Mitsubishi ECLIPSE Owner's Manual page 81

Seat and restraint systems
Deployment of front air bags
The front air bags ARE DESIGNED TO DEPLOY when...
Head-on collision with a solid wall at
speeds of approx. 15 mph (25 km/h) or
higher
2
The front air bags are designed to deploy when the vehicle suf-
fers a moderate to severe frontal impact. A typical condition is
shown in the illustration to the left.
The front air bags are designed to deploy only in certain mod-
erate to severe frontal collisions within the shaded area
between the arrows in the illustration to the right.
The front air bags will deploy if the impact to the vehicle's
main structure is above a specific threshold level. The thresh-
old level is approximately 15 mph (25 km/h) for a frontal colli-
sion straight into a solid flat wall that does not bend or deform.
If the impact to the vehicle's main structure is below this
threshold level, the front air bags may not deploy. This thresh-
2-46
Moderate to severe frontal impact within
the shaded area between the arrows
old level may also be higher if the vehicle hits something that
absorbs the impact, either by bending or moving (for example,
another stationary vehicle, a pole or a guard rail).
The beginning stage of air bag inflation is the most forceful,
and can cause serious injuries or death if you are too close to
the deploying air bag. Accordingly, it is important that you
always wear the available seat belt.
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