When did Tacoma get side airbags

I currently have a 97 Tacoma (2.7 Liter 4wd) that has no side air bags. Looking for another taco that has side bags on it after my last wreck. I can't find much online about this.

 

Definitely not in a first gen.

 

2009 I think...

 

No first gen had it, if you're looking for more protection for the side get some sliders, that's about all you can do for the first gen unless you do a full cage and harnesses.

 

Is it worth an upgrade is a tough question. There's a lot that goes into that. Like do you carry passengers? Do you carry children? What kind of driving do you do...city, highway, off roading?

Is a daily driver an option?

I just bought a daily driver last month. It's a 2016 Scion IM (Corolla Hatchback) it has way more safety features than the Taco. It has 8 airbags (truck has 2), stability control, ABS (truck has this as well), Brake Assist, Brake force distribution, smart stop and it handles way way better. It'll be way harder to roll it over. While it's much lighter and smaller all the safety features more than make up for its lack of mass.

My other daily driver is a motorcycle. That's on the other end of safe...it's not safe.

 

5 point harness and racing seats is about the best you could do in a 1st gen regarding side impacts. In 1997 Toyota was still at least a decade away from putting side airbags in the Tacoma.

 

2009.

Having been in a wreck where the side airbags were triggered, I’d say YES they’re worth it.

 

The "upgrade" I assume your talking about is a new truck, that's the only way to get them, lol...

But if it's "worth it" is really only something YOU can decide. Your situation, driving habits, family, and criteria for personal safety is different from mine and from everyone else posting here.

It's an older truck with fewer safety features, of course. If owning the "safest possible" vehicle is #1 concern, a 20 year old pickup probably isn't it... But that's certainly not the only factor. Most people with older cars also don't have car payments, and may have different driving habits that may make having 600 airbags not quite as much of an advantage.

My dad's old F1 ford didn't even have seatbelts, lol. Did he take the family for road trips to Yellowstone in it? Of course not. He mostly used it for dump runs and driving in the 4th of July parade.

When I broke down and bought a '17 4Runner to replace my Taco as a daily driver/road trip truck, I actually wasn't even thinking about the airbags. It's quieter, has more power for towing the travel trailer. I kept the Taco as a trail truck.

 

i am under the assumption your current truck does not even have passenger airbag!?
mine does not anyways

 

First gens first got the passenger-side airbag in february 1998, but if you meant the side-curtain airbags, first gens (96-04) don't have them. Only on second gens and further (2005+) but I think they started getting side curtain airbags around 2008 or 2009

 

so there are '98 model years out there with NO passenger airbag?

 

yes, those manufactured in january 98. February is when the passenger airbag became standard equipment on tacomas (and probably other toyota cars)

They must be rare, though, as I don't think toyota have had time to manufacture a whole lot of them in just a month

 

oh and I forgot to say that I did indeed see one at a pick-n-pull scrap yard, one or two years ago. Then there was a case of someone who bought the truck rebuilt and had issues with his passenger airbag and we ended up finding out that the airbag system was actually taken from a 98 with no passenger airbag. The truck originally came with a passenger airbag but it was non-functional due to the replaced airbag system. This case had me really puzzled lol

I can now say I've seen the unicorn twice