What Will You See After An Airbag Inflates - Chevrolet 2006 Colorado Owner's Manual

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than
a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate
to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver's
and right front passenger's frontal airbags, and only in
moderate to severe side collisions for side impact
airbags.
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates?
After a frontal airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize
the airbag inflated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags
deflate more slowly and may still be at least partially
inflated minutes after the vehicle comes to rest. Some
components of the airbag module — the steering wheel
hub for the driver's airbag, the instrument panel for
the right front passenger's airbag or the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows — may be hot for a
short time. The parts of the airbag that come into contact
with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There will be some smoke and dust coming from the
vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does
not prevent the driver from seeing out of the front
windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it
stop people from leaving the vehicle.
CAUTION:
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When an airbag inflates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment,
you should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors (if equipped with power door locks),
turn the interior lamps on, flash the hazard warning
flashers, and turn off the radio when the airbag inflates
(if battery power is available). You can lock the doors
again by using the door lock. The interior lamps
and hazard warning flashers will deactivate after
approximately 15 minutes. You can use the radio
controls to adjust the radio.
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