Chevrolet 2005 Equinox, Owner'S Manual, Page: 64 / 364

What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal air bag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
air bag. For vehicles with roof-mounted side impact
airbags, the ceiling of your vehicle near the side
windows, and the vehicle metal near the rear windows
and tailgate may be warm. The parts of the airbag
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 air bags. Air
bag 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
cannot 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.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
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