1995 Pontiac Grand Am Owner's Manual - Page 28

When should an air bag inflate? The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's designed "threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight a into wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 16 mph (14 to26 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 deform, such or as a parked car, the threshold level will higher. The be air bag is not designedto inflate in rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant. What makes an air bag inflate? In a frontalor near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects that vehicle is the The suddenly stoppingas a result of a crash. sensing of system triggers a chemical reaction the sodium azide sealed in the inflator. reaction produces nitrogen The gas, which inflates the air bag. inflator, air bag, and The related hardware are all part of the air bagmodule packed inside the steering wheel. How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupantscan contact the steering wheel. The air bag supplements the protection provided, by force of the impact safety belts.Air bags distribute the In any particular crash, no can say whether an air one more evenlyover the occupant's upper body, stgpping bag should have inflated simply because of the damage the occupantmore gradually. But air bagswould-not to a vehicle or because what the repair costs were. of help you in many types of collisions, including kollovers Inflation is determined by the angle of impact and the and rear andside impacts, primarilybecause an the vehicle's deceleration. Vehicle damage is only one occupant's motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags indication of this. as should never be regarded anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontalor near-frontal collisions. 1-21