2007 Chevrolet Equinox Owner's Manual - Page 79

Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are not intended to inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts. Your vehicle may or may not have roof-mounted airbags and a rollover sensor. See Airbag System on page 72. These "rollover capable" airbags are intended to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes or during a rollover. A roof-mounted side impact airbag will inflate if the crash severity is above the system's designed "threshold level." The threshold level can vary with specific vehicle design. Roof-mounted side impact airbags are not intended to inflate in rear impacts. Both roof-mounted rollover airbags will deploy when either side of the vehicle is struck or during a rollover. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down. For roof-mounted side impact airbags, inflation is determined by the location and severity of the impact. What Makes an Airbag Inflate? In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. Additionally, in the case of a "rollover capable" roof-mounted side impact airbag, the sensing system detects that the vehicle is about to roll over. The sensing system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates the airbag. For the frontal airbags, the inflator, airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the right front passenger. For vehicles with roof-mounted rollover airbags, the airbag modules, the inflator, and the airbags are located in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows. 79