2014 Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - Page 79

Seats and Restraints A seat-mounted side impact airbag is designed to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the vehicle damage or repair costs. wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle. 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 3-18 for more information. Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts. 3-19 of the airbag module may be hot for several minutes. For location of the airbags, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-17. 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 locations, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-17. { Warning When an airbag inflates, there may be 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 (Continued) What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? After the frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize the airbags inflated. Some components How Does an Airbag Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering