1995 Chevrolet Blazer Owner's Manual - Page 29

When should an air bag inflate? The air bag is designed to inflatein moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's designed "threshold level." your vehicle goes straight If into a wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold levelis about 14 to 18 mph (23 to 29 k d h ) . The threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat aboveor below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such a parked car, the as threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not designed to inflatein rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would help the not occupant. In any particular crash, noone can say whether anair bag should have inflated simply because of the damage to vehicle or because of what the a repair costs were. Inflation is determined the angle of the impact and the by vehicle's deceleration. Vehicle damage is one indication of this. only The air bag system is designed to work properly under a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See "Off-Road Driving" in the Index for more tips on off-road driving. What makes an air bag inflate? In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects thatthe vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result a crash. of The sensing system triggers a chemical reaction the sodium azide sealed of in the inflator.The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates theair bag. The inflator, air bag, and related hardware are all part the air bag of module packed inside the steering wheel. How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontalor near-frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel. The air bag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupa more gradually.But air bags would not help you many types of collisions in including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward the air bag. Air should never be bags 1-19