Description And Operation: Overview

For additional information, refer to: STANDARD WORKSHOP PRACTICES .

The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) provides additional protection for vehicle occupants in certain impact conditions by selective activation of driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, side air curtains and seatbelt pretensioners. Operation of the system is controlled by a Restraints Control Module (RCM).

The RCM receives inputs from various sensors around the vehicle to determine which devices, if any, should be activated during an accident. The inputs include those from an occupant classification system for the front passenger seat (North American Specification (NAS) vehicles only), front and side impact sensors and side impact pressure sensors.

On all except NAS, Australia and Japan market vehicles, the passenger airbag can be enabled and disabled using the vehicle Set-up menu in the instrument cluster.

For additional information, refer to: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER .

The activation status of the passenger airbag is given by an indicator in the overhead console. The status of the SRS is given by an airbag warning indicator in the IC.

The airbags and air curtains feature hybrid inflators, which use a self-contained pyrotechnic device to heat a cylinder of compressed inert gas within the inflator. Above a calibrated pressure, the cylinder bursts and releases the gas into the airbag. The benefits of hybrid inflators are a cooler inflation gas, resulting in lower airbag surface temperatures, and elimination of the post-deployment effluent associated with solid pyrotechnic inflators.