Tesla's Model 3 Redesign: Airbag Changes and Safety Considerations

Tesla's recent unveiling of the redesigned Model 3 has generated significant buzz in many markets, with notable changes including the removal of certain components, most notably the shifting stalk. However, alongside these updates, questions have arisen regarding the absence of a front-seat airbag in the new design.

Reddit user u/Capital-Pomegranate6 drew attention to the fact that the new Model 3 lacks a knee airbag for front-seat passengers, as evident in the French owner's manual. Interestingly, the manual also reveals an additional airbag inside the driver's seat, which resembles the one observed in China-built Model Y units last year.

Some users speculated that these design variances might be region-based, contingent on the availability of specific airbags in different countries. Others suggested that U.S. regulations might mandate knee airbags while European countries might not require them. Nonetheless, u/Capital-Pomegranate6 reiterated that their Model 3 indeed includes knee airbags, although some owners outside of North America reported otherwise.

From the U.S. owner's manual (and those of other North American countries), it is evident that pre-refresh Model 3 builds include knee airbags. However, the new Model 3 design has not yet been released in the United Kingdom, and examination of their owner's manual reveals that older European-shipped models also lacked knee airbags.

The inclusion of knee airbags in the new Model 3 for the U.S. or other North American countries remains unclear, as there are currently no markets with knee airbags specified in their owner's manual.

Nonetheless, there is a possibility that Tesla may remove knee airbags in the 2024 Model 3 builds in North America, especially if they are not considered necessary for safety. Capital-Pomegranate6 highlights that the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) conducts rigorous safety testing for new cars, which might influence Tesla's prioritization of the inner driver's seat airbag, especially if it still meets North American safety standards.

In 2019, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) published an article suggesting that knee airbags might have a minimal impact on reducing injury risk and, in some cases, could even increase the likelihood of injuries. Their study showed a decrease in injury risk from 7.9 percent to 7.4 percent in a real-world analysis, a 0.5-percent drop deemed statistically insignificant by the IIHS.

Becky Mueller, IIHS senior research engineer and co-author of the study, noted, "There are many different design strategies for protecting against the kind of leg and foot injuries that knee airbags are meant to address," suggesting that alternative safety measures may be equally or more effective.

While the IIHS acknowledges that some manufacturers continue to incorporate knee airbags, they also suggest that automakers may utilize these airbags to attain high scores on federally mandated tests, particularly those involving unbelted dummies.

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