Porsche's A-pillar Airbag Patent Could Prevent Serious Headaches for Convertible Owners
A segment of the automotive enthusiast community holds a real prejudice against convertibles. While the majority of the ire stems from an irrational bitterness or assumption that any car that sacrifices any amount body stiffness for style is inherently wrong, there is one valid complaint: most convertibles are less safe in a crash than a hardtop.
With that in mind, Porsche has patented an airbag concealed within the A-pillar specifically designed to protect soft-top occupants in the event that the windshield frame bends toward their fragile skulls during an accident — a handy feature for a vehicle lacking roof support. However, there is no reason the system couldn’t also be implemented in vehicles with a rigid ceiling.
In the patent diagrams, originally spotted by Motor1, Porsche has the device occupying the entire length of the pillar. The airbag would expand and protect passengers upper body as they move forward during a collision. With convertibles’ tendency to deform in that specific area in a crash, a large airbag would be of additional value.
This sort of safety feature would also be especially welcome in a small overlap impact, where the majority of force is focused on the front corner of a vehicle. Tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety routinely show that this type of crash can send the head on a trajectory that misses the steering wheel airbag. While side-curtain bags mitigate some of the risk, those aren’t an option on a convertible and test dummies occasionally careen into A-pillars in cars equipped with sill-mounted inflation devices.
Obviously, keeping the cabin from deforming is the best way to ensure occupant safety, but an additional airbag could be the difference between life and death for those who prefer to feel the wind in their hair.
[Image: Porsche]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Are fixed roof cars safer than convertibles? In some cases, yes, and in others, not any safer. I used to ride motorcycles. A combination of getting older, and drivers less attentive convinced me to go to a roadster.
This certifiable Good Idea might deliver a terminal face punch to some of us. I tend to sit tall in a car. The last convertible I sat in was a VW Beetle. Even with the seat at lowest position, my eyes were close to windshield level. Raising the seat, I could see over the windshield, making it a mere "windscreen," like on a Morgan. My first car was a convertible, a "Cabriolet," in fact. But it's upright, Pininfarina styling allowed an large, upright windshield, with great visibility and headroom. Those days are no more,sadly.