2007 GMC Savana Van Owner's Manual - Page 83

In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. Inflation is determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down in front or near-frontal impacts. If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, your vehicle has single stage airbags. If the GVWR is below 8,500 lb (3 855 kg), your vehicle has dual stage airbags. You can find the GVWR on the certification label on the rear edge of the driver's door. See Loading Your Vehicle on page 259 for more information. Dual Stage Airbags If your vehicle has frontal airbags with dual stage deployment, the restraint will adjust according to the crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal sensors which helps the sensing system distinguish between a moderate and a more severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags inflate at a level less than full deployment. For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph (19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for a full deployment is about 18 to 25 mph (29 to 40 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or below this range. Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have sensors which enable the sensing system to monitor the position of both the driver and passenger front seats. The seat position sensors provide information which is used to determine if the airbags should deploy at a reduced level or at full deployment. Single Stage Airbags If your vehicle has frontal airbags with single stage deployment and your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or below this range. 83