FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How an Airbag Works
Side Impact Airbags
When an Airbag Deploys
False and Salvaged Airbags
Airbag Benefits
Airbag Concerns

How an Airbag Works

How does an Airbag restrain a front seat occupant in an accident?

When a collision occurs, the car stops very quickly. Occupants not wearing a safety belt continue to move forward at the vehicle's original speed until the car's interior - such as steering wheel, instrument panel or windshield - stops their movement. Occupants wearing safety belts are restrained when the belts distribute the energy created by the impact across an occupant's body and allow for a more gradual stop. However, in very severe crashes even belted occupants may come in contact with the car's interior. Front and side Airbags and air curtains supplement the protection of the safety belt by providing a cushion between the occupant and the vehicle interior to mitigate the force of impact and reduce the risk of injury.

Will my Airbag protect me if my vehicle is struck from the rear?

Front Airbags are designed to deploy only in frontal and near-frontal collisions equivalent to about 12 miles per hour into a fixed barrier. A frontal air bag is not designed to deploy in rear, rollover or second collisions or lower-severity frontal impacts.

Are all Airbags alike? Do all auto manufactures use the same system?

No. Each Airbag system may contain similar components; however, each car-line application requires unique tailoring to achieve the required performance. Different sensor designs/mechanisms, inflators and bag materials can be found in various car models.

How does a driver know if the Airbag system is operational?

The Airbag system is a self-diagnostic unit. When the ignition key is turned on there is a light on the instrument panel that indicates the readiness of the system. See your owner's manual for further information on the operation of the readiness indicator.

Should I adjust my driving position now that I have an Airbag?

To help the system perform to its maximum potential always wear your safety belt and move the driver's seat as far back from the steering wheel as is comfortable while still allowing safe operation of the vehicle. A distance of 10"-12" between your chest and the steering wheel is recommended. It is best to use the "three o'clock and nine o'clock" position for hands on the steering wheel and it is recommended not to wrap thumbs around the steering wheel spokes. This ensures minimal interaction between the air bag and the driver's hands and arms in the event of a deployment.

Should drivers and front seat passengers, including small adults and children 13 years of age and older, adjust the seat in a particular way to get maximum effectiveness from Airbags?

Drivers should always wear safety belts and position their seat as far back from the steering wheel as comfortable while still allowing safe operation of the vehicle. Front seat passengers in vehicles equipped with passenger-side Airbags should always wear safety belts and move the seat to its most rearward position. Children less than 13 years old should ride properly restrained in the rear seat.

Do I need to know anything special to operate a car with an Airbag in it?

No. The car's owner's manual will explain the proper use and maintenance of the system. In addition, an Airbag-equipped car has an indicator light on the instrument panel that provides critical information about the status of the Airbag system.

How does a driver know if the Airbag system is operational?

The Airbag system is a self-diagnostic unit. When the ignition key is turned on there is a light on the instrument panel that indicates the readiness of the system. See your owner's manual for further information on the operation of the readiness indicator.

Do advanced restraint technologies do away with the need to buckle safety belts?

Certainly not. Safety belts remain the primary occupant restraint. Advanced Airbags supplement safety belts and enhance the benefits possible in the event of a crash. Airbags, current and advanced, work best when everyone is buckled and children are properly restrained in the back seat.

Inflatable restraints are designed to protect occupants in significant collisions only. Not all accidents are significant enough to require deployment of an inflatable restraint. In an accident, the safety belt will hold the occupant in the proper position to receive greatest potential benefit from the air bag system. Safety belts provide protection when Airbags are not designed to deploy - for example, in low-speed collisions. In these types of crashes, safety belts keep occupants from being thrown from the vehicle and reduce the severity of impact with the vehicle's interior.

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Side Impact Airbags

Are side impact Airbags of concern to child passengers?

The potential may exist for interaction of a deploying side Airbag with occupants located close to that bag. Children should be restrained with appropriate types of child seats and restraint systems. Children under 13 years old should be in the rear seat.

Joint efforts involving car companies and Airbag suppliers have created a "preferred industry practice" that aids in the development of side impact Airbags that will minimize the risk of injury to out-of-position occupants and children. Most systems currently in use or in development adhere to these agreed-upon requirements in the design of side Airbags. Some side Airbags utilize suppression systems to turn off the bag if an occupant is detected to be near the side bag or if a child is seated in the front passenger seat.

What type of crash deploys a side Airbag?

Side Airbags are designed to activate in crashes where the point of impact is on the side of the vehicle. The crash commonly called "T-bone" - where the front of one vehicle impacts the side of another - would activate a side bag. Most side crashes take place at intersections. Some side Airbag systems are designed to work when the side of the vehicle strikes a pole or tree or when the vehicle rolls over.

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When an Airbag Deploys

How fast does an Airbag deploy?

Frontal Airbag deployment takes approximately 30-55 milliseconds. It takes 100 milliseconds, or 1/10 of a second, to blink an eye. Side impact Airbags typically deploy even faster. Deflation begins immediately after the frontal Airbag has been fully deployed. Some side Airbags remain inflated longer to help protect occupants in the event of a rollover.

How loud is the sound of an Airbag being deployed?

It's very loud, but so short in duration that occupants who have experienced collisions have rarely noticed the sound of the Airbag deploying. The sound of the actual crash tends to remain dominant to the noise of the Airbag deploying.

What happens to the Airbag once it's been deployed?

A collision significant enough to deploy an Airbag can leave the car irreparable. However, for cars that can be repaired, the Airbag(s) must be replaced by the dealer or a qualified repair shop. Under no circumstances should the air bag system be serviced by anyone other than a qualified technician. The air bag cannot be reused.

Can I still drive a vehicle after the Airbag is deployed?

Yes. Both in lab tests and actual field tests, drivers have had no trouble maintaining control after the Airbag deploys. However, if a vehicle is in an accident that is severe enough to deploy the Airbags, it should not be driven until it is inspected and repaired, including replacement of the air bags.

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False and Salvaged Airbags

Can deployed Airbags be replaced with salvaged or remanufactured bags and sensors?

Salvaged and remanufactured Airbags and safety belts may have been subjected to water damage, excessive heat, shock load, or other detrimental occurrences. It is in the best interests of occupant safety to replace deployed systems with original equipment replacement bags, sensors and seat belts. Airbag systems are vehicle make and model sensitive; thus, their components must never be mixed or matched. Only trained automotive technicians should replace occupant restraint systems.

What are cosmetically repaired Airbag trim covers?

Upon deployment the Airbag splits its trim cover allowing the bag to fully inflate. Unfortunately, there are individuals who crudely repair the trim covers, most often without reinstalling undeployed Airbags or sensors. This is a false or dummy Airbag that leaves the vehicle's occupants without the safety of an Airbag and extremely vulnerable to serious injury or death in a crash. There have been reports of fatalities in vehicles having cosmetically-repaired Airbag covers.

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Airbag Benefits

What are the benefits of Airbag supplemental restraint systems?

Airbags are beneficial in helping to reduce serious head, chest, facial and other injuries and in lowering fatality rates. The Airbag, while a significant advancement in injury and fatality reduction, is not designed to be a substitute for safety belt use. Safety belts help to secure occupants in all kinds of collisions and can keep an occupant in position to receive the greatest potential benefit from an Airbag system in frontal, near-frontal or side collisions.

How many lives are estimated to be saved each year by using Airbags and safety belts together?

Airbags and safety belts used together reduce the risk of serious and fatal injuries by 40 to 55 percent. When all cars have Airbags, it's estimated this combination can save nearly 11,000 lives per year, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

It is estimated that Airbags have reduced head-on crash fatalities by up to 30 percent and moderate-to-severe injuries by 25 to 29 percent. Injury claims at hospitals resulting from traffic crashes have dropped 24 percent as a result of Airbags.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about 20,000 front-seat passenger-car occupants are killed annually on U.S. roads as the result of car crashes. Another 300,000 suffer injuries serious enough to require hospital treatment.

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Airbag Concerns

Can an Airbag cause injury?

The Airbag has been demonstrated to be safe, reliable and effective in real-world crashes and has prevented thousands of deaths and many more serious injuries.
As with any technology, the possibility of unintended adverse effects exists. Airbags can inflate at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. Some Airbag deployments may result in abrasions - similar to rug burns - usually on the face, hands or arms. Some broken-arm injuries have also been reported. These injuries are caused by the sudden contact with the Airbag as it inflates. Some unrestrained occupants have been fatally injured when they were too close to the deploying Airbag. Vehicle occupants should always wear their seat belts; children should 12 years of age and younger should be placed in the rear seat in age-appropriate safety restraints.

Could I be suffocated or trapped by an Airbag?

Today's Airbags are vented to help them deflate in less than one second. This eliminates the chance of being trapped or suffocated.

What is the smoke I sometimes see when an Airbag is deployed?

There are three kinds of "smoke". First, many people mistake for smoke the cornstarch or talcum powder that is released. This powder is used to lubricate the bag and is not dangerous.

Second, a sealant that is used to prolong the life of the Airbag system can smoke when the Airbag is deployed. This smoke is not dangerous.

Lastly, there is smoke from the Airbag's exhaust gas that can contain small non-hazardous particles. The particles may give a greyish "smoke" color.

What if the car begins to burn and the Airbag hasn't deployed? Isn't it possible the Airbag inflator will cause an explosion?

First of all, very few crashes result in fires. However, if a fire occurs, Airbags are designed to automatically deploy in a safe manner.

What will happen if I have my hand on the steering wheel hub when the bag deploys?

Drivers with Airbags should keep their hands in a "three o'clock and nine o'clock" position on the wheel. This will enable hands to come off the wheel easily as the bag inflates to full size. If a hand or arm is on the hub at deployment, it will be pushed out of the way by the Airbag, possibly causing injury.

If I have a passenger-side Airbag, is it safe to use a child safety seat in the front?

Never place an infant seat, especially a rear-facing infant seat, in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger-side Airbag.

It is always best to place all child safety seats in the vehicle's rear seat. Only if a rear seat is unavailable and there is a manual cut-off switch for the passenger-side Airbag, may a forward-facing child seat be used with the passenger seat in its most rearward position. If there is an on/off switch for your passenger Airbag, you must remember to switch off the Airbag if any infant is riding in front. Children under 13 years old should ride properly restrained in the rear seat.

Will my insurance company pay to replace my Airbag once it has deployed?

As with other accident related repairs, most insurance companies will cover the cost of replacing the bag as part of the collision coverage.

If a vehicle is struck while its ignition is off, will the Airbag deploy?

Depending upon the auto manufacturer, some Airbag units have an auxiliary power source that is connected to the diagnostic unit or a separate unit entirely. This allows for the Airbag to deploy if the battery is damaged during a collision. Check your owner's manual or ask your dealer.

What if I'm in an accident and my Airbag doesn't deploy?

There are many collisions that are not significant enough to deploy the air bags. The best defense in all collisions is a safety belt. Airbags are extremely reliable, but they are designed to be supplemental to safety belts.

Occupants should always wear a safety belt to keep them from being thrown from the vehicle and to reduce the severity of impact with the vehicle's interior.

If a driver is asthmatic, will he or she be affected by the particulate released at the point of deployment? What if the driver is trapped in the vehicle and exposed to the dust for a long period of time?

Studies have found that the minute amount of particulate released from the Airbag is relatively harmless. Also, the particulate itself presents no known health risks to occupants over an extended period of time.

Can the Airbag be triggered by sudden braking?

No. The sensors that trigger inflation of the Airbag are switches that are activated by frontal or near-frontal significant crashes only. The sensors can discriminate between sudden stops and significant collisions. In fact, the maximum force generated by the braking system is only about 1/10 of that necessary to activate the Airbag system.

How can I be certain an Airbag won't inflate when driving over rough or uneven pavement?

The system's sensors are designed to initiate deployment of the supplemental Airbag during significant collisions. The sensors are highly sophisticated and are designed to prevent an accidental inflation when driving over bumps and uneven roads.

What if my car is struck a second time after the Airbag has already deployed?

The Airbag will only offer protection in a single collision. Occupants must be buckled up to reduce the likelihood of ejection or interior impact after second and third collisions.

How long will an Airbag remain capable of deployment?

Refer to your owner's manual for this information.

Will safety belt use laws be needed after Airbags are installed in all cars on the road?

Yes. Just as safety belts are needed with Airbags, safety belt laws are needed as well. Mandatory safety belt use laws are effective in encouraging motorists to buckle up. Airbags are supplemental devices that need a safety belt to be most effective. In addition, safety belts with Airbags provide the best possible protection in side-impact, rollover and rear-impact collisions.

Should drivers attempt to service an Airbag system themselves?

No. Under no circumstances should the Airbag system be serviced by anyone other than a qualified technician. See your owner's manual to determine if any service is needed.

With advanced airbags should children under 13 ride in the front passenger seat?

No, even with advanced airbags, children under 13 should always ride in the rear seat properly restrained.  Numerous studies continue to show that the rear seat is the safest place for shildren.

The answers provided in this document are general in nature. For more information regarding specific car models, please consult your owner's manual.