Vehicle pillar release assemblies and related methods

An airbag cushion assembly, comprising:

• an elongated airbag cushion extending along an elongated axis;
• and
• a release mechanism configured to release a vehicle structure adjacent to the elongated airbag cushion during deployment, the release mechanism having a locked configuration and a released configuration, wherein in the locked configuration a first element of the release mechanism is secured to a second element of the release mechanism to secure the elongated airbag cushion within the vehicle structure, wherein in the released configuration the first element of the release mechanism can be separated from the second element of the release mechanism to allow the vehicle structure to open and allow the elongated airbag cushion to deploy, wherein the release mechanism is configured to use a direct force from deployment of the elongated airbag cushion to the release mechanism to transition from the locked configuration to the released configuration, and wherein the release mechanism is configured to release the vehicle structure using an initial deployment force from the airbag cushion, the initial deployment force being in a direction at least substantially parallel to the elongated axis.