Operation Manual

Safety features of your vehicle
443
How does the air bag system
operate
• Air bags are activated (able to
inflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON or
START position.
• The appropriate air bags inflate
instantly in the event of serious
frontal or side collision in order to
help protect the occupants from
serious physical injury.
• There is no single speed at which
the air bags will inflate.
Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate by the severity of a collision
and its direction. These two factors
determine whether the sensors
send out an electronic deployment/
inflation signal.
• Air bag deployment depends on a
number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the
density and stiffness of the vehicles
or objects which your vehicle hits in
the collision.Though, factors are not
limited to those mentioned above.
• The front air bags will completely
inflate and deflate in an instant.
It is virtually impossible for you to
see the air bags inflate during an
accident.
It is much more likely that you will
simply see the deflated air bags
hanging out of their storage com-
partments after the collision.
• In addition to inflating in serious
side collisions, side and/or curtain
air bags will inflate if the sensing
system detects a rollover.
• When a rollover is detected, side
and/or curtain airbags will remain
inflated longer to help provide pro-
tection from ejection, especially
when used in conjunction with the
seat belts.
• In order to help provide protection,
the air bags must inflate rapidly.The
speed of air bag inflation is a con-
sequence of the extremely short
time in which to inflate the air bag
between the occupant and the vehi-
cle structures before the occupant
impacts those structures.
This speed of inflation reduces the
risk of serious or life-threatening
injuries and is thus a necessary part
of air bag design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which normally can
include facial abrasions, bruises and
broken bones because the inflation
speed also causes the air bags to
expand with a great deal of force.
• There are even circumstances
under which contact with the air
bag can cause fatal injuries, espe-
cially if the occupant is positioned
excessively close to the air bag.
WARNING
• To avoid severe personal injury
or death caused by deploying
air bags in a collision, the driv-
er should sit as far back from
the steering wheel air bag as
possible (at least 10 inches
(250 mm) away). The front pas-
sengers should always move
their seats as far back as pos-
sible and sit back in their seat.
(Continued)
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