jmc7586

I was unsure if I should post this here or in the Appearance section, but I figured here since my question deals with hardware (I think). I apologize if this is in the wrong section, mods feel free to move.

I don't have a Mustang but I would like to get one someday. I was looking at the 2010 ones early this year and noticed a bulky protrusion on the sides of the front seats about shoulder-level. Here's a picture I took.



I'm wondering if anyone here knows what that thing slightly poking out against the seat fabric/leather is. Is it just a part of the seat frame? I guess one might get used to something which could be viewed as trivial, but it stuck out enough (not sure if I intended that pun...) to me every time I checked one of the '10 Mustangs out.

Thanks in advance for any help y'all can offer.

6+6 Stang

side air bags, lots of safety stuff on this car, I had been wanting a muscle car, but had a toyota corolla, 2007, i got hit doing 60 from behind, it total the toyota, i was fine not a hurt at all, was time fornthe muscle car, weighed it against the challenger and camaro, you can beleive me or not, I transfered insurance from toyota to Mustang, full coverage and it was less for the mustang, I have a V8 with 5 Spd.

chronos

I think that is just the normal wrinkling that happens in a leather seat from people sitting in it and getting in and out and stuff like that. If you don't want that look, just go with cloth seats. I have cloth and don't have that problem.

FastDEW

It is the hardware for the side impact airbag.

6+6 Stang

exactly as i said no wrinkle lol

jmc7586

Ah, thanks for clarifying that! I guess it's obvious now that I think about it, having the word "AIRBAG" right above it. Now that I know what it is, does anyone know why it protrudes like that, and why Ford couldn't have designed it to be flush with the side of the seat? I would say I'm sure the answer will again be obvious, something like front-side airbags being optional and they poke out because the seat wasn't designed beforehand with accommodating them in mind, but it appears that front-side airbags are standard safety equipment. Again, thanks very much in advance for the help!

FastDEW

The seat was definately designed for them. It has to be, because it has the reinforcement, etc to make them work properly. The issue is that you have to encase the bag into some type of cylinder and you cannot embed it too far into the seat foam or it will not deploy properly. For example, you cannot hide it under foam very easy. Also, the stitching on the side of the seat is designed to tear open more easily when the system deploys.

It is easier to hide on some seats than others. For example in cloth. Also, it can be more hidden in more exensive seats.

I am not picking on you, but I really can't see how it is objectionable. But that is just me. It looks fine to me and I probably would have never noticed except that your picture with a big circle makes it pretty clear In any case, I will take the safety of the side bag over a smoother look any day of the week.

jmc7586

Thanks for your reply. I think that and the other posts above have settled my question completely. On a side note, I only didn't like the "bulge" before I knew it was the airbag; I thought it was just a poorly-designed seat. But now that I've been informed, I share the same belief as you and don't mind the bulge now that I know it's just the airbag.

Thanks again to all who helped answer my questions.