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
9
to
16
mph
(14
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.
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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