When Should An Airbag Inflate - GMC 2006 Canyon Owner's Manual

When Should an Airbag Inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal airbags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate only
if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account a
variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on how fast your vehicle is
traveling. It depends largely on what you hit, the direction
of the impact and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has "dual stage" frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal sensors
which help the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate and a more severe frontal impact. For
moderate frontal impacts, these airbags inflate at a level
less than full deployment. For more 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 is
about 8 to 16 mph (12.9 to 25.7 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 19 to 24 mph
(30.6 to 38.6 km/h). (The threshold level can vary,
however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be
somewhat above or below this range.)
Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash speeds.
For example:
•
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inflate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
•
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object that does not deform.
•
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
•
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
If your vehicle has side impact airbags, it has electronic
side sensors. The side impact airbags are intended 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 intended to inflate in frontal or near-frontal
impacts, rollovers or rear impacts. Both side impact
airbags will deploy when either side of the vehicle
is struck.
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