2003 Toyota Prius Owners Manual - Page 57

The SRS front airbags are designed to deploy in severe (usually frontal) collisions where the magnitude and duration of the forward deceleration of the vehicle exceeds the designed threshold level. The SRS front airbags will deploy if the severity of the impact is above the designed threshold level, comparable to an approximate 25 km/h (15 mph) collision when the vehicle has the impact straight into a fixed barrier that does not move or deform. However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if the vehicle strikes an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign pole, which can move or deform on impact, or if the vehicle is involved in an underride collision (e.g. a collision in which the front of the vehicle "underrides", or goes under, the bed of a truck, etc.). It is possible that in some collisions where the forward deceleration of the vehicle is very close to the designed threshold level, the SRS front airbags and the seat belt pretensioners may not activate together. For the safety of all occupants, always wear your seat belts properly. 22p015b Collision from the side Collision from the rear Hitting a curb, edge of pavement or hard material ing over a deep hole 22p016b Falling into or jump- Vehicle rollover Landing hard or vehicle falling The SRS front airbags may also deploy if a serious impact occurs to the underside of your vehicle. Some examples are shown in the illustration. The SRS front airbags are generally not designed to inflate if the vehicle is involved in a side or rear collision, if it rolls over, or if it is involved in a low- speed frontal collision. But, whenever a collision of any type causes sufficient forward deceleration of the vehicle, deployment of the SRS front airbags may occur. 50