STAN DARD PROCEDU RE
STANDARD PROCEDURE - HANDLING NON -
DEPLOYED SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINTS
At no tim e shou ld any sou rce of electricity be per-
mitted nea r the inflator on the back of a n on-de-
ployed a irbag or sea t belt ten sioner. When carr yin g a
non-deployed a irba g, the trim cover or airbag cushion
side of the unit should be point ed away from th e
body to minimize injury in t he event of a n accidenta l
deployment. If th e a irbag un it is placed on a bench or
any other surface, the t rim cover or airba g cushion
side of the un it should be face up t o minim ize move-
ment in the event of an a ccident al deployment . Wh en
handling a non -deployed sea t belt ten sioner, ta ke
pr oper care to keep fingers out fr om under the
retr actor cover and away fr om the sea t belt webbing
where it exits fr om the retractor cover. In addition ,
the supplemental restraint syst em should be dis-
armed whenever an y steerin g wh eel, st eering col-
umn, seat belt tensioner, airba g, impact sensor, or
instr umen t pa nel component s requir e diagnosis or
service. F ailure to observe t his war ning could result
in accident al deployment and possible per son al
injury.
All da maged, fau lty or non-deployed airbags and
seat belt tensioners wh ich are repla ced on vehicles
are t o be handled an d disposed of pr operly. If an air-
bag or seat belt tensioner u nit is faulty or dama ged
and non-deployed, r efer to the Ha zardous Subst ance
Contr ol System for proper disposal. Dispose of all
non-deployed a nd deployed airba gs an d seat belt ten-
sioner s in a ma nner consist ent with state, provin cial,
local and feder al r egulations.
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT STORAGE
Airba gs a nd seat belt tensioners must be stor ed in
their original, special conta iner until they ar e used
for service. Al so, they mu st be stored in a clea n, dry
environment; awa y from sources of ext reme hea t,
spa rks, and high elect rica l energy. Always pla ce or
st ore any airba g on a surfa ce with its trim cover or
air bag cushion side facing up, to minim ize movem ent
in case of an accidenta l deployment.
STANDARD PROCEDURE - SERVICE AFTER A
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT DEPLOYMENT
Any vehicle wh ich is to be ret urned to use follow-
ing a supplement al restrain t deployment , mu st have
the deployed restraints r eplaced. In addition, if th e
dr iver airbag has been deployed, the clocksprin g and
the steer ing wh eel m ust be replaced. If t he pa ssen ger
air bag ha s been deployed, the instrumen t pa nel must
be repla ced. The seat belt t ensioner s are deployed by
the sa me signal tha t deploys the driver an d pa ssen -
ger airba gs and must also be repla ced if either front
air bag has been deployed. These componen ts are n ot
intended for reu se and will be dama ged or wea kened
as a result of a supplem enta l restraint deployment ,
which ma y or may not be obvious during a visua l
inspection.
It is also critical tha t the mounting surfa ces and/or
mounting br ackets for the Airba g Con trol Module
(ACM) and the side impa ct sensor s be closely
inspected a nd restor ed to th eir original condit ions fol-
lowing any vehicle impact da mage. Beca use th e ACM
and ea ch impact sensor ar e used by the supplemental
restraint system to m onitor or con firm the direct ion
and severity of a vehicle impact , improper orienta tion
or insecu re fastenin g of these compon ents may ca use
air bags not to deploy when required, or to deploy
when not r equired.
All other vehicle components should be closely
inspected following any supplement al restra int
deployment, bu t ar e to be replaced only as requir ed
by the ext ent of the visible dama ge incur red.
CLEANUP PROCEDURE
Following a supplemen tal r estra int deployment,
the veh icle interior will con tain a powdery residue.
This residue consists primar ily of ha rmless particu-
lat e by-product s of the sm all pyrotechnic charge th at
initia tes the propella nt used to deploy a supplem en-
tal r est raint. However, this residue ma y also cont ain
traces of sodium hydr oxide powder, a chemical
by-product of the propellant ma terial th at is used to
generat e th e in ert gas that infla tes t he a irba g. Since
sodium hydr oxide powder can irritate the skin , eyes,
nose, or thr oat, be certa in t o wear sa fety glasses,
rubber gloves, and a long-sleeved sh irt during
clean up (Fig. 3).
WARNING: To avoid personal injury or death, if you
experience skin irritation during cleanup, run cool
water over the affected area. Also, if you experience
irritation of the nose or throat, exit the vehicle for
fresh air until the irritation ceases. If irritation con-
tinues, see a physician.
Fig. 3 Wear Safety Glasses and Rubber Gloves -
Typical
8O - 6 RESTRAINTS VA
To Next Page
Loading...
