1994 Buick LeSabre Owner's Manual - Page 39

What makes an air bag inflate? In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensingsystem detects that the vehicle is suddenly stoppingas 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 a cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and related hardware are all part of the air bag inflator modules packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the passenger. 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 for the driver's air bag or the instrument panel for the passenger's bag may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the bag that comes into contact 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 bags. The air bag will not impede the driver's vision or ability to steer the vehicle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the vehicle. In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may occur in vehicles with passenger air bags because the windshield acts as a reaction surface forthe inflating air bag. How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. The air bag 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. 37