1997 Chevrolet Corvette Owner's Manual - Page 35

I A CAUTION: If somethingis between an occupant and an air bag, the bag might not inflate properly it or might force the object into that person. The path of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put anything betweenan occupant and an air bag, and don't attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub or on near any other air or bag covering. When should an air bag inflate? An air bag is designed to inflatein a moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crash. The air will inflate bag only if the impact speed is abovethe system's designed "threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, that so it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,such as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant. It is possible that in a crash onlyone of the two air bags in your Corvette will deploy. This is rare, but can happen in a crash just severe enough to make an air inflate. bag In anyparticular crash, no one can say whether an air bag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle orbecause of what the repair costs were. Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or near-frontal impacts. What makes an air bag inflate? In animpact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the passenger. 1-22