When Should An Airbag; Inflate - GMC Yukon 2011 Owner's Manual

When Should an Airbag

Inflate?

Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or
right front passenger's head and
chest. However, they are only
designed to inflate if the impact
exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how
severe a crash is likely to be in time
for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on
how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds. For
example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inflate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object
that deforms, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object
does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specific vehicle design.
Seats and Restraints
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inflate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle has a seat position
sensor. Vehicles with dual stage
airbags also have seat position
sensors which enable the sensing
system to monitor the position of
the driver seat and may or may not
monitor the position of the front
passenger seat.
3-43