Which 1973 production car became the first to offer a passenger airbag?

The 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado became the first production car to offer a passenger airbag.

General Motors introduced an optional driver-and-passenger airbag system called the Air Cushion Restraint System for the 1973 Toronado. It was designed to protect occupants in frontal crashes, supplementing the car’s conventional safety equipment. The system used sensors to detect a severe impact and inflate cushions rapidly.

Airbags did not immediately become standard equipment across the industry. Early systems were expensive, and many buyers and manufacturers remained uncertain about their long-term practicality. The Toronado’s pioneering system was therefore an important early step rather than the beginning of universal airbag adoption.

The Toronado is sometimes confused with later cars that made airbags standard or widely available. Modern supplemental restraint systems also use side airbags, sensors, electronic controls, and seat-belt integration that were not part of this early 1973 installation.