What Makes An Airbag Inflate - Chevrolet Pontiac Wave 2007 Owner's Manual

Your vehicle may or may not have side impact
airbags. See Airbag System on page 70.
Side impact airbags are intended to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact
airbag will inflate if the crash severity is above the
system's designed "threshold level." The
threshold level can vary with specific vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers,
or rear impacts. A side impact airbag is intended
to deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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 and near-frontal impacts. For
side impact airbags, inflation is determined by
the location and severity of the impact.
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, the airbag and related
hardware are all part of the airbag modules.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside
the steering wheel and instrument panel. For
seating positions with side impact airbags, there
are also airbag modules in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
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