When Should An Airbag Inflate - Chevrolet 2005 Epica Owner's Manual

CAUTION:
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If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inflate properly or
it might force the object into that person
causing severe injury or even death. The path
of an inflating airbag must be kept clear. Do
not put anything between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put anything on
the steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. Do not let seat covers block
the inflation path of a side impact airbag.
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal airbags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account
a variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help
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restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
does not move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 14 mph (14 to 23 km/h). (The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range.)
Airbags may inflate at different crash speeds. For
example:
•
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could inflate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
•
If the object deforms, the airbag could inflate at a
different crash speed than if the object does not
deform.
•
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbag 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
airbag could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.