airbag SATURN OUTLOOK 2007 User Guide

{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster
than the blink of an eye. Anyone who is
up against, or very close to, any airbag
when it inates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily close to
the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning
forward. Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a crash.
Always wear your safety belt, even with
airbags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep
against the door or side windows in
seating positions with seat-mounted side
impact airbags and/or roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the
best protection for adults, but not for
young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Young
children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
Always secure children properly in your
vehicle. To read how, seeOlder Children
on page 48orInfants and Young Children
on page 51.
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There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the
airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 212for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
The seat-mounted side impact airbags for the
driver and right front passenger are in the side of
the seatbacks closest to the door.Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
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The roof-rail airbags for the driver, right front
passenger, passengers behind the driver and right
front passenger, and the third row outboard
passengers are in the ceiling above the side
windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and
an airbag, the airbag might not inate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an inating airbag must
be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block
the ination path of a seat-mounted side
impact airbag.
If your vehicle has roof-rail airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your
vehicle by routing the rope or tie down
through any door or window opening. If
you do, the path of an inating roof-rail
airbag will be blocked.
Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to inate in moderate
to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe injuries mainly
to the driver’s or right front passenger’s head and
chest. However, they are only designed to
inate if the impact exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are
used to predict how severe a crash is likely to
be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether your frontal airbags will or should deploy
is not based on how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit, the direction
of the impact, and how quickly your vehicle
slows down.
Frontal airbags may inate at different crash
speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits an object that
does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole),
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a wide object
(like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle,
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle goes straight into the
object.
Thresholds can also vary with specic vehicle
design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many
side impacts.
In addition, your vehicle has dual-stage frontal
airbags. Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint
according to crash severity. Your vehicle has
electronic frontal sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a moderate frontal
impact and a more severe frontal impact. For
moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags inate
at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
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Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags
are intended to inate in moderate to severe side
crashes. In addition, these roof-rail airbags are
intended to inate during a rollover or in a severe
frontal impact. Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags will inate if the crash severity is
above the system’s designed threshold level.
The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not
intended to inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. Roof-rail
airbags are not intended to inate in rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag is intended
to deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
Both roof-rail airbags will deploy when either
side of the vehicle is struck, or if the sensing
system predicts that the vehicle is about to
roll over, or in a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were. For frontal airbags, ination is
determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle
of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows
down. For seat-mounted side impact androof-rail airbags, deployment is determined by the
location and severity of the side impact. In a
rollover event, roof-rail airbag deployment
is determined by the direction of the roll.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends
an electrical signal triggering a release of gas
from the inator. Gas from the inator lls
the airbag causing the bag to break out of the
cover and deploy. The inator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag
module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the
steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles
with seat-mounted side impact airbags, there
are airbag modules in the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in
the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows
that have occupant seating positions.
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How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided
by safety belts.
Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help contain the head and chest of occupants
in the outboard seating positions in the rst,
second, and third rows. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce the
risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events,
although no system can prevent all such ejections.But airbags would not help in many types of
collisions, primarily because the occupant’s motion
is not toward those airbags. SeeWhen Should
an Airbag Inflate? on page 82for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side
impact airbags inate, they quickly deate,
so quickly that some people may not even realize
an airbag inated. Roof-rail airbags may still be
at least partially inated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of the airbag
module may be hot for several minutes. For
location of the airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 83.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with
you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There may be some smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the deated airbags. Airbag ination
does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the
windshield or being able to steer the vehicle,
nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be
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 inates, 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.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and
turn the hazard warning ashers on when the
airbags inate. You can lock the doors, turn the
interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
ashers off by using the controls for those features.In many crashes severe enough to inate the
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate only once. After
an airbag inates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system. If you do not get
them, the airbag system will not be there to help
protect you in another crash. A new system will
include airbag modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for your vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information
after a crash. SeeVehicle Data Recording and
Privacy on page 519andEvent Data Recorders
on page 520.
Let only qualied technicians work on the
airbag systems. Improper service can mean
that an airbag system will not work properly.
See your dealer/retailer for service.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and
off, will be visible during the system check. If
you are using remote start to start your vehicle
from a distance, if equipped, you may not see the
system check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or the word OFF, or
the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will be
visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 214.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
should be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer
if they are restrained in the rear rather than
the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a
rear-facing child seat in the front.” This is because
the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the
airbag deploys.
United StatesCanada
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{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger’s airbag inates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be secured in a rear seat, even if
the airbags are off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
If you secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always
move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child
restraint in a rear seat.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time.
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