Black plate (81,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2010The vehicle may or may not have seat‐mounted sideimpact airbags. The vehicle has roof-rail airbags. SeeAirbag System on page 2‑74. Seat‐mounted sideimpact airbags and roof-rail airbags are intended toinflate in moderate to severe side crashes. In addition,these roof-rail airbags are intended to inflate during arollover or in a severe frontal impact. Seat‐mounted sideimpact airbags and roof-rail airbags will inflate if thecrash severity is above the system's designed thresholdlevel. The threshold level can vary with specific vehicledesign.Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inflate in rearimpacts. A seat‐mounted side impact airbag is intendedto deploy on the side of the veicle that is struck. Bothroof-rail airbags will deploy when either side of thevehicle is struck or if the sensing system predicts thatthe vehicle is about to roll over, or in a severe frontalimpact.In any particular crash, no one can say whether anairbag should have inflated simply because of thedamage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costswere. For frontal airbags, inflation is determined by whatthe vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and howquickly the vehicle slows down. For seat‐mounted sideimpact and roof-rail airbags, deployment is determinedby the location and severity of the side impact. In arollover event, roof-rail airbag deployment is determinedby the direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag Inflate?In a deployment event, the sensing system sends anelectrical signal triggering a release of gas from theinflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing thebag to break out of the cover and deploy. The inflator,the airbag, and related hardware are all part of theairbag module.Frontal airbag modules are located inside thesteering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles withseat‐mounted side impact airbags, there are airbagsmodules in the side of the front seatbacks closest to thedoor. For vehicles with roof-rail airbags, there are airbagmodules in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the sidewindows that have occupant seating positions.How Does an Airbag Restrain?In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,even belted occupants can contact the steering wheelor the instrument panel. In moderate to severe sidecollisions, even belted occupants can contact the insideof the vehicle.Airbags supplement the protection provided by safetybelts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impactmore evenly over the occupant's upper body, stoppingthe occupant more gradually. Seat‐mounted side impactand roof-rail airbags distribute the force of the impactmore evenly over the occupant's upper body.2-81InformationProvidedby:
