GMC Yukon 2025 - What Makes an Airbag Inflate; How Does an Airbag Restrain; What will You See after an Airbag Inflates

GMC Yukon/Yukon XL/Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-17942154) - 2025
Seats and Restraints 67
The f
ront center airbag, if equipped, is designed
t
o inflate in moderate to severe side crashes
depending upon the location of the impact,
when either side of the vehicle is struck. In
addition, the front center airbag is designed
to inflate when the sensing system predicts
that the vehicle is about to roll over on its
side. The front center airbag is not designed to
inflate in frontal impacts, near frontal impacts,
or rear impacts.
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.
Seat-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
pr
edicts 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 the 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.
For airbag locations, see Where Are the Airbags?
365.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal collisions, even
belted occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to
severe side collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided
by seat belts by distributing the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed
to
help contain the head and chest of occupants
in the outboard seating positions in the first,
second, and third rows. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce
the risk of full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can prevent all
such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types
of collisions, primarily because the occupant's
motion is not toward those airbags. See When
Should an Airbag Inflate? 366.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than asupplement to seat belts.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After frontal and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the
airbags inflated. The front center airbag and
roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially
inflated for some time after they inflate. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot
for several minutes. For location of the airbags,
see Where Are the Airbags? 365.