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 first and second 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. See When Should an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑27 for more information.

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts.

    See also:

    Instrument Panel, Leather, Vinyl, & Other Plastic Surfaces
    Use a soft microfiber cloth dampened with water to remove dust and loose dirt. For a more thorough cleaning, use a soft microfiber cloth dampened with a mild soap solution. Notice: Soaking or saturat ...

    TPMS Malfunction Light and Message
    The TPMS will not function properly if one or more of the TPMS sensors are missing or inoperable. When the system detects a malfunction, the low tire pressure warning light flashes for about one m ...

    Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
    The turn signal indicators on the instrument panel flash whenever signaling a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up, the trailer lamps also flash, telling other drivers the vehicle is turning, c ...