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.

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2003 E320 wagon, ~80k, "Sputnik"
1987 300 SDL, ~160k, "The Pimp Daddy" (sold April 2010)
1984 300 TD, ~200k, "Das Boot" (Demised March 2008)

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.

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Prost!

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.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car