The all-new Mazda BT-50 has the latest safety features seen in passenger cars. It also embodies comprehensive safety measures specific to utilities trucks.

Some of the safety features are designed for active safety; the all-new BT-50 enable the driver to avoid hazards and accidents by creating an environment in which the driver has good visibility and can control the vehicle easily, by handling responsively, having high levels of stopping power, and by having vehicle control technologies that work together to maintain controllability in diverse driving conditions.

The vehicle control technologies are not limited to commonly used ones such as a Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system and a four-wheel Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution(EBD); they also include state-of-the art technologies such as a Trailer Sway Control function.

Passive-safety features protect users of the new BT-50 in the event of an unavoidable accident. They include a sturdy body and frame, which both incorporate reinforcements that reflect comprehensive impact analysis; front, side, and curtain SRS airbags; and all-seat three-point seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters for the front seats.

The new BT-50 meets stringent national and international standards with near-segment-topping levels of impact safety. It also reflects efforts to protect pedestrians and efforts to ensure safety for children in the cabin.In a concerted effort to fully protect all occupants, Mazda devoted serious effort toward improving the active safety technologies that help drivers avoid collisions and foresee potential hazards, and also the passive safety technologies that reduce the chance and severity of injury in the case of an unexpected accident.

Of course, the measures taken are all linked directly to the "driving pleasure" at the heart of Mazda's Zoom-Zoom concept.

Phrased differently, we believe that to achieve true driving pleasure we must establish a strong sense of oneness between driver and car. This consists of the driver's capability to perfectly control the car, as well as improved safety performance and a more confidence-inspiring ride feel. The concepts of "driving pleasure" and "safe and confident driving" do not stand in opposition to one another. Rather, they are synonymous concepts that go hand in hand.

Vehicle Control Technologies

Since utilities are used under diverse loading conditions, the all-new BT-50 not only features skid-prevention and traction-control functions like those of passenger cars; it also has state-of-the-art control functions that effect vehicle control and prevent a rollover in accordance with load, suppress swaying of trailers, and make hill starts easy.

Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)

The ABS prevents the wheels from locking in the event of hard braking on wet or otherwise slippery roads, so it helps the driver stay in control and avoid hazards. A related EBD function senses the vehicle speed and the load applied to the rear wheels by the contents of the cargo box and accordingly optimizes the distribution of braking force to the front and rear wheels to help minimize braking distances.

Traction Control System (TCS)

The TCS senses the driven wheels' tendency to lose grip and start spinning during standing starts and acceleration, and it controls the output of the engine and/or applies the brakes to the wheelspin-prone wheels to prevent wheelspin and achieve optimal traction.

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)

The DSC system works with the ABS and TCS to optimally control the output of the engine and the braking force applied to each wheel so as to prevent skids. It keeps the vehicle stable during cornering manoeuvres on slippery roads and when the driver turns the steering wheel hard to avoid hazards.

For example, it prevents understeer from leading to a front-wheel skid by reducing the engine output and applying braking force to the inner rear wheel; and it prevents oversteer from leading to a rear-wheel skid by applying braking force to the outer front wheel.

Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)

The EBA function senses how far and how quickly the driver presses the brake pedal. If it recognizes emergency braking, it helps the driver by maximally boosting the effectiveness of the brakes.

Brake Override System (BOS)

If the driver accidentally presses the brake and accelerator pedals at the same time, the BOS prioritizes the brakes such that the vehicle comes to a stop.

Load Adaptive Control (LAC)

The weight and position of cargo affect the vehicle's mass and centre of gravity. The LAC function senses changes in the vehicle's mass and centre of gravity and adapts the operation of theABS, TCS, and DSC system to maximize braking effectiveness, traction, and stability. It also reduces the risk of a rollover.

Trailer Sway Control (TSC)

If a trailer starts swaying owing, for example, to a gust of wind from either side, the TSM function controls the speeds of rotation of the vehicle's left- and right-hand wheels in order to suppress the swaying and promote stability.

Roll Stability Control (RSC)

Cargo can give a pickup truck a high centre of gravity. The ROM function monitors the vehicle's behaviour from the vehicle speed, steering angle, and yaw rate and brakes individual wheels as necessary to prevent the vehicle from rolling over.

Hill Launch Assist (HLA)

When the driver moves his foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal for a hill start, the HLA function keeps the brakes applied until the vehicle starts moving. The HLA function thereby prevents the vehicle from rolling backward.

The HLA function automatically starts working if an acceleration sensor indicates a certain road gradient (7% or steeper with an automatic transmission; 4% or steeper with a manual transmission). It keeps the brakes applied for up to two seconds until there's enough engine torque for the hill start. The result is a safe, smooth hill start.

Hill Descent Control (HDC) (4x4 models only)

The HDC function automatically applies the brakes to keep the vehicle moving steadily at a predetermined speed during downhill driving. It's particularly effective during off-road driving. It enables the vehicle to move downhill slowly and safely without requiring the driver to press the accelerator and brake pedals.

Collision safety

The all-new Mazda BT-50 embodies numerous measures to realize superior protection in diverse types of collision, to satisfy tough national and international standards, and to achieve high ratings in assessment programs for new cars. Increased body and frame rigidity suppresses cabin deformation in the event of a collision. Rigigidity was increased by adding crossmembers in the vicinity of the cabin floor and by increasing the cross-sectional dimensions of members carried forward from the outgoing BT-50. Reinforcements to the tunnel and side sills were also added and the cross-sectional dimensions of the reinforcing structures were increased in the A-pillars of all body types and in the B-pillars of the Dual Cab. In addition, 1,180MPa ultrahigh- tensile steel was used for the rocker panels.

The new BT-50's bodyshell has higher flexural and torsional rigidity. The new Dual Cab's bodyshell has about 20% more torsional rigidity than the current one.

Strong crossmembers were placed in positions where they form the ideal load paths to disperse frontal impact forces for absorption by the entire frame.

Various items of up-to-date passive-safety equipment complement the sturdy frame and highly rigid body to protect occupants in the event of an accident.

Passive safety

Seatbelts

The driver's seat and front passenger seat each have a 3-point Emergency-Locking-Retractable (ELR) seatbelt with a pretensioner and a load limiter. The pretensioners ensure rapid restraint in the event of a collision. The load limiters then loosen the belts to mitigate chest impact. There's also a seatbelt reminder. Each of the three rear seating positions in the Dual Cab has a three-point ELR seatbelt.

Airbag system

For chest and head protection in the event of a frontal or side impact, the all-new BT-50 has driver and passenger front airbags, side airbags, and curtain airbags. The curtain airbags extend as far as the rear seat.

Shock-absorbing steering column

In the event of a frontal impact, the steering column moves forward to mitigate the impact of the steering wheel on the driver's head and chest.

Crushable brake pedal

A crushable brake pedal prevents pedal-inflicted foot and leg injuries in the event of a frontal impact. As the dash panel is pushed toward the driver's seat by the engine, the pedal's support bolt is pushed out of position, freeing the pedal and thereby limiting the extent to which the pedal is pushed toward the driver.

Shock-absorbing door structure

The doors each incorporate a plastic pad known as a pusher block, which protects the nearest occupant's abdomen and lower back in the event of a side impact. During a side impact, the pad touches the seat, causing the impact force to pass into the seat and thereby limiting the extent to which the door intrudes into the cabin.

Pedestrian Protection

The new BT-50 is designed to minimize the extent of injuries in the event of contact with a pedestrian. A honeycomb structure in the bonnet absorbs and disperses the force of any contact with a pedestrian's head. And urethane foam behind the front face of the front bumper mitigates the force of any contact with a pedestrian's knees.