The term "LTV" is a catch-all term that encompasses vans, SUVs, and pickups - pretty much any vehicle that's not a passenger car. Today, many are used for the same purpose as a passenger car, and are expected to meet the same safety standards. Long ago, the two types of vehicles had vastly differing purposes - with some exceptions, passenger cars were used for everyday purposes, and LTVs were used for hauling cargo or off-road use. As such, LTVs often lagged behind cars in safety features, and had to meet lower safety standards, as evidenced by their inferior performance to cars in NHTSA crash tests in the 1980s.
But a trend was starting in the 1980s, led by the minivan, which found its way into many homes as the family hauler. The "family car" was being replaced by the "family van" - and the market demanded the same levels of safety.
After passenger cars, minivans were the first vehicles to receive airbags, starting with the best-seller - the Chrysler minivans - in January 1991. Other minivan and passenger van manufacturers raced to install airbags. By the fall of 1993, all new minivans had a driver airbag, and passenger airbags were being introduced on some models. By the fall of 1995, most minivans had dual airbags. Full-size vans generally got airbags a bit later than minivans; it was the 1997 model year before you could get a full-size van with dual airbags.
Here's a year-by-year rundown of airbag availability in vans and minivans.
For 1991, the Chrysler minivans - the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, and Plymouth Voyager - offered a driver airbag as an optional feature on vans built after January 1991.
For 1992, the Chrysler minivans made the driver airbag standard. Both of Ford's vans, the Aerostar minivan and the Club Wagon full-size van also made a driver airbag standard. The Toyota Previa also added a driver airbag this year.
For 1993, the Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager were introduced airbagless. Later in the model year, the Mazda MPV received a standard driver airbag, and the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari "midivans" offered an optional driver airbag. Volkswagen canned their bagless Eurovan after this year.
For 1994, the Chrysler minivans came standard with dual airbags. The Toyota Previa also made dual airbags standard this year. All General Motors vans (the Chevy Lumina Minivan, Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport minivans, as well as the Chevy Beauville and GMC Rally full-size vans) added a driver airbag as standard this year, The Chevy Astro and Safari made their optional driver airbag standard, and the Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager also received a standard driver airbag. In fact, all '94 minivans had a standard driver airbag, less than three years after the first driver airbag was offered on any minivan.
For 1995, the Honda Odyssey and Ford Windstar debuted, both featuring standard dual airbags. The Dodge Ram Van, the last airbag holdout, got a standard driver airbag.
For 1996, the Nissan Quest and Mercury Villager, Chevy Astro and GMC Safari, and Mazda MPV made dual airbags standard.
For 1997, the General Motors minivans and full-size vans all received dual airbags. The Ford Aerostar, still with only a driver airbag, was discontinued after this year.
For 1998, the Dodge Ram Van added dual airbags. All '98 minivans and vans had dual airbags.
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