1994 Buick Century Owner's Manual - Page 42

What makes an air bag inflate? In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and related hardware are allpart of the air bag inflator module packed inside thesteering wheel. What will you see after an air bag inflation? After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly deflate. This occurs so quickly that some people may not even realize that the air bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the bag that comes intocontact with you will not be hot to the touch. There will be small amounts of smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated air bag. The air bag will not impede the driver's vision or ability to steer the vehi,cle,nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the vehicle. The air bag is designed to inflate only once. After it inflates, you'll need some new parts for your air bag system. If you don't get them, the air bag system won't be there to help protect you in another crash. A new system will include the air bag module and possibly other parts. The service manual has information about the need to replace other parts. 0 How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel. The airbag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not provide protection in many types of collisions, including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal collisions. Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module, which records information about the air bag system. The module records information about the readiness of the system,when the sensors are activated and whether the driver's safety belt was in use. 40