Passenger airbag automatic cutoff timeline: European vehicles

 Before viewing this cutoff chart, read this information post. 

Red – no cutoff (passenger airbag WILL deploy regardless of occupancy)

Blue – cutoff depends on vehicle variant

Yellow – cutoff is included, but does NOT meet FMVSS 208 advanced airbag standards; these cutoffs were typically aimed at reducing repair costs when the passenger seat is empty, and not toward child safety. 

Green – cutoff is included, that DOES meet FMVSS 208 standards

Note that this chart only includes automatic, sensor-based cutoffs, not manual switch-based cutoffs. 

This chart contains the European brands Audi, BMW (including Mini), Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volvo, and Volkswagen. It does not include Fiat and Alfa Romeo (which do not use automatic airbag cutoffs) or several niche brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, etc. Volkswagen owners manuals of this era were unable to be located, so take this chart with a grain of salt for them. 

Some European vehicles were among the earliest adopters of automatic airbag cutoff sensors. “At least” means that the vehicle was equipped with the sensor by this model year and may have been equipped in some earlier years. Exact years mean that the sensor was included starting in that year. 

Blue-labeled vehicles: 

The Volvo S40/V40 was redesigned midway through the 2004 model year. The redesigned, “2004.5” models have the sensor, the earlier model does not. 

The 2005 Volvo V70R does not have the sensor; standard 2005 V70’s do. 

Unusually, the 2003 BMW Z4 does not have a sensor while Z3’s from at least 1999-2002 do (like all early airbag sensors, it does NOT meet FMVSS 208 advanced airbag requirements).