Chevrolet Cruze Owners Manual: When Should an Airbag Inflate?
This vehicle has advanced technology frontal airbags. Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crashes to help reduce the potential for severe injuries, mainly to the driver's or front outboard passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed to inflate if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or should inflate is not based primarily on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the direction of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash speeds depending on whether the vehicle hits an object straight on or at an angle, and whether the object is fixed or moving, rigid or deformable, narrow or wide.
Thresholds can also vary with specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during vehicle rollovers, in rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
Advanced technology frontal airbags adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Frontal knee airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near frontal impacts that exceed a predetermined deployment threshold.
The vehicle has electronic frontal sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, airbags inflate at a level less than full deployment. For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle has seat-mounted side impact airbags and roof-rail airbags.
Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags are intended to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact. In addition, these roof-rail airbags are intended to inflate during a rollover or in a severe frontal impact. Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags will inflate if the crash severity is above the system's designed threshold level. The threshold level can vary with specific vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inflate in rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag is intended to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck. Both roof-rail airbags will inflate when either side of the vehicle is struck or if the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on its side, or in a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the vehicle damage or repair costs.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger frontal airbag is in the passenger side instrument
panel.
The driver knee airbag is below the ste ...
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 ...
Other materials:
Map Data Updates
The map data in the vehicle is the most up-to-date information available when
the vehicle was produced. The map data is updated periodically, provided that the
map information has changed.
For questions about the operation of the navigation system or the update process,
contact the GM Nav Dis ...
Front Side Door Upper Hinge and Lower Hinge Replacement
Preliminary Procedure
Remove the front wheelhouse liner. Refer to Front Wheelhouse Liner
Replacement.
Remove the front fender insulator. Refer to Front Fender Insulator
Replacement.
Remove the front side door. Refer to Front Side Door Replacement.
Front Side Door Hinge Bolt ( ...
Stationary Window Waterleak Repair
Note: If any water enters the vehicle interior up to the level of
the carpet or higher and soaks the carpet, the sensing and diagnostic
module (SDM) and the SDM harness connector may need to be replaced. The SDM
could be activated when powered, which could
cause deployment of the air bag(s) an ...
