How
does
an
air
bag restrain?
In
moderate to severe fi-ontal or near-frontal collisions,
even
bdted
occupants can contact
the
steering wheel or the
instrument panel.
Air
bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts.
Air
bags distribute
the
force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But
air
bags
would
not help you
in
many
types
of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward those
air
bags.
Air
bags should never be regarded
as
an-g more
than
a
supplement to safety
belts,
and then
only
in
moderate
to
severe fi-ontal or near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after
an
air bag inflates?
After
an
air bag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
air
bag inflated. Some components of the
air
bag
module
--
the
steering wheel hub for
the
driver’s
air bag, or the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s bag
--
will be
hot
for a short time. The
parts
of
the
bag
that
come
into
contact with
you
may
be
warm,
but not too hot
to
touch. There will be some
smoke and dust coming from vents
in
the deflated air
bags.
Air
bag inflation doesn’t prevent the driver
from
seeing or from being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it
stop people from leaving the vehicle.
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the
air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history
of
asthma or other
breathing trouble.
To
avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe
to do
so.
If
you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of
the vehicle after
an
air bag inflates, then get
fresh air
by
opening a window or
door.
In many crashes severe enough
to
inflate
an
air
bag,
windshields are broken
by
vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also
occur
from
the right front passenger
air
bag.
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 for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
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