In an on-going research program, on the causation of injuries in motor vehi
cle accidents, at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Instit
ute, crashes with airbags have been, and are continuing to be, investigated
. In order to determine the occurrence, if any, of 'hearing problems' assoc
iated with airbag deployments, drivers and passengers who had been involved
in 'airbag' automobile crashes were interviewed by telephone. From the cra
shes investigated, 225 attempts were made to contact drivers who were expos
ed to airbag deployments. From these telephone interviews, contacts were ma
de with 177 car occupants. Only three reported that they had experienced an
y type of hearing-related problems subsequent to their crash. One other cas
e is reported of a driver who had pre-crash hearing loss. It appears that p
ermanent hearing deficit due to airbag deployment, both in cars with the st
eering wheel airbag alone, and in those with a passenger side airbag, is an
infrequent event (1.7%) from the data of this study. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sci
ence Ltd. All rights reserved.