Chevrolet Pontiac Wave 2006 Owner's Manual page 67

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.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
does not move or deform, the threshold level is about
9 to 14 mph (14 to 23 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.
Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact airbag.
See Airbag System on page 1-56. 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. A side impact airbag is intended to deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and
near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags,
inflation is determined by the location and severity
of the impact.
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