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If
something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
attach or put anything between an occupant and
an
air
bag, and 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
16
mph
(14
to
26
kmh). 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.
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