Toyota 2001 Prius Owner's Manual page 124

Hitting a curb, edge
Falling into or jump-
22p016b
of pavement or
ing over a deep hole
hard material
Landing hard or vehicle falling
The SRS front airbags may deploy if a
serious impact occurs to the underside
of your vehicle. Some examples are
shown in the illustration.
50
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The SRS airbag system consists mainly of
the following components and their loca-
tions are shown in the illustration.
1. Front airbag sensors
2. SRS warning light
3. Airbag module for front passenger (air-
bag and inflator)
4. Airbag sensor assembly
5. Airbag module for driver (airbag and
inflator)
The airbag sensor assembly consists of a
safing sensor and airbag sensor.
In a severe frontal impact, the sensors
detect deceleration and the system trig-
gers the airbag inflators. Then a chemical
reaction in the inflators quickly fills the
airbags with non–toxic gas to help restrain
the forward motion of the occupants.
When the airbags inflate, they produce a
fairly loud noise and release some smoke
and residue along with non–toxic gas. This
does not indicate a fire. This gas is nor-
mally harmless; however, for those who
have delicate skin, it may cause a minor
skin irritation. Be sure to wash off any
residue as soon as possible to prevent
any potential skin irritation.
Deployment of the airbags happens in a
fraction of a second, so the airbags must
inflate with considerable force. While the
system is designed to reduce serious inju-
ries, it may also cause minor burns or
abrasions and swelling.
Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel
hub, dashboard) may be hot for several
minutes, but the airbags themselves will
not be hot. The airbags are designed to
inflate only once.