Air bags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts regardless of whether your vehicle is
equipped with air bags or not.
It is important for your safety and that of your
passenger to have deployed air bags replaced
and to have any malfunctioning air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air
bags continue to perform their protective
function for the vehicle occupants in the
event of a crash.
Front air bags
The front air bags increase protection for the
driver's and front-passenger's head and
chest.
Driver's air bag
:
deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front air
bag
;
deploys in front of and above the glove
box.
They are deployed:
R
in the event of certain frontal impacts
R
if the system determines that air bag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R
if the seat belt is fastened
R
independently of other air bags in the
vehicle
If the vehicle overturns, the front air bags are
generally not deployed. If the system detects
high vehicle deceleration in a longitudinal
direction, the front air bags are deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air
bags. In the event of a collision, the air bag
control unit evaluates the vehicle
deceleration. In the first deployment stage,
the front air bag is filled with enough
propellant gas to reduce the risk of injuries.
The front air bag is fully deployed if a second
deployment threshold is exceeded within a
few milliseconds.
The deployment of the front-passenger front
air bag is also influenced by the weight
category of the front passenger, which is
determined by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS) (
Y
page 54).
The lighter the passenger-side occupant, the
higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
(predicted at the start of the impact) for
second stage inflation of the front-passenger
front air bag. In the second stage, the front
air bags are inflated with the maximum
amount of propellant gas available.
The front air bags are not deployed in
situations where a low impact severity is
predicted. You will then be protected by the
fastened seat belt.
The front-passenger front air bag will only
deploy if:
R
the system, based on the OCS weight
sensor readings, detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied.
R
the
42
indicator lamp in the
center console is not lit, (
Y
page 54).
R
the air bag control unit predicts a high
impact severity.
Side impact air bags
G
WARNING
The pressure sensors for side impact air bag
control are located in the doors. Do not
modify any components of the doors or door
trim panels including, for example, the
addition of door speakers.
Improper repair work on the doors or the
modification or addition of components to the
doors create a risk of rendering the side
52
Occupant safety
Safety
