2004 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual - Page 58

Air Bag Systems This part explains the air bag systems. Your vehicle has air bags - one air bag for the driver and another air bag for the right front passenger. Your vehicle may also have roof-mounted side impact air bags; one for the driver and the passenger directly behind the driver and one for the right front passenger and the person seated directly behind that passenger. Air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and comply with federal regulations. Here are the most important things to know about the air bag system: CAUTION: (Continued) Air bags are "supplemental restraints" to the safety belts. All air bags are designed to work with safety belts but do not replace them. Frontal air bags for the driver and right front passenger are designed to work only in moderate to severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits something. They are not designed to inflate in rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained occupants, frontal air bags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have provided in the past. The roof-mounted side impact air bags are designed to inflate only in moderate to severe crashes where something hits the side of your vehicle. They are not designed to inflate in frontal, in rollover or in rear crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly - whether or not there is an air bag for that person. {CAUTION: You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you are not wearing your safety belt - even if you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. CAUTION: (Continued) 1-52