When Should An Air Bag Inflate - Cadillac 2003 DeVille Owner's Manual

If someth
...d
is between an occul;,.rt and an
air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't 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 other air
bag covering. Don't let seat covers block the
inflation path of a side impact air bag.
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed "threshold level".
In addition, your vehicle has "dual stage" frontal air bags,
which adjust the amount
of
restraint according to crash
severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these air bags
inflate at a level less than full deployment. For mere
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front
of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move
or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment
's about 10 to 16 mph (1 8 to 26 km/h), and the threshold
level for a fuii deployment is about 18 to 24 mph (29 to
38.5 km/h). 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 driver's and right front passenger's frontal
air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag
will inflate if the crash severity is above the system's
designed "threshold level". The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags are
not designed to inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact
air bags, inflation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
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