W210 airbags: safe for little people?
 

I'm 6'2" and don't worry about it, but Angie's 5'2" and 100lbs. The airbag in the '87 SDL had an unfortunate wiring malfunction so it was safe for a pregnant Angie to drive.

But to the point: will the driver's airbag in a 2003 W210 wagon kill my wife? If she's pregnant, would it be safe for her to drive?

I've spent a lot of time searching for this, but even on a bunch of .gov sites haven't found anything specific about regulation or common practice.

If you are sitting too close to ANY airbag - yes, it's conceivable that an airbag can kill you. Best to sit as far back from the steering column as you can, and still comfortably drive the car. I have to keep the telescoping feature on my car full-in, to be safe.

Couldn't say, but there is plenty of evidence supporting that the steering wheel wins when pitted up against a skull. I think your best bet is to make sure she's a safe driver, wears her seatbelt and sits as far back as she can.

I agree with the issue of distance from the steering wheel. I see a lot of drivers hunched up close to the wheel, and in the event of a collision, said drivers would suffer serious facial injuries from the force of the airbag deploying.

Even so, a lot of folks perched at a suitable distance from the steering wheel still suffer mild facial abrasions from the airbag deployment after a collision.