Buick 1994 Century Owner's Manual page 42

What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is suddenly
stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing system
triggers a chemical reaction
of
the sodium azide sealed
in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas,
which inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and
related hardware are all part of the air bag inflator
module packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
provide protection in many types of collisions, including
rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant's motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to
severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module in the steering wheel
hub may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the
bag that comes into contact with you will not be hot to
the touch. There will be small amounts of smoke and
dust coming from vents in the deflated air bag. The air
bag will
not
impede the driver's vision or ability to steer
the vehi,cle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting
the vehicle.
The air bag is designed to inflate only once. After it
inflates, you'll need some new parts for your air bag
system. If you don't get them, the air bag system
won't be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include the air bag module and
possibly other parts. The service manual has
information about the need to replace other parts.
0
Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are activated and
whether the driver's safety belt was in use.
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