Ford has announced today that the 2015 Mustang will feature as standard the all-new industry-first active glove box knee airbag. As you already know, typical airbags are made from various types of fabric, but Ford has used a pliable, injection-molded plastic bladder that has been sandwiched between the inner and the outer glove box door panels.
“We provide a high level of safety, quality and design for our customers and their passengers,” said Sean West, Ford restraints manager. “With this innovative airbag design, we have developed technology that provides protection for vehicle occupants while also reducing weight and enabling greater design flexibility.”
In case of an impact, the sensor system tells to an inflator to fill the bladder which extends the glove box outer door panel towards the front passenger’s legs. For short, this airbag works like a traditional knee airbag as the outer door provides just about the same level of cushioning.
In addition, this new airbag does not have to travel that far because it just extends from the instrument panel. Thanks to this new design, the final result is a 65% lighter and 75% smaller knee airbag inflator while offering a similar safety level.
