Airbag system
Description of front airbags
The airbag system is not a substitute for the seat
belts.
Fig. 196
Driver's airbag in steering wheel
Fig. 197
Front passenger's airbag in dashboard
The front airbag for the driver is located in the
padded hub of the steering wheel
¢Fig. 196.
The
front airbag for the front passenger is in the
dashboard above the glove box
¢Fig. 197.
The
locations of the airbags are marked with the
word "AIRBAG".
In conjunction with the seat belts, the front air
bags give additional head and chest protection
for the driver and front passenger in the event of
a severe frontal collision¢
A
in Important safe
ty notes on the front airbag system on
page 213.
212
How the front airbags work
When fully inflated, the airbags reduce the risk
of head or chest injury.
Fig. 198
Front airbags in inflated condition
The driver's and front passenger's airbag are trig
gered in certain frontal collisions
¢Fig. 198.
Fur
ther airbag systems may also be triggered, de
pending on the circumstances.
When the system is triggered, the airbags fill
with a propellant gas and open out in front of the
driver and front passenger¢
Fig. 198.
In order to
provide the desired extra protection in an acci
dent, the airbags have to inflate extremely rapid
ly (within fractions of a second). The fully de
ployed airbags cushion the forwards movement
of the front occupants and help to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
Special openings in the airbag allow the gas to
escape at a controlled rate to restrain the for
ward movement of the occupant's head and tor
so. Once the impact has been absorbed, the air
bag deflates sufficiently for the front occupants
to see forward.
