Cadillac 2011 Escalade ESV Automobile User Manual


 
Black plate (45,1)
Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-45
The seat position sensor provides
information that is used to determine
if the airbags should deploy at a
reduced level or at full deployment.
The vehicle has seatmounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags.
See Airbag System on page 339.
Seatmounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes. In addition, these roof-rail
airbags are intended to inflate
during a rollover or in a severe
frontal impact. Seatmounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags will
inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not
intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seatmounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck. Both
roof-rail airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck
or if the sensing system predicts
that the vehicle is about to roll over,
or in a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of
the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seatmounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by
the direction of the roll.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seatmounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.