Toyota Develops Rear Window Airbag

Apparently, Toyota wants to challenge Volvo for its coveted safety crown: It’s developed a new supplemental restraint system. Dubbed a world-first, the back window airbag is meant to work with the head restraints to protect passengers’ heads in a rear collision. 

The new system deploys in the same manner side curtain airbags do, from the roof lining. Toyota plans to put the innovation into production immediately in its new iQ micro-car. Toyota says the airbags nearly double rear passenger head protection. That’s a good thing, too, considering the iQ’s backseats bump up against the rear hatch and glass.

While there are no official plans to export the iQ micro-car to America, we reported this summer that Toyota would like to do so if it can make a business case for it — and, of course, if the iQ could pass safety standards here.

Comments

I’m glad Toyota had the sense to come out with an air bag for the rear seat passengers. Those that buy economy hatchbacks (Chevy Aveo, Volvo C30, upcoming Ford Fiesta, etc.) need to understand the dangers of having a small cubic feet of cargo space between the rear passengers and the hatch. In a rear end collision, most of those hatches will collapse, and without a large cargo area to absorb the impact, your rear passengers are subject to more harm than if they were in a sedan where the trunk can crush like a soda can and absorb the impact. Every wonder why we never see studies on the results of rear end collisions of an economy hatchback on the rear passengers? Maybe I’m missing something.