If something
is
between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of
an
inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
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 15 mph
(
14 to 24
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.
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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