Buick Enclave: How Does an Airbag Restrain?. What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?. Passenger Sensing System

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 by distributing the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's 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, second and third 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?  for more information.

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

What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?

After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated.

Roof-rail airbags may still be at least partially inflated for some time after they inflate. Some components of the airbag module may be hot for several minutes. For location of the airbags, see Where Are the Airbags? .

The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.

WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there may be dust in the air. This dust could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble.

To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have breathing problems but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a window or a door. If you experience breathing problems following an airbag deployment, you should seek medical attention.

The vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock the doors, turn on the interior lamps and hazard warning flashers, and shut off the fuel system after the airbags inflate.

You can lock the doors, and turn off the interior lamps and hazard warning flashers by using the controls for those features.

WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may have also damaged important functions in the vehicle, such as the fuel system, brake and steering systems, etc. Even if the vehicle appears to be drivable after a moderate crash, there may be concealed damage that could make it difficult to safely operate the vehicle.

Use caution if you should attempt to restart the engine after a crash has occurred.

In many crashes severe enough to inflate the airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.

Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the front outboard passenger airbag.

If you do not get them, the airbag system will not be there to help protect you in another crash. A new system will include airbag modules and possibly other parts. The service manual for the vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.

Improper service can mean that an airbag system will not work properly. See your dealer for service.

Passenger Sensing System

The vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the front outboard passenger position.

The passenger airbag status indicator will light on the instrument panel when the vehicle is started.

United States

Canada and Mexico

The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off, are visible during the system check. If you use remote start, if equipped, to start the vehicle, you may not see the system check. When the system check is complete, either the word ON or OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will be visible. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator .

The passenger sensing system turns off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions. No other airbag is affected by the passenger sensing system.

The passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of the front outboard passenger seat.

The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant and determine if the front outboard passenger frontal airbag should be allowed to inflate or not.

According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the correct child restraint for their weight and size.

We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat, including:

an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a booster seat; and children, who are large enough, using safety belts.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front. This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag inflates.

WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger frontal airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the passenger frontal airbag inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position.

Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in the front outboard passenger seat, always move the seat as far back as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag if:

When the passenger sensing system has turned off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbag is off. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator .

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn on the front outboard passenger frontal airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front outboard passenger seat.

When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbag is active.

For some children, including children in child restraints, and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag, depending upon the person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone in the vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person.

WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and stays on, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the vehicle serviced right away. See Airbag Readiness Light  for more information, including important safety information.

If the On Indicator Is Lit for a Child Restraint

If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit:

1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and refer to Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat)  or Securing Child Restraints (Right Front Passenger Seat) .
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, turn the vehicle off.

Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback and adjust the seat cushion, if adjustable, to make sure that the vehicle seatback is not pushing the child restraint into the seat cushion.

Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint.

If this happens, adjust the head restraint. See Head Restraints .

6. Restart the vehicle.

The passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the airbag for a child in a child restraint depending upon the child’s seating posture and body build. It is better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.

If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an Adult-Size Occupant

If a person of adult-size is sitting in the front outboard passenger seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be because that person is not sitting properly in the seat.

Use the following steps to allow the system to detect that person and enable the front outboard passenger frontal airbag:

1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with legs comfortably extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for two to three minutes after the on indicator is lit.

Additional Factors Affecting System Operation

Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which helps the passenger sensing system maintain the passenger airbag status. See “Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints” in the Index for additional information about the importance of proper restraint use.

We recommend that you not use seat covers or other aftermarket equipment except when approved by GM for your specific vehicle.

See Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle  for more information about modifications that can affect how the system operates.

If the passenger seat gets wet, dry the seat immediately. If the airbag readiness light is lit, do not install a child restraint or allow anyone to occupy the seat. See Airbag Readiness Light  for important safety information.

The on indicator may be lit if an object, such as a briefcase, handbag, grocery bag, laptop or other electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is not desired remove the object from the seat.

WARNING
Stowing of articles under the passenger seat or between the passenger seat cushion and seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system.