
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When should an air bag inflate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-
frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.”
If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn’t
move or deform, the threshold level is about 12 to
19 mph (19 to 31 km/h). The threshold level can vary,
however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be
somewhat above or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal
air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag
will inflate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags are not
designed to inflate in frontal or near
-
frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only
deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near
-
frontal impacts. For side impact air
bags, inflation is determined by the location and severity
of the impact.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
Summary of Contents for 2001 Montana
Page 1: ......
Page 41: ...1 29 Put someone on it Get it up to speed Then stop the vehicle The rider doesn t stop ...
Page 92: ...1 80 Second Row Third Row ...
Page 206: ...2 94 The Instrument Panel Your Information System ...
Page 421: ...Scheduled Maintenance 7 7 ...
Page 422: ...Scheduled Maintenance 7 8 ...
Page 439: ...7 25 Maintenance Record DATE ODOMETER READING SERVICED BY MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ...
Page 440: ...7 26 Maintenance Record DATE ODOMETER READING SERVICED BY MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ...
Page 456: ...8 16 NOTES ...