1998 GMC Safari Owner's Manual - Page 43

1 CAUTION: If something is between occupant and an air an bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it might forcethe object into that person. The path of an inflating air bag must bekept clear. Don't put anything between an occupant and an air bag, and don't attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near any other air bag covering. And don't hang anything from the assist handle on the passenger's sideof the instrument panel. When shouldan air bag inflate? An air bag is designed inflate in a moderate to severe to frontal or near-frontal crash. The bag willinflate air only if the impact speed above the system's designed is "threshold level.'' If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move deform, the thresholdlevel is or about 1 1 to 16 mph (1 8 to 26 km/h). The threshold level so can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, su as a parked car, the thresholdlevel 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 can say whetherair an bag should have inflated simply becausethe damage of to a vehicle or because what the repair costs were. of Inflation is determined by the angleof the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down frontal or in near-frontal impacts. What makes an air bag inflate? In an impact of sufficient severity, the bag sensing air system detects that the vehicle in a crash. The sensing is system triggersa release of gas from the inflator, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware areall part of the air bag modules inside the steering wheel and the instrument panel in in front of the right front passenger. 1-29