What Makes An Airbag Inflate; How Does An Airbag Restrain - Chevrolet 2006 Colorado Owner's Manual

Your vehicle has seat position sensors which enable the
sensing system to monitor the position of the driver's
seat and the right front passenger's seat. Seat position
sensors provide information that 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. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or near-frontal
impacts. For side impact airbags, inflation is determined
by the location and severity of the impact.
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 4-15 for more tips on off-road driving.
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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. For vehicles with side impact
airbags, there are also airbag modules in the ceiling of
the vehicle, near the side windows.

How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal
airbags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and many side impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward
the airbag. Side impact airbags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including many frontal or near
frontal collisions, and rear impacts, primarily because an
occupant's motion is not toward those airbags.