Cadillac 1993 Fleetwood Owners Literature page 45

vehicle@). Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and the
vehicle's deceleration, of which vehicle damage is only one indication.
Repair cost is not a good indicator of whether an air bag should have
deployed.
2 -
_ I
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, sensors
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strategically located on the vehicle detect that the vehicle is suddenly
stopping as a result of a crash. These sensors complete an electrical
circuit, triggering 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
and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
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than a supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to severe frontal
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.
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. There
will be small amounts of smoke coming from vents in the deflated air
bags. Some components of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub
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. The nitrogen gas used to
inflate the 'air bag will have vented into the passenger compartment, and
the bag will be deflated within seconds after the collision. Nitrogen makes
up about 80% of the air we breathe and is not hazardous. As the nitrogen
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-- for the driver's air bag or the instrument panel for the passenger's bag
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