GMC Terrain 2025 - When Should an Airbag Inflate; What Makes an Airbag Inflate

GMC Terrain/Terrain Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-18552429) - 2025
50 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block
the inflation path of aseat-mounted side
impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof of
avehicle with roof-rail airbags by routing
arope or tie-down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be blocked.
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
Th
is vehicle is equipped with airbags. See
Airbag System 347. Airbags are designed to
inflate if the impact exceeds the specific airbag
system's deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how severe
acrash is likely to be in time for the airbags
to inflate and help restrain the occupants. The
vehicle has electronic sensors that help the
airbag system determine the severity of the
impact. Deployment thresholds can vary with
specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in
mo
derate to severe frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe injuries, mainly
to the driver's or front outboard passenger's
head and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or should
inflate is not based primarily on how fast the
vehicle is traveling. It depends on what is hit,
the direction of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash
speeds depending on whether the vehicle hits
an object straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or moving, rigid or
deformable, narrow or wide.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate
during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or many
side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has advanced
technology frontal airbags. Advanced
technology frontal airbags adjust the restraint
according to either crash severity or
occupant interaction.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are
designed to inflate in moderate to severe
side crashes depending on the location of
the impact. These airbags may also inflate
in some moderate to severe frontal impacts.
Se
at-mounted side impact airbags are not
designed to inflate in rollovers or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag is designed
to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
Roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes depending on
the location of the impact. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags may inflate during arollover
or in asevere frontal impact. Roof-rail airbags
are not designed to inflate in rear impacts. Both
roof-rail airbags may inflate when either side
of the vehicle is struck or if the sensing system
predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on
its side, or in asevere frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inflated simply because
of the vehicle damage or repair costs.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In adeployment event, the sensing system
sends an electrical signal triggering arelease
of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator
fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of
the cover. The inflator, the airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the airbag module.