June 10, 2022 – In 2009, Ford Motor Company announced an innovative new safety technology called “inflatable seat belts” as an option for its 2011 Ford Explorer.
Soon after Ford launched this new device, Mercedes-Benz adopted the technology for its S-Class. Lexus used inflatable seat belts in the 2012 LFA supercar.
What was the reason these brands felt the need to create them? Why did Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus discontinue using this seat belt technology in new cars?
If you’re buying a used vehicle, you’ll need to know about inflatable seat belts still found in some 2011 to 2020 model cars. If you own a child car seat, you may want to look at your car seat owner’s manual to see if it is compatible with them.