What Makes An Airbag Inflate; What Will You See After An Airbag; How Does An Airbag Restrain - Chevrolet 2011 HHR Owner's Manual

For 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 roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling of the
vehicle, near the side windows that have occupant
seating positions.

How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping
2-66
the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's
upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help contain the head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the first and second rows.
The rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help reduce the risk of full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can prevent all such
ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward
those airbags. See When Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 2 64 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.

What Will You See After an Airbag

Inflates?
After the frontal airbags inflate, they quickly deflate,
so quickly that some people may not even realize an
airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after they deploy. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the airbag modules,
see What Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 2 66.
I n f o r ma t i o n P r o v i d e d b y :