1
CAUTION:
If
something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might 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. And don’t hang anything from the
assist handle on the passenger’s side of the
instrument panel.
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
1
1
to
16
mph
(1
8
to
26
km/h). 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.
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.
1-29
To Next Page
Loading...
