Frontal airbags may inflate at different crashspeeds. For example:• If the vehicle hits a stationary object, theairbags could inflate at a different crash speedthan if the vehicle hits a moving object.• If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, theairbags could inflate at a different crashspeed than if the vehicle hits an object doesnot deform.• If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole),the airbags could inflate at a different crashspeed than if the vehicle hits a wide object(like a wall).• If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle,the airbags could inflate at a different crashspeed than if the vehicle goes straight intothe object.Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)are not intended to inflate during vehiclerollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.Seat-mounted side impact and roof-mountedairbags are intended to inflate in moderateto severe side crashes. Seat-mounted side impactairbags are not intended to inflate in frontal ornear-frontal impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. Inaddition, roof-mounted side impact airbags areintended to inflate during a rollover or in a severefrontal impact. Roof-mounted side impactairbags are not intended to inflate in rear impacts.Seat-mounted side impact and roof-mountedairbags will inflate if the crash severity is abovethe system’s designed “threshold level.” Thethreshold level can vary with specific vehicledesign. A seat-mounted side impact airbagis intended to deploy on the side of the vehiclethat is struck. Both roof-mounted airbags areintended to deploy when either side of the vehicleis struck or during a rollover.In any particular crash, no one can say whetheran airbag should have inflated simply becauseof the damage to a vehicle or because of what therepair costs were. For frontal airbags, inflation isdetermined by what the vehicle hits, the angleof the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slowsdown in frontal and near-frontal impacts. Forside impact airbags, inflation is determined by thelocation and severity of the impact.78
