Owner`s manual
1
CAUTIOI?
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 16 mph
(14 to 26
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.