1995 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 26

In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air bag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and the vehicle's deceleration. Vehicle darnage is only one indication of this. What makesan air bag inflate? In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient seventy, the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing system triggers a chemicalreaction of the sodium azide sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, airbag, and related hardware are all part of the a r bag modules i packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the right front passenger. When should an air bag M a t e ? The a r bag is designed to inflate inmoderate to.severe i frontal ornear-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above thesystem's designed "threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move or deform, thethreshold level is about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The ~ . e s h ~ L d level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above m below this range. If your vehicle strikes'somethingthat willmove ar d e f m , such as a parked car, th6 thre@mldlevel will be higher, The air bag is not designed to'inflatein rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts, because Mation would not help the occupant. /