What makes an airbag inflate, How does an airbag restrain, What makes an airbag – GMC 2012 Acadia User Manual

Page 82: Inflate? -28, How does an airbag, Restrain? -28

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GMC Acadia/Acadia Denali Owner Manual - 2012

3-28

Seats and Restraints

vehicle is struck, or the sensing
system predicts that the vehicle is
about to roll over on its side, or in a
severe frontal impact.

In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or the repair costs.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For
seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.

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 3‑25
.

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.

Airbags supplement the
protection provided by safety belts
by distributing the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's body.

Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first, second and third rows. The
rollover capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.

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 3‑27
for more information.

Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.

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