A
CAUTION:
If something
is
between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag may not inflate properly or
it
might
force the object
into
that person. The path
of
an
inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put
anything between an occupant and an air bag, and
don’t attach or put anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other air bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed
to
inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only
if
the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.’’ If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level
is
about
8
to
12
mph
(1
3
to
19
kmh).
The threshold level
can vary, however,
with
specific vehicle design,
so
that
it
can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car,
the
threshold level
will
be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate
in
rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In
any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because
of
the damage
to
a
vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation
is
determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down
in
frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system
is
designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
As
always, wear your safety belt. See “Off-Road
Driving”
in
the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact
of
sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that
the
vehicle is
in
a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are all part
of
the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front
of
the
right front passenger.
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