. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Oldsmobile Aurora; ***Battery located under rear seat***
Oldsmobile Silhouette; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags. Sensor
module mounted in "B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Plymouth Breeze; ***Battery in left front wheel well***
Pontiac Transport & Montana; Front seat-mounted side impact airbags.
Sensor module mounted in "B" pillar above belt retractor. Front seatbelt
pretensioners.
Porsche 996 Coupe, Cabrio, Carrera, Targa & Boxster; Door
panel-mounted front side impact airbags. Single sensor module in center console. ***Most
batteries in front trunk under cover***
928 ***Battery in trunk, under spare tire***
Rolls Royce-all; Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Saab 95 & 93; Front seat-mounted side impact head/thorax airbags.
Front seatbelt pretensioners located mid "B" pillar (at windowsill height). To
avoid these mechanisms during roof removal, make a "V" cut into the roof over
the "B".
Subaru-all models; Introducing seat-mounted side impact airbags for MY
2000, Outback adds pretensioners.
Toyota Avalon, Camry, Celica, Corolla, Sienna and Solara; Front
seat-mounted side impact standard on Avalon & Celica, optional on Camry, Corolla,
Sienna and Solara. Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Toyota Paseo & Tercel; Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Toyota RAV-4, 4-Runner, Tacoma, Tundra & Land Cruiser; Front seatbelt
pretensioners.
VW Beetle, Cabrio, Golf, GTI, Jetta, & Passat; Front seat-mounted side impact airbag
standard in the Passat and Beetle, optional on others. Sensor module located under front
seat. All models equipped with front seatbelt pretensioners, Passat & GLX Jetta
include rear seatbelt pretensioners. ***Beetle battery under hood, hidden under black
case.***
VW Euro Van; Front seatbelt pretensioners.
Volvo S40, S70, C70, S90, V40, V70 & V90; Front seat-mounted side
impact airbags standard. The sensors are located on the lower outside edge of seat, and
are mechanically activated (not affected by battery disconnection) from model year
’95 thru ’98. See supplemental information packet for disabling procedures. In
’99 the side impact airbag becomes electronically activated, with sensors in the
"B" & "C" pillars. Do not cut the wire running from the seat base
up the seat back (which was the recommended procedure for the mechanical system) on the
’99 and later model years. No deployment in unoccupied seats. Front & rear
seatbelt pretensioners. In models 850, S70, and S80, seatbelt pretensioner is located mid
"B" pillar. To avoid this mechanism during roof removal make a "V" cut
into the roof over the "B".
Volvo S80 (new for ’99); Front seat-mounted side impact airbags,
sensors located in "B" & "C" pillar. Activation changes from their
previous mechanical design to an electrically fired design. All 5 seating positions
contain seatbelt pretensioners. Laminated glass (same properties as windshield) all
windows.
In September ’98, Volvo introduced the Volvo Inflatable Curtain (VIC) window airbag
in the S80 model. See description of the Mercedes window curtain. Identification for this
bag is at the top of the "C" pillar. ***Battery located in trunk under steel
plate***
***Note; This is not a complete listing of all challenging mechanisms on all cars. We
strongly advise you visit automobile dealers to look for other potential challenges.
Several manufacturers have changed battery locations to trunks, under seats or in wheel
wells, making it difficult to begin disarming airbag systems. Locations of seatbelt
pretensioners will affect what areas are safest to cut or spread. Door removal on vehicles
with side impact airbags may be safer if started from the hinge side in order to avoid
sensors and to begin creating space between the patient and the door. These are matters
that should be discussed in order to develop proper S.O.P.’s.***
Disclaimer: We believe the information provided herein is the best currently available. It
is subject to revision as additional knowledge and experiences are gained. Every vehicle
has its own unique design, construction and safety features, and each accident presents
its own unique conditions. The information provided herein is intended for informational
use only by persons having professional technical capability for evaluation under the
specific conditions, at their own discretion and risk. Since conditions of use are outside
our control, Holmatro makes no guarantee of results, and assumes no liability in
connection with any use of this information.
For more information contact KGC.
The video "New Vehicle Safety Systems for the Rescuer" produced
by Holmatro covers many of the challenges presented in new vehicle construction, and is
available through your local Holmatro dealer.
