What Makes an Airbag Inflate?

In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The inflator, 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.

    See also:

    Customer Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico)
    Did you get the Warranty Extension Plan? This plan is recommended by General Motors to supplement the warranty included with the new vehicle purchase. See your dealer for details. Customer Assis ...

    ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF
    If the vehicle has the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system, this message displays when there is a temporary condition making the AWD system unavailable. The vehicle will run in 2WD. This could be c ...

    Entry/Exit Recall
    If the vehicle has this feature, it allows you to select your preferred automatic recall of stored memory and exit positions. See Memory Seats for more information. Press the customization ...