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Safety features of your vehicle
Similarly, although side and curtain
air bags are designed to inflate in
certain side impact collisions, they
may inflate in other types of colli -
sions where a side force is detected
by the sensors. For instance, side air
bag and/or curtain air bags may
inflate if rollover sensors indicate
the possibility of a rollover occurring
(even if none actually occurs) or in
other situations, including when the
vehicle is tilted while being towed.
Even if side and/or curtain air bags
do not provide impact protection in
a rollover, they will deploy to pre -
vent ejection of occupants, espe -
cially those who are restrained with
seat belts.
If the vehicle chassis is impacted by
bumps or objects on unimproved
roads, the air bags may deploy.
Drive carefully on unimproved roads
or on surfaces not designed for
vehicle traffic to prevent unintended
air bag deployment.
Air bag non-inflation conditions
In certain low-speed collisions the
air bags may not deploy. The air
bags are designed not to deploy in
such cases because they may not
provide benefits beyond the pro -
tection of the seat belts in such
collisions.
Air bags are not designed to
inflate in rear collisions, because
occupants are moved backward
by the force of the impact. In this
case, inflated air bags would not
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Air bag - advanced supplemental restraint
be able to provide any additional
benefit.
Front air bags may not inflate in
side impact collisions, because
occupants move to the direction
of the collision, and thus in side
impacts, frontal air bag deploy -
ment would not provide additional
occupant protection.
In an angled collision, the force of
impact may direct the occupants
in a direction where the air bags
would not be able to provide any
additional benefit, and thus the
sensors may not deploy any air
bags.
Just before impact, drivers often
brake heavily. Such heavy braking
lowers the front portion of the
vehicle causing it to "ride" under a
vehicle with a higher ground
clearance. Air bags may not
inflate in this "under-ride" situa -
tion because deceleration forces
that are detected by sensors may
be significantly reduced by such
"under-ride" collisions.
Front air bags may not inflate in
all rollover accidents when the
SRSCM indicates that the front air
bag deployment would not pro -
vide additional occupant protec -
tion.
Air bags may not inflate if the
vehicle collides with objects such
as utility poles or trees, where the
point of impact is concentrated to
one area and the full force of the
system
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