1993 Buick Roadmaster Owner's Manual - Page 39

How The Air Bag System Works When is an air bag expected to inflate? The air bag is designed to inflatemoderate to severe will frontal or near-fontal crashes. The air bag only inflate if the velocity ofthe impactis above the designed threshold level. When impacting straight into a wall that does not'moveor deform, the threshold level for most GM vehicles is between9 and 14 mph. However, this on and velocity threshold depends the vehicle design may be several miles-per-hour faster or slower. In addition, this threshold velocity be considerably will higher if the vehicle strikes an object such as a parked car which will move and defonn on impact. The air bag is also not designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts where the inflation would provide no occupant protection benefit. , i n Where is the air bag? The driver's air bag in the middleof the steering is wheel. In any particular crash, the determination of-whetherthe air bag should have inflated cannot be based solely on i,s the levelof damage on the vehicle(s). Inflation determined by the angle the impact and the vehicle's of is deceleration, of which vehicle damage only one is of indication. Repair cost not a good indicator whether an air bag should have deployed. 37