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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. Inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in front or
near-frontal impacts.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of
your vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, your
vehicle has single stage airbags. If the GVWR
is below 8,500 lb (3 855 kg), your vehicle has dual
stage airbags. You can find the GVWR on the
certification label on the rear edge of the driver’s
door. See Loading Your Vehicle on page 259
for more information.
Single Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with single stage
deployment and your vehicle goes straight into
a wall that does not 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.
Dual Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with dual stage
deployment, the restraint will adjust according
to the crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic
frontal sensors which helps the sensing system
distinguish between a moderate and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal
impacts, these airbags inflate at a level less
than full deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of
your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does
not move or deform, the threshold level for
the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph
(19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for
a full deployment is about 18 to 25 mph
(29 to 40 km/h). The threshold level can vary,
however, with specific vehicle design, so that it
can be somewhat above or below this range.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have sensors
which enable the sensing system to monitor the
position of both the driver and passenger front
seats. The seat position sensors provide
information which is used to determine if the
airbags should deploy at a reduced level or
at full deployment.
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