2005 Mercury Montego Owner's Manual - Page 115

Seating and Safety Restraints All occupants of the vehicle should always wear their safety belts even when an air bag SRS is provided. How does the side air bag system work? The design and development of the side air bag system included recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of automotive safety experts known as the Side Air Bag Technical Working Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of injuries related to the deployment of side air bags. The side air bag system consists of the following: • An inflatable nylon bag (air bag) with a gas generator concealed behind the outboard bolster of the driver and front passenger seatbacks. • A special seat cover designed to allow airbag deployment. • The same warning light, electronic control and diagnostic unit as used for the front air bags. • Crash sensors located on the B and C pillars (one sensor on each pillar on each side of the vehicle). Side air bags, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact collision. The side air bags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the air bag on the side affected by the collision will be inflated. If the front passenger sensing system detects an empty seat, the front passenger seat-mounted side air bag will be deactivated. The air bag was designed to inflate between the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection provided occupants in side impact collisions. The air bag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit that initiates air bag inflation. The fact that the air bags did not inflate in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were 115 2005 Montego (mgo) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA_English (fus)