How Your Front Airbags Work - Honda 2011 Civic Hybrid Owner's Manual

Additional Information About Your Airbags
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger's side airbag has been
turned off (see page
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger's
front airbag has been turned off
(see page 31 ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
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How Your Front Airbags Work

31 ).
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle's rapid
deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will inflate
the driver's and front passenger's
airbags, at the time and with the
force needed.
During a frontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the front airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inflate within a split second of each
other, it is possible for only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if the severity of a
collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
Only the driver's airbag will deploy if
there is no passenger in the front
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger's
airbag off (see page 31 ).