What Will You See After an
Airbag In ates?
After a frontal airbag in ates, it quickly de ates,
so quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag in ated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags
de ate more slowly and may still be at least partially
in ated minutes after the vehicle comes to rest. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for a
short time. These components include the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. For vehicles with roof-mounted side impact
airbags, the ceiling of your vehicle near the side
windows, and the vehicle metal near the rear windows
and tailgate may be warm. The parts of the airbag
that come into contact with you may be warm, but
not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dust coming from the vents in the de ated airbags.
Airbag in ation does not prevent the driver from
seeing out of the windshield or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing problems
but cannot get out of the vehicle after an
airbag in ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment,
you should seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough to in ate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
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