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Seat-mounted 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. Seat-mounted 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.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not
intended to inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. Roof-rail
airbags are not intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seat-mounted 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 seat-mounted 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 seat-mounted side impact airbags, there
are airbag 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.
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