Buick 1994 LeSabre Owner's Manual page 39

What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity,
the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is
suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing
system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide
sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen
gas, which inflates a cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag,
and related hardware are all part of the air bag inflator
modules packed inside the steering wheel and in the
instrument panel in front of the passenger.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. The air bag supplements the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But
air bags would not provide protection in many types of
collisions, including rollovers and rear and side impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward the
air bag. Air bags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belt protection in
moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module in the steering wheel
hub for the driver's air bag or the instrument panel for
the passenger's bag may be hot for a short time, but the
portion of the bag that comes into contact with you will
not be hot to the touch. There will be small amounts of
smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated air
bags. The air bag will
not
impede the driver's vision or
ability to steer the vehicle, nor will it hinder the
occupants from exiting the vehicle.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may occur in vehicles
with passenger air bags because the windshield acts as a
reaction surface for the inflating air bag.
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