When Should An Airbag; Inflate - Chevrolet 2011 Impala Owner's Manual

3-30 Seats and Restraints

When Should an Airbag

Inflate?

Frontal airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes
to help reduce the potential for
severe injuries mainly to the
driver's or right front passenger's
head and chest. However, they
are only designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how
severe a crash is likely to be in time
for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate
at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inflate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object
that does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a
more severe frontal impact.
For moderate frontal impacts,
dual-stage airbags inflate at a
level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts,
full deployment occurs.