Owners Manual

Seat Position Sensors
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
Vehicle’s with dual stage air bags are also equipped
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used
to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full depoyment.
In moderate
to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
the instrument panel. In moderate
to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
with special
which enable the sensing system to even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
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. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, the air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules. Frontal air bag
modules are located inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For side impact air bags, the air bag
modules are located in the seatback closest to the
driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door.
the impact~more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal air bags would not help
you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the air bag. Side impact air bags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal
or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear 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 for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal air bags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s and right front
passenger’s side impact air bag.
1-56