Chevrolet 2005 Colorado, Owner'S Manual

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Side impact airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including frontal or near frontal collisions,
rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because an
occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags. Airbags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s
and right front passenger’s frontal airbags, and only
in moderate to severe side collisions for side
impact airbags.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After an airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the airbag inflated.
Some components of the airbag module — the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s bag or the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows — will be hot for a short
time. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be
some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the
driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor
does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
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CAUTION:
When an airbag inflates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
can not get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
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