Dodge 2010 Caliber Owner's Manual page 66

the Advanced Front Airbags. Different airbag inflation
rates are possible, based on the collision type and sever-
ity. The steering wheel hub trim cover and the upper
right side of the instrument panel separate and fold out
of the way as the bags inflate to their full size. The bags
fully inflate in about 50 to 70 milliseconds. This is about
half of the time it takes to blink your eyes. The bags then
quickly deflate while helping to restrain the driver and
front passenger.
The driver front airbag gas is vented through the vent
holes in the sides of the airbag. The passenger front
airbag gas is vented through the vent holes in the sides of
the airbag. In this way, the airbags do not interfere with
your control of the vehicle.
Supplemental Driver Side Knee Airbag Inflator
Unit
The driver side knee airbag unit is located in the instru-
ment panel trim beneath the steering column. When the
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 65
ORC detects a collision requiring the airbag, it signals the
inflator units. A large quantity of non-toxic gas is gener-
ated to inflate the knee airbag. The trim cover separates
and folds out of the way allowing the bag to inflate to the
full size. The bag fully inflates in about 15 to 20 millisec-
onds. The knee airbag gas is vented through small vent
holes in the side of bag.
Supplemental Side Seat Airbag Inflator Units — If
Equipped
The Side Impact (SRS) Seat-Mounted Side Airbags are
designed to activate only in certain side collisions.
The ORC determines if a side collision requires the side
airbags to inflate based on the severity and type of
collision.
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the system whenever the ignition switch is in the START
or ON positions. These include all of the items previously
mentioned.
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