2006 Chevrolet Colorado Owner's Manual - Page 77

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver's and right front passenger's frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe side collisions for side impact airbags. {CAUTION: When an airbag inflates, there is dust in the air. This dust could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have breathing problems but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a window or a door. If you experience breathing problems following an airbag deployment, you should seek medical attention. Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock the doors (if equipped with power door locks), turn the interior lamps on, flash the hazard warning flashers, and turn off the radio when the airbag inflates (if battery power is available). You can lock the doors again by using the door lock. The interior lamps and hazard warning flashers will deactivate after approximately 15 minutes. You can use the radio controls to adjust the radio. What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? After a frontal airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that some people may not even realize the airbag inflated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags deflate more slowly and may still be at least partially inflated minutes after the vehicle comes to rest. Some components of the airbag module - the steering wheel hub for the driver's airbag, the instrument panel for the right front passenger's airbag or the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows - may be hot for a short time. The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the front windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle. 1-71