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 16 mph
(14
to 26 kdh). 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.
The air bag system is designed
to
work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain.
As
always, wear your safety belt. See “Off-Road
Driving’’ in the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
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.
How
does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted 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 anything more than
a
supplement to safety belts,
and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions.
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