Where are the Honda Civic Type R's airbags located?

By Stuart Johnston

If you are planning to buy a Honda Civic Type R, or already own one, it may bring peace of mind to check out the array of airbags fitted to the car, and pinpoint where they are located in the interior layout.

The latest Honda Civic Type R, introduced here in February 2018, is not only the quickest point-to-point front-wheel-drive hatchback on the market, it is also a very safe car. Chief amongst its attributes is one of the most rigid body shells on the block, thanks to special adhesives being employed to join the body and chassis panels in a manner akin to race-car-spec seam-welding. So in terms of body deformation if you are unfortunate enough to crash a Civic Type R, you and your fellow occupants should still be in good shape!

Backing this passenger-cell rigidity up is a set of six air bags.

So, where are the Type R's airbags situated?

*The driver’s side front airbag is located in the centre of the steering wheel assembly, as per normal practise.

*The front passenger front airbag is located on the far-left side of the dashboard. Look for the SRS logo, something which accompanies all airbag locations, in all makes of cars.

*The side-impact airbags are located on the outward side of  each of the front passenger seats. Look for a little black tag with white lettering, indicating its location on the race-style backrests of the front seats.

*A curtain airbag is located on each side of passenger cell, , bringing the total number of airbags to six. These are located just aft of  the windscreen pillar, at the point where it joins to the roof section forming the windscreen opening.

The Driver’s side airbag

On this Honda, a special spiral stitching in the airbag prevents the airbag from inflating too quickly, so initially the volume is reduced in the bag. Later (we are talking micro-seconds in terms of deployment time), the volume increases. This progressive inflation has been shown to be the safest type of driver’s side frontal airbag.

The passenger-side front airbag

When the passenger’s front  airbag is deployed it will deflate upward and rearward. This initial upward movement is to reduce the likelihood of injuries caused by the airbag deploying too forcefully into the front passenger.

The side-impact airbags

The side airbags, located in the seat backrests in the outboard position, are designed to expand outwards towards the door panels and thus reduce the likelihood of thorax and pelvis injuries. These help prevent injuries when a car is T-boned at an intersection, or when a car strikes a solid object, such as a pole or tree, when sliding sideways at speed.

The side curtain airbags

The side curtain airbags are designed to be triggered both in the event of a severe side impact, and in the case of a roll-over. They will also deploy in the case of a severe three-quarter frontal impact. The side-curtain airbags are designed to protect both front and rear passengers in the case of side impacts.

As the latest Honda Civic Type R is still a new car and will be under factory warranty, all repairs to the car, including airbag replacement, need to be carried out by a Honda-approved repair shop. Any un-authorised work on the car