GMC 1997 Safari Owner's Manual page 38

, A
CAUTION:
I f something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. 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. And don't hang anything from the
assist handle on the passenger's side of the
instrument panel.
When should an air bag inflate?
An
air
bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
"threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is
about 11 to 16 mph (1 8 to 26 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
air
bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In
any particular crash, no one can say whether
an a i r
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the a i r bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the a i r bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are d l part of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
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