AIR BAGS
58
AIR BAGS
QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED ABOUT
AIR BAGS IN SPECIALTY VEHICLES...continued
Recommended GM service procedures must be followed to
remove and re-install the instrument panel top pad to ensure
that the top pad will release properly in the event of a
passenger air bag deployment.
On the right half of the top pad c
losest to the passenger air bag module,
General Motors recommends that no equipment be mounted. When
mounting equipment on the driver side of the top pad, GM recommends
that the total mass of the top pad mounted special equipment not exceed 8
pounds (3.6 kilograms),
since the top pad tends to rotate about the left end.
Fasteners used to secure special equipment to the instrument panel top
pad, the windshield glass, or to the windshield upper frame (header), should
be selected to ensure that these devices will remain attached during a
vehicle crash and possible air bag deployment.
Can the installation of push bumpers on the front end of the
vehicle affect the deployment of the air bag?
It is not likely that installing push bumpers will affect sensing for the air
bag system as long as the vehicle structure itself is not modified. GM is not
aware of any adverse effects from the many push bumpers that have been
installed on current model GM police vehicles with air bags.
How long will the air bag remain inflated?
It takes approximately 1/20th of a second to fully inflate the frontal air
bags. This is faster than the blink of an eye. The air bags begin to deflate
immediately, helping to stop the occupants more gradually.
Can the air bag system be re-used?
No. The air bags are designed to inflate only once. After inflation some new
parts will be required. These will include the air bag module and possibly
other parts. (A competent service technician with access to vehicle’s
Service Manual and the required tools should replace the required
components after a deployment crash.)
I’ve heard that the dusts that are released into the passenger
compartment from the air bag are harmful. Is this true?
For most people, the only effect the dusts will produce is some irritation of
the throa
t and eyes,
and tha
t is only if the occupant remains in the vehicle
for many minutes after the air bag deployment with no ventilation and
windows closed. However, some people with asthma may develop an
asthmatic attack from inhaling the dusts. If this happens, they should first
trea
t themselves the same way their doctor has advised them to trea
t an
y
other asthma attack, and then immediately seek medical treatment.
When should an air bag inflate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. But they are
designed to infla
te only
if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.”
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal air bags, which tailor the
amount of restraint according to crash severity
. For moderate frontal
impacts, these air bags inflate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your
vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold
level of the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph (19 to 15 km/h),
and the threshold level for a full deployment is about 18 to 24 mph (29 to
28.5 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 or deform such as a
parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal air bags are not designed to inflate in rollover, side
impacts,
or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes involving the doors. The side impact air bags will inflate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed “threshold level”. The threshold
level can vary with specific vehicles design. The side impact air bags are
not designed to inflate on frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear
impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
I’ve heard that a deployed air bag produces what appears to be
smoke. Is the air bag hot?
After the bag has deployed in a crash, the air bag itself will not be hot to
touch. Some components within the air bag module will be hot for a short
time. A small amount of smoke coming from a deployed air bag module is
normal and should not be cause for concern.
Also, when the nitrogen gas is vented out of the air bag, small particles
from inside the bag are also vented into passenger compartment. These
airborne particles look like smoke and some particles are deposited as
residue on and around the air bag.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to wear
my safety belt?
Air ba
gs are in man
y vehic
les today and will be in most of them in the
future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety
belts - not instead of them. Every air bag system ever offered for sale has
required the use of safety belts.
Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That’s true not
only in frontal collisions but especially in side and other collisions.
