1998 Toyota Tacoma Owners Manual - Page 33

'98 Tacoma (U) Collision from the rear In a severe frontal impact, sensors detect deceleration and the system triggers the airbag inflators. Then a chemical reaction in the inflators momentarily fills the airbags with non- toxic gas to help restrain the forward motion of the occupants. When the airbags inflate, they produce a fairly loud noise and release some smoke along with non- toxic gas. This does not indicate a fire. Be sure to wash off any residue as soon as possible to prevent minor skin irritation. The SRS airbag system mainly consists of the following components and their locations are shown in the illustration. 1 2 3 4 5 SRS airbag warning light Airbag module for driver (airbag and inflator) Passenger airbag cutoff switch Airbag module for passenger (airbag and inflator) Airbag sensor assembly Deployment of the airbags happen in a fraction of a second, so the airbags must inflate with considerable force. While the system is designed to reduce serious injuries, it may also cause minor burns or abrasions and swellings. Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, dashboard) may be hot for several minutes, but the airbags themselves will not be hot. The airbags are designed to inflate only once. A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may break the windshield as the vehicle buckles. In vehicles with a passenger airbag the windshield may also be damaged by absorbing some of the force of the inflating airbag. Collision from the side Vehicle roll- over The SRS airbags are not designed to inflate if the vehicle is subjected to a side or rear impact, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low- speed frontal collision. The airbag sensor assembly consists of a safing sensor and airbag sensor. 33