1993 Buick LeSabre Owner's Manual - Page 37

threshold level. When impacting straight into a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level for most GM vehicles is between 9 and 14 mph. However, this velocity threshold depends on the vehicle design and may be several miles-per-hour faster orslower. In addition, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if the vehicle strikes an object such as a parked car which will move and deform on impact. The airbag is alsonot designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts where the inflation would provide no occupant protection benefit. In any particular crash, the determination of whether the air bag should have inflated cannot be based solely on the level of damage on the vehicle(s). Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and the vehicle's deceleration, of which vehicle damage is only one indication. Repair cost is not a goodindicator of whether an air bag should have deployed. hardware are all part of the air bag inflator module packed inside the steering wheel. How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel. The air bag 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 air bags would not provide protection in many types of collisions, including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is nottoward the airbag. Air bags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal collisions. What will you see after anair bag inflation? After the airbag has inflated, it will then quickly deflate. This occurs so quickly that some people may not even realize that the air bag inflated. The airbag will not impede the driver's vision or ability to steer the vehicle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the vehicle. There will be small amounts of smoke coming from vents in thedeflated air bag. Some components of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the bag that comes into contact with you willnot be hot to the touch. The What makes anair bag inflate? In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, sensors strategically located on the vehicle detect that the vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. These sensors complete an electrical circuit, triggering a chemical reaction of the sodium azide sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and related 35