Seat Position Sensors
Vehicles with dual stage air bags are also equipped with
special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full deployment.
Side Impact Air Bags
Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact air
bag. SeeAir Bag Systems on page 1-72. Side impact air
bags are designed to in ate in moderate to severe
side crashes. A side impact air bag will in ate if
the crash severity is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.” The threshold level can vary with
speci c vehicle design. Side impact air bags are
not designed to in ate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because in ation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
Air Bag Systems
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For
frontal air bags, in ation is determined by the angle of the
impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal
and near-frontal impacts. For side impact air bags,
in ation is determined by the location and severity of the
impact.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See Off-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle in the
Index for tips on off-road driving.
1-78