Seats and Restraint Systems
types of collisions, including rollovers
and rear and side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not
toward the air bag. Air bags should
never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belt
protection in moderate to severe frontal
and near-frontal collisions.
What
will
you
see after
an
air bag
inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then
quickly deflate. This occurs
so
quickly
that some people may not
even
realize
that the air bag inflated. Some
components
of
the air bag module in the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air
bag or the instrument panel for the
passenger’s bag may be hot for a short
time, but the portion of the bag that comes
into contact with you will not be hot to
the touch. There will be small amounts
of
smoke and dust coming from vents
in
the
deflated air bags. The air bag will
not
impede the driver’s vision or ability to
steer the vehicle, nor will it hinder the
occupants from exiting the vehicle.
In many crashes severe enough
to
inflate
an air bag, windshields are broken by
vehicle deformation. Additional
...
26
windshield breakage may occur in
vehicles with passenger air bags because
the windshield acts as a reaction surface
for the inflating air bag.
The air bags are designed to inflate only
once. After they inflate you’ll need some
new parts for your air bag system. If you
don’t get them, the air bag system won’t
be
there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include air bag
modules and possibly other
parts.
The
service manual has information about the
need to replace other parts.
0
Your vehicle is equipped with a
diagnostic module, which records
information about the air bag system if
the air bag deploys in a crash. The
module records information about the
readiness of the system, which sensors
activated the deployment, and whether the
driver’s safety belt was in use.
Let only qualified technicians work on
your air bag system. Improper service can
mean that your air bag system won’t work
properly. See your dealer for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the
driver’s or the right-front passenger’s
air bag, they may not work properly.
You
may have to replace the air bag
on the steering wheel or both the air
bag and the instrument panel for the
passenger’s air bag.
Do
not open or
break the air bag covers.
1s
the smoke from an air bag inflation
harmful?
The particles emitted during air bag
inflation are not harmful to most people.
Some people with respiratory ailments
may experience difficulty breathing if
they stay in the vehicle with the windows
closed after air bag inflation.
So,
if your
air bag inflates, you and any passengers
should exit the vehicle if and when it is
safe to do
so.
If you or your passengers
can’t get out
of
the vehicle, try to get
fresh air by opening a window, turning
on the fan, or opening a door.
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