Filter
Top Products
Don’t attach anythmg to,
or
put anytnmg
between, an occupant and an air bag.
If
something is between an occupant and an air bag,
the bag might not inflate properly or it might
force the object into you and cause injury. The
path
of
an inflating air bag must be kept clear,
so
don’t attach or put anything on the steering
wheel hub or on or near any 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
15
mph
(14
to
24
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.
1-23