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The vehicle may or may not have roof-rail airbags.
See Airbag System
on page 2‑59
. 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. 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 frontal
impacts, near-frontal impacts, or rear impacts.
All roof-rail airbags will deploy when either side
of the vehicle is struck.
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 roof-rail
airbags, deployment is determined by the location
and severity of the side impact.
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 roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling of the
vehicle, near the side windows for the first, second, and
third rows (if equipped). See Where Are the Airbags?
on page 2‑62
for more information.
2-66