What Makes An Airbag Inflate - GMC Sierra Denali Classic 2007 Owner's Manual

The frontal airbags (driver and right front
passenger) are not intended to inflate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have a
special sensor which enables the sensing system
to monitor the position of the driver's front seat.
The seat position sensor provides information
which 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. Inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down.
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The airbag system is designed to work properly
under a wide range of conditions, including off-road
usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt.
See Off-Road Driving on page 265 for tips on
off-road driving.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. 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.