Your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact airbags and
a rollover sensor. See Airbag System on page 1-45.
These “rollover capable” airbags are intended to inflate
in moderate to severe side crashes or during a
rollover. A side impact airbag 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 airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, or rear impacts.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For side impact
airbags, inflation is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.
The airbag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
As always, wear your safety belt. See Off-Road Driving
on page 4-13.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. In the case
of a “rollover capable” roof-mounted side impact
airbag, the sensing system detects that the vehicle is
about to roll over. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inflator, which inflates the airbag. The
inflator, airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag modules inside the steering wheel and in the
instrument panel in front of the right front passenger.
For vehicles with roof-mounted side impact airbags,
the airbag modules are located in the ceiling of
the vehicle, near the side windows.
1-51
2005 - Saab 97X Owner Manual
