Ford to Offer Side Air Bags Within 3 Years

Ford Motor Co. plans to offer side air bags on all of its cars within three years, becoming the first major American auto maker that will make widely available a safety feature that is becoming increasingly more common.

Ford, which made the announcement Wednesday at an auto show in New York, doesn’t yet offer side air bags in its U.S. models.

The company said it will have side air bags as standard equipment or options in all of its models in three years. General Motors Corp. offers the devices on some models, and Chrysler Corp. is still deciding whether to offer side air bags.

“This is an important move,” said Jacques Nasser, Ford’s president of automotive operations. “We know that 30% of all accident fatalities result from side-impact collisions, and that’s why we have been working so hard to develop this technology.”

Nearly 7,000 Americans die each year in side-impact crashes involving two vehicles.

Ford will first use the side air bags as optional equipment in its 1999 Cougar, out later this year, and then as standard equipment in its Lincoln LS sedans next year, said Jennifer Flake, a Ford spokeswoman.

The cost of side air bags varies depending on the type of model and size of air bag needed, Flake said. But for the Cougar, she said, the option will cost consumers $350 more.

GM has side bags in six of its models and will add 15 more models by next model year, company spokesman Bill O’Neill said.

Nissan Motor Corp.’s Infiniti division has side air bags in three of its four models and will add them to the fourth by the end of this year, spokesman Jason Vines said.

Nasser said technology improvements have recently made side air bags more of a viable option. But Flake wouldn’t say how much Ford will spend to add the technology. She said the cost of side air bags varies depending on the type of model and size of air bag needed.

Flake said Ford also hasn’t decided in which models the air bags will be standard and in which they will be optional. Among the issues auto makers are uncertain about is how many consumers want the air bags.

Chrysler has no immediate plans to add side air bags on its models. Chrysler officials said that while the air bags might be good for marketing purposes, they aren’t sure how much they improve safety--or even what type of air bag they would use.

“We aren’t quite ready to pick the winning technology,” said Chrysler Chairman Robert Eaton.

The air bags can deploy from the seat, as Ford’s does, and protect the driver’s head and chest area. But other air bag types deploy from the side of the car and stretch across the length of the window like a curtain.

Ken Kohrs, vice president of Ford’s large- and luxury-vehicle center, said the auto maker determined that a seat-deploying bag is best because it will protect the driver regardless of how close the seat is to the steering wheel.

He said people should have fewer concerns about being hurt by the side air bags because they deploy at a slower speed than early versions of front air bags.

While Ford plans to make the air bags available for its Windstar minivan, Honda introduced a new minivan Wednesday that will not carry the air bag. Dick Colliver, Honda’s executive vice president, said the auto maker determined that the air bags weren’t necessary to meet safety standards.