C-Max Has Safety In The Bag

Ford’s new compact people carrier, the Focus C-Max, is set to be a big hit with young families, and not just because of its clever styling and latest Ford engines. Safety is also vital to these buyers, so Ford has fitted the C-Max with Bosch’s Airbag 9 restraint control system.

The Bosch Airbag 9 control system is an ultra high speed on-board computer that uses sensors to analyse the type and severity of a crash and, within milliseconds, activate the vehicles’ safety devices in the most appropriate way.

The sensors that tell the Airbag 9 control system what sort of crash is occurring are located around the vehicle. Sensors in the crumple zone provide advance signals indicating the severity of a head-on collision. Side impacts are the second most frequent type of accident, so the Bosch system employs acceleration sensors on the body sides and pressure sensors in the doors to calculate the collision severity.

The computing power of the Bosch system enables the C-Max to carry a wide range of the latest safety systems, including dual stage front and side airbags as standard. ‘Dual stage’ means the airbags have two separate pyrotechnic devices that can be set off in any combination of ways depending on the severity of the crash.

In addition, there are front seat belt load-limiting pre-tensioners, which help reduce chest injuries in a head-on collision, plus anti-submarining ramps on all seats and driver pedals that detach in the event of an impact.