Lincoln 1996 Continental, Owner'S Manual, Page: 27 / 321

If a collision occurs, the sensors sense the
severity of the impact and activates the air bags
if necessary. The air bag system is designed to
deploy in frontal and front-angled collisions
more severe than hitting a parked vehicle (of
similar size and weight) head-on at about 28
mph (45 km/h). Because the system senses the
crash severity rather than vehicle speed, some
frontal collisions at speeds above 28 mph (45
km/h) will not inflate the air bag.
22
When the sensors activate the system, the air bags
inflate rapidly, filling with non-toxic nitrogen gas in
a fraction of a second. Immediately after inflation,
the air bags deflate by releasing the nitrogen gas
through vent holes. The whole process takes place
in a matter of seconds.
/!\ WARNING
Air bag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.