Airbag mystery solved-Safety restrant location on Renault Duster 1.5dCi Prestige EDC.

Renault’s revamped Duster 1.5dCi Prestige EDC is the top of the range model. And it has four airbags, not two, as we were initially led to believe

Renault’s Duster has been re-jigged for the fourth quarter of 2018, with styling cues that give it a more rugged appeal that is more in keeping with its no-nonsense approach to SUV-like appeal. The new Duster range includes all-wheel-drive models, but these have not been launched yet,  although they are included in the range-line up which was announced in September.

Solving the airbag mystery

In setting about to list airbag placement in the Duster, we took a long look at the top model in the range so far, the 4X2 (front-wheel-drive) Renault Duster 1.5dCi Prestige EDC. The EDC model is the one with a dual-clutch transmission that gives automatic gear selection functionality.

 Now, according to the specification sheet, this R330 000-plus  cross-over-SUV model has just two airbags, one for the driver and one for the passenger.

So imagine our surprise when we discovered two additional airbags, located in each backrest of the front seats.

We at first thought that the answer may lie in the fact that the car was specced with the optional leather upholstery. But a check with Renault South Africa’s public relations department confirmed that the Prestige model does, in fact come with four airbags. The other models in the range on sale so far, the Expression and Dynamique, get by with two airbags.

Location of the airbags

. The steering wheel centre contains the driver’s side front airbag, which is standard practise for all driver’s side airbags. The passenger-side airbag is also housed in the usual place, on the left side of the dashboard.

The side airbags, on the Prestige EDC model only, are contained in the side bolsters of the backrest in each front seat. They are marked by a  tag that reads “airbag”, and again this is a conventional tag for side airbags located in the front seat back rests.

Replacement airbags

As this model is new on the South African market and covered by a five-year/150 000 km warranty, any airbag replacement after an accident must be carried out by an authorised Renault repair centre. Aftermarket Airbag replacement centres, which offer replacement at lower prices than manufacturer-approved repair centres, are in operation in South Africa. But using one of these non-franchised services should only be considered after a vehicle’s warranty period has expired.