What Makes An Airbag Inflate - Pontiac Wave 2009 Owner's Manual

Thresholds can also vary with specific vehicle design.
In addition, your vehicle has dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inflate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
The vehicle may or may not have seat-mounted side
impact airbags. See Airbag System on page 1-58.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are intended to inflate
in moderate to severe side crashes. Seat-mounted
side impact airbags will inflate if the crash severity is
above the system's designed threshold level. The
threshold level can vary with specific vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal impacts, rollovers,
or rear impacts. A seat-mounted 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. For seat-mounted
side impact airbags, deployment is determined by the
location and severity of the side impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends
an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing
the bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The
inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part
of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the
steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles
with seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are airbag
modules in the side of the front seatbacks closest to
the door.
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