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 that
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.
Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inflate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
The side impact airbags are intended to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact
airbag will inflate if the crash severity is above the
system’s designed “threshold level.” The
threshold level can vary with specific vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or
rear impacts. A side impact airbag is intended to
deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
Your vehicle also has seat position sensors which
enables the sensing system to monitor the
position of the driver’s and passenger’s seats. The
seat position sensor provides information which
is used to determine if the airbags should deploy at
a reduced level or at full deployment.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inflated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were. For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle
of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows
down. For side impact airbags, inflation is
determined by the location and severity of
the impact.
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