Navistar International LT Series - Airbag Readiness Lamp; When Should the Airbag Inflate; What Makes the Airbag Inflate

Operation
AirbagReadinessLamp
Anairbagreadinesslampislocatedintheinstrumentpanel
cluster.Thislampwillilluminateifthereisanelectricalproblem
withtheairbagsystem.
Thesystemcheckincludestheairbagsensor(s),operator
sensingsystem(ifequipped),airbagmodules,wiring,andcrash
sensinganddiagnosticmodule.
Theairbagreadinesslampwillilluminateforseveralseconds
duringthevehiclestartingprocedure.Ifthelampdoesnot
illuminate,havethevehicleservicedimmediately.
Iftheairbagreadinesslampremainslitafterthevehicleis
startedorwhiledriving,theairbagsystemmaynotbeworking
properly.Theairbaginthevehiclemightnotinateinacrash,
oritcouldeveninateunexpectedlyduringnormaloperation.If
thisconditionexists,havethevehicleservicedimmediately.
Ifthereisaproblemwithintheairbagsystem,aclustermessage
willbedisplayed.
WhenShouldtheAirbagInate?
Theairbagisdesignedtoinateiftheimpactexceedsthe
specicairbagsystem'sdeploymentthreshold.Deployment
thresholdsareusedtopredicthowsevereacrashislikelytobe
intimefortheairbagtoinateandhelprestraintheoperator.
Thevehiclehaselectronicsensorswhichassisttheairbag
systemtodeterminetheseverityoftheimpact.
Airbagsaredesignedtoinateinmoderatetoseverefrontalor
near-frontalcrashes.Thisdesignhelpstoreducethepotential
forsevereinjuriesmainlytotheoperator’sheadandchest.
Whetheranairbagwillorshouldinateisnotbasedprimarilyon
howfastthevehicleistraveling.Itdependsontheimpact,the
directionoftheimpact,andhowquicklythevehicleslowsdown.
Anairbagmayinateatdifferentspeeds,dependingonwhether
thevehiclehitsanobjectstraightonoratanangle,andwhether
theobjectisxedormoving,rigidordeformable,narroworwide.
Theairbagisnotintendedtoinateduringvehiclerollovers,rear
impacts,orinmanysideimpacts.
Inanyparticularcrash,noonecansaywhetheranairbagshould
haveinatedsimplybecauseofthevehicledamageorrepair
costs.
WhatMakestheAirbagInate?
Astheairbagisdeployed,thesensingsystemsendsanelectrical
signaltriggeringareleaseofgasfromtheinator.Gasfromthe
inatorllstheairbagcausingthebagtobreakoutofthecover.
Theinator,theairbag,andanyrelatedhardwareareallpartof
theairbagmodule.
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