Mahindra Scorpio N in question is the top-spec Z8 variant and comes equipped with six airbags – None of them deployed
A Mahindra Scorpio N owner met with an accident on 11th June 2023 in a forest area in Odisha state. The driver fell asleep while driving, resulting in a head-on collision with a tree. Fortunately, there were no casualties. But owner Bibekananda Dash mentioned his daughter’s condition is critical.
In the images posted on Twitter by owner Bibekananda Dash, we can see the car lying on its side. Front has had a significant deformation where it hit a tree. Mr. Dash took to Twitter to share his grievance that none of the six airbags deployed.
Scorpio N airbags didn’t deploy
On his Twitter account @bibek_india, Mr. Dash clearly revealed that seatbelts were on. In that case, airbags should have deployed. Owner tagged Anand Mahindra, telling about the unfortunate situation.
Mr. Dash wrote, “Met with a fatal road accident on 11th June while driving Scorpio N with my family my younger daughter is critical. Unfortunately none of the airbags open. Pl take care for further development.”
@anandmahindra ?
Met with a fatal road accident on 11th June while driving Scorpio N with my family my younger daughter is critical. Unfortunately none of the airbags open. Pl take care for further development. pic.twitter.com/yp3tUZGmpp— BIBEKANANDA DASH (@bibek_india) June 13, 2023
The vehicle in question is a Mahindra Scorpio N Z8, which gets six airbags as standard fitment. If seatbelts were on, like Mr. Dash suggests, airbags should have deployed considering how severe this accident was.
Why are airbags not opening, a common occurrence?
Airbags are designed to save occupants from colliding with the interior panels upon crash. In such an event, seatbelts play a primary role in vastly reducing the speed of the occupant’s body which is about to hit the exploding airbag. It is to be noted that when an airbag explodes, expanding gases fill up the bag in 30 milliseconds, which is quicker than an eyeblink (100 milliseconds).
Airbag gases expand at a speed of around 300 km/h. If seatbelts are not on, the occupant’s body will hit this airbag deploying at this speed, which causes the real fatality instead of the actual crash. So, in many cases, airbags don’t deploy when seatbelts are not on. Scorpio N scored a brilliant 5 star crash rating in GNCAP’s updated testing procedures.
During GNCAP’s testing, airbags deployed as expected as crash dummies had seat belts engaged. Similar incident happened in Bengaluru when a speeding Audi Q3 crashed and none of the airbags deployed. This is because none of the seven occupants (in a 5-seater SUV) wore seatbelts and six of them died on spot and one died on the way to a hospital.
