Unusual Numbers of Airbags in Cars

Depending on the exact vehicle you choose, a vehicle can have anywhere from 0 to 11 airbags, and there have been production vehicles with every number in this range - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, and 11. But some of these counts are quite common, and others are very rare, having been made on only a small number of models. Keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list of vehicles with unusual airbag counts.

Looking at the entire history of the automobile, 0-airbag vehicles are the most common. Keeping in mind that the first car was made in 1886, for the first 87 years of the automobile's 139-year history, all vehicles were 0-airbag. And 0-airbag vehicles remained the norm until the early 1990s - meaning that a lot of them were made over the course of over a century.

1-airbag vehicles, which consist of only a driver's front airbag, were produced for a relatively short amount of time; in the United States, just 14 years passed between the first and last 1-airbag vehicles (the 1984 Mercedes S-Class and 1998 Toyota T-100). Nevertheless, most models passed through a 1-airbag phase which usually lasted about 1-4 years, most commonly some time in the 1990-1994 era. 

2-airbag vehicles almost invariably consisted of driver's and front passenger's frontal airbags; the sole exception to this rule was the 1996-1997 Kia Sportage, which had a driver's frontal and driver's knee airbag, but no passenger's frontal airbag. 2-airbag (as in driver's and front passenger's frontal airbags) vehicles were the norm from about 1995-2005 on cars and minivans, with that start date being around 1996 for SUVs and 1997-1998 for pickup trucks. Given that they made up the majority of vehicle production for about a decade, 2-airbag vehicles are very common.

3 airbags is where things get interesting. The 1998-2002 Kia Sportage fell into this category, with driver's and passenger's front airbags and a driver's knee airbag. The 2005-2007 Scion tC and 2006-2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser also fell into this category if it didn't have the optional side airbags. A few GM vehicles of the early 2000s - such as the 2000-2005 Buick Regal & 2004-2005 Century and 2001-2005 Chevy Monte Carlo - offered a side torso airbag only for the driver (in addition to the by then federally mandated driver and front passenger frontal airbags). 

4 airbags was a relatively common number; this normally consisted of dual front airbags as well as side airbags for the driver and front passenger. The side airbags, depending on vehicle, would be side torso (chest protection only), side "combo" (a taller side airbag that deployed beside the occupant's chest and head), or side curtain airbags - but a 4-airbag vehicle would have only one of these three types. These vehicles were most common from around 2000-2005, and in many cases, the side airbags were optional equipment - meaning that these 4-airbag vehicles were originally 2-airbag vehicles, with an added option.

5 airbags is probably the rarest of all airbag counts. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is one of very few, if not the only, vehicle that this ever applied to. On 2008-2010 models, dual front airbags, side combo airbags for both front seats, and a driver knee airbag were standard; this also applies to 2006-2007 models with the optional side combo airbags. 

6 airbags is probably, by now, the most common airbag count among vehicles with airbags, since it's been the norm for over 15 years now. Typically, 6 airbags means dual front, dual side torso, and side curtain airbags. However, other configurations of 6 airbags are possible; the 1997 Audi A8 had dual front airbags as well as side torso airbags in both front and rear seats, becoming the first-ever vehicle with 6 airbags. 

7 airbags is probably the most common number of airbags that is odd; it typically consists of the standard 6-airbag configuration (dual front, dual side torso and side curtain airbags) along with a driver knee airbag. This could also mean the standard 6-airbag configuration with a front center airbag, such as the 2013-2016 GMC Acadia and its platform twins (optional). 

8 airbags is another common number; most vehicles that have 8 airbags have dual front, dual side torso, side curtain, and dual front knee airbags. Another relatively common combination is dual front, front and rear side torso, and side curtain. Somewhat rarer would be dual front, dual side torso, side curtain, driver knee, and front center airbag.

9 airbags is another fairly rare number. This commonly occurs from having dual front, front and rear side torso, side curtain, and a driver knee airbag; an example would be the W212 (2010-2016) Mercedes E-Class. It could also be one of the common 8 airbag configurations with a front center airbag.

10 airbags is a common combination: dual front, front and rear side torso, side curtain, and dual front knee airbags is the typical configuration. 

11 airbags is the most currently equipped in any car. The current generation Mitsubishi Outlander is an example. It has dual front, front and rear side torso, side curtain, dual front knee, and a front center airbag. 

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