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{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it in ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
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,
seeOlder Children on page 1-26orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-28.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-63
for more information.
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Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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The driver’s seat-mounted side impact airbag is in the
side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door.The right front passenger’s seat-mounted side impact
airbag is in the side of the passenger’s seatback closest
to the door.
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The side impact airbag for the driver and the person
seated directly behind the driver is in the ceiling above
the side windows.The side impact airbag for the right front passenger and
the person seated directly behind that passenger is in
the ceiling above the side windows.
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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not in ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in ating 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. And, because your vehicle
has side impact airbags, never secure anything
to the roof of your vehicle by routing the rope
or tiedown through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an in ating
side impact airbag will be blocked. The path
of an in ating airbag must be kept clear.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not in ate properly
or it might force the object into that person
causing severe injury or even death. The path
of an in ating 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 in ation path of a side impact airbag.
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When Should an Airbag In ate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to in ate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to in ate
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 in ate and help
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.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic frontal sensor,
which helps the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal
impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags
in ate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front
of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not
move or deform, the threshold level for the reduced
deployment is about 11 to 15 mph (18 to 24 km/h),and the threshold level for a full deployment is about
20 to 24 mph (32 to 38.5 km/h). (The threshold level can
vary, however, with speci c vehicle design, so that it can
be somewhat above or below this range.)
Airbags may in ate at different crash speeds. For
example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could in ate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
If the object deforms, the airbag could in ate 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 in ate 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 in ate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to in ate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because in ation
would not likely help the occupants.
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The side impact airbags are designed to in ate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact airbag
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 airbags are
not designed to in ate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because in ation would not
likely help the occupant. A side impact airbag will
only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have in ated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, 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 airbags, in ation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag In ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the in ator, which in ates
the airbag. The in ator, airbag and related hardware are
all part of the airbag modules inside the steering wheel,
instrument panel, the side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door and the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side
windows.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags 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 the airbag. Side impact airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal
or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. Airbags 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 for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for side impact airbags.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After the airbag in ates, it quickly de ates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the airbag in ated.
Some components of the airbag module — the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s bag, the side of the seatback
closest to the door for the seat-mounted side impact
airbags and the area along the ceiling of your vehicle
near the side windows — 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 the vents in the de ated airbags.
Airbag in ation does not prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, 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
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
in ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the
airbags in ate (if battery power is available). You can
lock the doors again and turn the interior lamps off
by using the door lock and interior lamp controls. The
hazard warning ashers will also come on when
the airbags deploy. If you want to turn them off, press
the hazard warning asher button twice.
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