1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Owner's Manual - Page 32

I , Don't put anything on, or attach anything to, the steering wheelor instrument panel. Also, don't put anything (suchas pets or objects) between any occupant and the steering wheel or instrument panel.If something is between an occupant and an air bag, it could affect the performance of the air bag or worse, it could cause injury. In any particular crash, no one can say whetheran air bag should have inflated simply becauseof the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and the vehicle's deceleration. Vehicle damage only one is indication of this. - vehicle strikes something that will move deform, such or as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not designed inflate in rollovers, side to impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant. -- What makes an air bag inflate? In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects that thevehicle is suddenly stopping as result of a crash. The sensing a The air bag is designed to inflate in moderateto severe system triggersa chemical reaction of the sodium azide frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's designed sealed inthe inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and "threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a related hardware are all part the air bag modules of wall that doesn't move deform, the threshold level is or packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 krn/h). The threshold level panel in front of the rightfront passenger. can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that it canbe somewhat aboveor below this range. If your When shouldan air bag inflate?