Starting with some Tesla models, and ultimately spreading elsewhere, some luxurious cars features a so-called "yoke" steering wheel, meaning a yoke-shape rather than a circular one. It has drawn the eye of many, but it seems it may be running into a bit a of problem.
As InsideEVs report, a report released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has revealed that crash-test data simply suggest that the yoke shape cannot accommodate a functioning airbag as well as a circular steering wheel.
According to the MIIT report, certification and validation of a reasonable safety standard "requires impact points forces to be measured on the upper and lower part of the rim, which are missing in a yoke-type setup."
In effect, the report seems to confirm that an airbag mounted in a yoke steering wheel can slide either under the driver's head or above, meaning the driver's head could instead hit the steering column directly.