2012 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual - Page 68

3-22 Seats and Restraints Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety belts by distributing the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's body. But airbags would not help in many types of collisions, primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward those airbags. See When Should an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑21 for more information. Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially inflated for some time after they inflate. Some components of the airbag module may be hot for several minutes. For location of the airbags, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3‑19. The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may 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 windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle. 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 location, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3‑19. 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. What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated.