What Makes An Airbag Inflate; How Does An Airbag Restrain - GMC 2005 Canyon Owner's Manual

If your vehicle has side impact airbags, it has electronic
side sensors. The side impact airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes. A side
impact airbag 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
airbags are not designed to inflate in frontal or
near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts, because
inflation would not likely help the occupant. A side
impact airbag will only deploy on the side of the vehicle
that is struck.
Your vehicle has seat position sensors which enable the
sensing system to monitor the position of the driver's
seat and the right front passenger's seat. Seat position
sensors provide information that is used to determine
if the airbags should deploy at a reduced level or
at full deployment.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by
the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle
slows down in frontal or near-frontal impacts. For side
impact airbags, inflation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
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What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the airbag. The inflator, airbag, and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules inside the steering
wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger. For vehicles with side impact
airbags, the airbag modules are located in the ceiling of
the vehicle, near the side windows.

How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion
is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal