2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV Owner Manual - Page 91

3-30 Seats and Restraints roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate during a rollover or in a severe frontal impact. Roof-rail airbags are not designed to inflate in rear impacts. Both roof-rail airbags will inflate when either side of the vehicle is struck, if the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on its side, or in a severe frontal impact. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the vehicle damage or the repair costs. The front center airbag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending upon the location of the impact, when either side of the vehicle is struck. In addition, the front center airbag is designed to inflate when the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on its side. The front center airbag is not designed to inflate in frontal impacts, near frontal impacts, or rear impacts. Seat-mounted side impact airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact. Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not designed to inflate in frontal impacts, near frontal impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. A seat-mounted side impact airbag is designed to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck. Roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact. In addition, these How Does an Airbag Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle. Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety belts by distributing the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's body. Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are also designed to help contain the head and chest of occupants in the outboard seating positions in the first, second, and third rows. The rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events, although no system can prevent all such ejections. What Makes an Airbag Inflate? In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of the cover. The inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag module. For airbag locations, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-27.