How The Air Bags Work - Mazda 6 2006 Owner's Manual

Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
qHow the Front Air Bags Work
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, an
electrical current is sent to the inflators.
Gases are produced to inflate the front air bags and after the inflation, the front air bags
quickly deflate.
The front air bags will function only once. After that, the front air bags will not work
again and must be replaced.
Only an Authorized Mazda Dealer can replace the system components.
The front, dual stage air bags control air bag inflation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity the front air bags deploy with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, they deploy with more energy. Deployment of the front air bags may
differ between the driver and the front passenger depending on the driver seat position,
front passenger weight and front seat belt usage, which allow for further controlling of the
system.
Driver seat slide position sensor
Your vehicle is equipped with a driver seat slide position sensor as a part of the
supplemental restraint system. The sensor is located under the driver seat. The sensor
determines whether the driver seat is fore or aft of a reference position and sends the seat
position to the crash sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit). The sensor is also designed
to control the deployment of the driver air bag depending on how close the driver seat is to
the steering wheel.
The air bag/front seat belt pretensioner system warning light flashes if the sensor has a
possible malfunction (page 2-54).
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How the Air Bags Work

The front air bags will deploy only
in a frontal or frontal offset impact.