Ford Transit with new safety features

The 2015 Ford Transit is changing what a full-size van means in America. It is redefining it in terms of versatility and safety. Ford is showcasing its latest safety feature, a five-row side curtain bag. This new feature is designed especially for the 15-passenger Transit and Ford claims that these airbags are the first and only airbag of this type.

Side curtain airbags are standard on all 2015 Ford Transit vans, but the extended-length, 15-passenger Transit Wagon models provided the biggest challenge for side-impact and rollover protection.

 
Ford collaborated with its airbag supplier, TRW, to develop this massive airbag. Despite the fact that the Transit is a European-style van, this new side airbag is limited to models sold in the U.S. and Canada. The 2015 Ford Transit must be able to deploy in one piece, remain inflated for a short time and, of course, provide maximum head and side protection for outboard occupants.

When inflated, the airbags are nearly 15-feet long, three-feet tall and it has a volume of 120 litres. For comparison, Ford says that the same airbag in the Ford Fusion is 6.8-feet long, two-feet tall and holds a volume of just 42 litres. Ford has released images showing a cutaway of the inflated airbag attached to a piece of the Transit’s body.