When Should An Air Bag Inflate - Chevrolet 2003 Astro Owner's Manual

When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
"threshold level."
near-frontal impacts.
If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't
move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 16 mph
(14 to 26 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes
something that will move or deform, such as a parked
car, the threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not
designed to infalte in rollovers, rear impacts, or in
many side impacts because inflation would not help the
occupant.
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