2014 Chevrolet Express 1500 Passenger Owner Manual - Page 64

3-20 Seats and Restraints It depends largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down. Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash speeds depending on whether the vehicle hits an object straight on or at an angle, and whether the object is fixed or moving, rigid or deformable, narrow or wide. Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts. In addition, if the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is 3 855 kg (8,500 lb) or below, the vehicle has advanced technology frontal airbags. You can find the GVWR on the Certification/Tire label on the rear edge of the driver door. See Vehicle Load Limits on page 9-10. Advanced technology frontal airbags adjust the restraint according to crash severity. The vehicle may or may not be equipped with roof-rail airbags. Roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact. In addition, these roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate during a rollover. Roof-rail airbags are not designed to inflate in frontal, near-frontal, or rear impacts. All roof-rail airbags will inflate when either side of the vehicle is struck or if the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on its side. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the vehicle damage or repair costs. When Should an Airbag Inflate? This vehicle is equipped with one or more airbags. See Airbag System on page 3-16. Airbags are designed to inflate if the impact exceeds the specific airbag system's deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help restrain the occupants. The vehicle has electronic sensors which help the airbag system determine the severity of the impact. Deployment thresholds can vary with specific vehicle design. Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce the potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver or front outboard passenger head and chest. Whether the frontal airbags will or should deploy is not based primarily on how fast the vehicle is traveling. What Makes an Airbag Inflate? In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of the cover. The inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag module.