Chevrolet Trailblazer Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16263960) - 2023 - CRC - 2/23/22
56
Seats and Restraints
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are
designed to inflate in moderate to severe
side crashes depending on the location of
the impact. These airbags may also inflate
in some moderate to severe frontal impacts.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not
designed to inflate in rollovers or rear
impacts. A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is designed to inflate on the side of the
vehicle that is struck.
Roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes depending
on the location of the impact. In addition,
these roof-rail airbags may inflate during a
rollover or in a severe frontal impact.
Roof-rail airbags are not designed to inflate
in rear impacts. Both roof-rail airbags may
inflate when either side of the vehicle is
struck or if 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
repair costs.
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 locations, see
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 seat 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 and second 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?
Airbags should never be regarded as
anything more than a supplement to seat
belts.
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates?
After frontal, knee, and seat-mounted side
impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate,
so quickly that some people may not even
realize the airbags inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after they
inflate.
Some components of the airbag module
may be hot for several minutes. For location
of the airbags, see
.