Airbag Non-Deployment Conditions

• In certain low-speed collisions, the airbags may not deploy. Airbags are not designed to deploy in such cases, as they may provide no benefit other than the seat belt protection in such collisions.

• Airbags are not designed to deploy in rear impacts, because occupants are pushed back into the seat by the force of the impact. In this case, deployed airbags cannot provide any additional benefit.

• Frontal airbags may not deploy in side collisions, because occupants move in the direction of the collision. Therefore, in a side impact, frontal airbag deployment will not provide additional occupant protection.

• In an angled collision, the force of the impact may direct occupants in a direction where the airbags could not provide any additional benefit; therefore, the sensors may not activate the airbags.

• Immediately before a collision, drivers often brake hard. This hard braking lowers the front of the vehicle, causing it to "underride" beneath a higher-ground-clearance vehicle. Airbags may not deploy in this "underride" collision situation, because the deceleration forces detected by the sensors may be significantly reduced by such underride collisions.

• Front airbags may not deploy in all rollover cases when the SRSCM determines that front airbag deployment will not provide additional occupant protection.

• Airbags may not deploy when the vehicle strikes objects such as utility poles or trees, where the impact is concentrated in one area and the full force of the impact is not transmitted to the sensors.