2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you are not wearing your safety belt — even if you
have airbags. Airbags are designed to work with
safety belts, but do not replace them. Also, airbags
are not designed to deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only restraint. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-49.
Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things inside the
vehicle or being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the safety belts.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that
person.
{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it inates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with airbags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the
door or side windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted airbags.
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{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, 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 1-25or
Infants and Young Children on page 1-29.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 3-35
for more information.
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Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.The right front passenger frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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If the vehicle has seat-mounted side impact airbags for
the driver and right front passenger, they are in the
side of the seatbacks closest to the door.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an airbag,
the airbag might not inate properly or it might force
the object into that person causing severe injury or
even death. The path of an inating 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 use seat accessories that block the ination
path of a seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to inate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce the
potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver’s or
right front passenger’s head and chest. However, they
are only designed to inate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and
help restrain the occupants.
Whether the 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.Frontal airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate 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 inate 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 inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
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Thresholds can also vary with specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, your vehicle has dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Your vehicle may have one or two seat position sensors,
depending on what model you have. The seat position
sensor(s) enable the sensing system to monitor the
position of the driver seat (all models except Z06 and
ZR1) and the right front passenger seat (all models).
Seat position sensor(s) provide information that is used to
determine if the airbags should deploy at a reduced level
or at full deployment.Your vehicle may or may not have seat-mounted side
impact airbags. SeeAirbag System on page 1-44.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are intended to inate
in moderate to severe side crashes. Seat-mounted
side impact airbags will inate if the crash severity is
above the system’s designed threshold level. The
threshold level can vary with specic vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal impacts, rollovers,
or rear impacts. A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle that is
struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair
costs were. For seat-mounted side impact airbags,
deployment is determined by the location and severity
of the side impact.
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls the airbag causing the
bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The inator, the
airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag
module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the
steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles
with seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are airbag
modules in the side of the front 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.
Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. Seat-mounted
side impact airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 1-49for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inate, they quickly deate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize the airbags inated. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for several
minutes. For location of the airbag modules, seeWhat
Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-51.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deated airbags. Airbag ination does not prevent
the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from
leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be 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 inates, 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.
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