When Should An Airbag; Inflate - GMC CHEVROLET Silverado 6500HD 2019 Owner's Manual

If the vehicle has a front outboard
passenger frontal airbag, it is in the
passenger side instrument panel.
Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.

When Should an Airbag

Inflate?

This vehicle is equipped with one or
more airbags. See Airbag System
0 61. Airbags are designed to inflate
if the impact exceeds the specific
airbag system's deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors which help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
Seats and Restraints
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver s or front
outboard passenger s head and
chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should inflate is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds depending on
whether the vehicle hits an object
straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or
moving, rigid or deformable, narrow
or wide.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
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