2008 Acura TL Owner's Manual - Page 27

Main Menu Table Of Contents Additional Information About Your Airbags An indicator on the instrument panel that alerts you to a possible problem with your airbags, sensors, or seat belt tensioners (see page 29 ). An indicator on the dashboard that alerts you that the passenger's front airbag has been turned off (see page 30 ). Emergency backup power in case your vehicle's electrical system is disconnected in a crash. If you ever have a moderate to severe frontal collision, sensors will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate of deceleration is high enough, the control unit will instantly inflate the driver's and front passenger's airbags, at the time and with the force needed. How Your Front Airbags Work During a frontal crash, your seat belt restrains your lower body and torso, and the front airbag helps protect your head and chest. Although both airbags normally inflate within a split second of each other, it is possible for only one airbag to deploy. This can happen if the severity of a collision is at the margin, or threshold, that determines whether or not the airbags will deploy. In such cases, the seat belt will provide sufficient protection, and the supplemental protection offered by the airbag would be minimal. Only the driver's airbag can deploy if there is no passenger in the front seat, or if the advanced airbag system has turned the passenger's airbag off (see page 26 ). 24 2008 TL