This isn’t the first time the airbags of a Mazda have apparently been deployed despite not being in a crash
1 hour ago
- Mazda CX-60 driver reports curtain airbags suddenly deploying while on the highway.
- SUV owner insists no impact or bumps occurred that could have triggered the airbags.
- Driver sustained minor burns but Mazda quickly arranged roadside assistance and towing.
Airbags are designed to be your last line of defense in a crash, not a surprise hazard on an otherwise ordinary drive. Yet according to one Mazda CX-60 owner in Germany, the side curtain airbags of the SUV spontaneously triggered while driving along the Autobahn at 87 mph (140 km/h). Of all the surprises you can get behind the wheel, this ranks among the scariest.
Unexpected Deployment
The incident was shared on Reddit by the CX-60’s owner, who explained that while driving near Bielefeld, the right-side curtain airbags suddenly detonated. The SUV hadn’t been involved in a collision, nor had it hit a major bump that might have tricked the sensors.
Read: Mazda Blamed Owners Until Regulators Stepped In
After the airbags went off, the driver was able to drive it until the next exit before the Mazda stopped, likely because the safety systems thought it’d been involved in an accident and disconnected the battery and fuel supply. Fortunately, the front airbags did not deploy in the crash, nor were the curtain airbags on the driver’s side triggered. Had they been, they might have caused the owner to lose control.
The driver reported minor burns from the airbags, though Mazda quickly responded to the distress call and arranged a tow. The CX-60 involved is said to be just three years old, with around 50,000 km (31,000 miles) on the odometer. At the time of writing, no update had been given from the service center looking into the incident, so it’s difficult to say what exactly went wrong in this case.
Not the First Report
Interestingly, this doesn’t appear to be the first time that Mazda owners have reported sudden airbag deployments.
Last year, the owner of a CX-50 shared on Reddit that their SUV’s curtain airbags deployed while cruising on the freeway, although some commentators questioned whether the car had actually been involved in an accident or had been driven into a curb at highway speeds.
In any case, airbags are supposed to save lives, not raise heart rates during a routine drive. Mazda’s investigation into this CX-60 might determine whether this is an isolated electrical gremlin or a more worrying pattern for owners.
