2003 Chevrolet Express Van Owner's Manual - Page 75

When Should an Air Bag Inflate? An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's designed "threshold level." Single Stage Air Bags If your vehicle has frontal air bags with single stage deployment and your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is about 12 to 16 mph (19 to 26 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that 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, rear impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation would not help the occupant. If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your vehicle is 8600 or above, your vehicle has single stage air bags. If the GVWR is below 8600 then your vehicle has dual stage air bags. You can find the GVWR on the certification label on the rear edge of the driver's door. See Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-30 for more information. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air bag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because 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. 1-68