2006 SATURN RELAY airbag
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There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
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 3-37
for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver,
it is in the side of the driver’s seatback closest to
the door.
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If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the right
front passenger and/or the second row captain’s chairs
(if equipped), it is in the side of the seatback closest
to the door.
{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. For
moderate frontal impacts, these airbags in ate at a level
less than full deployment. Your vehicle is equipped with
electronic frontal sensors, which help the sensing system
distinguish between a moderate frontal impact and a
more severe frontal impact. 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 12 to 18 mph (19 to 29 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 18 to 25 mph
(29 to 40.2 km/h). (The threshold level can vary, however,
with speci c vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.)Frontal airbags may in ate at different crash speeds.
For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could in ate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could in ate 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 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
airbags 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.
Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact airbag.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-65. Side impact airbags
are intended 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 intended to
in ate 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.
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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
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. 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. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the in ator, which
in ates the airbag. The in ator, the airbag and related
hardware are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal
airbag modules are located inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For seating positions with side impact
airbags, there are also airbag modules in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
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 many frontal or near frontal
collisions, 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 frontal
airbags, and only in moderate to severe side collisions for
vehicles with a side impact airbag.
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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 may
be hot for a short time. These components include
the steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and
the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag. For seating positions with side impact
airbags, the side of the seatback closest to the door may
be hot. The parts of the airbag 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 out of the windshield
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.
In many crashes severe enough to in ate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. Additional
windshield breakage may also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to in ate only once. After an
airbag in ates, you will need some new parts for your
airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
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Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after a
crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 7-7.
Let only quali ed technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. The
passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument
panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to
RUN or START. The words ON and OFF or the symbol
for on and off, will be visible during the system check.
When the system check is complete, either the word ON
or the word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol
for off will be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-38.The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag and side impact
airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions. The
driver’s airbags or the second row side imact airbags
(if equipped) are not part of the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly-seated occupant and determine if the
passenger’s airbag or airbags should be enabled (may
in ate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.United States
Canada
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Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.” This
is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if
the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag in ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in ating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
(if equipped) under certain conditions, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. General Motors recommends that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far back as it will
go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
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