Kia Spectra 2006, Owner'S Manual, Page: 85 / 273

Knowing your vehicle
74 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
• Airbags may not inflate if the vehi-
cle collides with objects such as
utility poles or trees, where the
point of impact is concentrated to
one area and the full force of the
impact is not delivered to the sen-
sors.
How does the airbag system
operate
• Airbag only operates when the
ignition switch is turned to ON or
START position.
• Airbags inflate instantly in the
event of serious frontal or side col-
lision (if equipped with side airbag
or curtain airbag) in order to help
protect the occupants from serious
physical injury.
• There is no single speed at which
the airbags will inflate.
Generally, airbags are designed to
inflate by the severity of a collision
and its direction. These two factors
determine whether the sensors
send out an electronic deploy-
ment/inflation signal.
• Airbag deployment depends on a
number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the
density and stiffness of the vehi-
cles or objects which your vehicle
hits in the collision. Though, factors
are not limited to those mentioned
above.
• The front airbags will completely
inflate and deflate in an instant.
It is virtually impossible for you to
see the airbags inflate during an
accident. It is much more likely that
you will simply see the deflated
airbags hanging out of their stor-
age compartments after the colli-
sion.
1LDA2067
LD CAN (ENG) new 3-1~.qxd 7/29/05 10:29 AM Page 74