1997 Buick Century Owner's Manual - Page 36

1 If something is between an occupant and an air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it might force the object into that person. The path *ofan inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put anything between occupant andan air an bag, and don't attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub on or near any other air or bag covering. When shouldan air bag inflate? it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such as aparked car, the threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant. In any particular crash,no one cansay whether an air bag should have inflated simply bqause of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the'repair costs were. Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or near-frontal impacts. What makes an air bag inflate? An air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe a frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's designed "threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a wall thatdoesn't move ordeform, the threshold level is about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however, withspecific vehicle design, so that In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing system triggers a releaseof gas from theinflator, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware are allpart of the air bag modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrumentpanel in front of the right frontpassenger. 1-22