2002 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

1-21
CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you're too close to an inflating
air bag, as you would be if you were leaning
forward, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with air
bags. The driver should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder belts offer
the best protection for adults, but not for young
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
children and infants. Neither the vehicle's safety
belt system nor its air bag system is designed
for them. Young children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint system can
provide. Always secure children properly in your
vehicle. To read how, see the part of this manual
called ªChildren.º
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.

1-22 How the Air Bag System Works
Where are the air bags?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
The passenger's air bag is in the instrument panel on the
passenger's side.

1-23
CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag, and
don't attach or put anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other air bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near
-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher.
The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near
-frontal impacts.

1-24
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator,
which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and
related hardware are all part of the air bag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the passenger.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But air
bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts and many side impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward
those air bags. Air bags should never be regarded as
anything more than a supplement to safety belts,
and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-frontal collisions.What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver's air bag, or the
instrument panel for the passenger's bag
-- will be hot
for a short time. The parts of the bag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There will be some smoke and dust coming from vents
in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn't prevent
the driver from seeing or from being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle
should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have breathing problems but can't get out of the
vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or door.

1-25
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur
from the passenger air bag.

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate, you'll need some new parts for your air bag
system. If you don't get them, the air bag system
won't be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.

Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the system commands air bag
inflation and driver's safety belt usage at deployment.
The module also records speed, engine rpm, brake
and throttle data.
Let only qualified technicians work on your air
bag system. Improper service can mean that your
air bag system won't work properly. See your dealer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver's or
the passenger's air bag, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel or both the air
bag module and the instrument panel for the
passenger's air bag. Do not open or break the
air bag coverings.

1-26 Air Bag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch in the glove box that you can
use to turn off the passenger's air bag.
This switch should only be turned to AIR BAG OFF
if the person in the passenger's position is a member
of a passenger risk group identified by the national
government as follows:Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the
front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;

my vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate
a rear
-facing infant seat; or

the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant's physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child's condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in
the front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;

although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front because no space
is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or

the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child's physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child's condition.

1-27
Medical Condition. A passenger has a medical
condition which, according to his or her physician:

causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and

makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag
in a crash greater than the potential harm from
turning off the air bag and allowing the passenger,
even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield
in a crash.
CAUTION:
If the passenger's air bag is turned off for a
person who isn't in a risk group identified by
the national government, that person won't have
the extra protection of an air bag. In a crash,
the air bag wouldn't be able to inflate and help
protect the person sitting there. Don't turn off
the passenger's air bag unless the person sitting
there is in a risk group.
To turn off the passenger's air bag, insert your ignition
key into the switch, push in, and move the switch to
AIR BAG OFF.

1-28
The AIR BAG OFF light on the center console switch
panel will come on to let you know that the passenger's
air bag is off. The passenger's air bag will remain off
until you turn it back on again, and the AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on to remind you that the air bag is off.
To turn the passenger's air bag on again, insert your
ignition key into the switch, push in, and move the
switch to the on position.