Subaru Forester: Air bag - advanced supplemental restraint system / Why didn’t my air bag go off in a collision? (Inflation and non-inflation conditions of the air bag)

Not every accident requires air bag deployment for additional occupant protection. In many situations, the seat belt system provides the primary and most effective restraint.

Examples include certain rear impacts, secondary or third impacts in a multiple-collision event, and low-speed impacts where air bag deployment would not provide added safety benefit.

Air bag inflation conditions

Front air bags

The front air bags in the Kia Telluride are designed to inflate during certain frontal collisions, depending on factors such as impact severity, direction, and the force detected by the front impact sensors.

Side and curtain air bags and front center side air bag

The actual air bags installed in the vehicle may differ slightly from the illustration.

Side air bags, curtain air bags, and the front center side air bag may inflate when side collision sensors detect an impact severe enough to require supplemental protection.

The side and curtain air bags, along with the front center side air bag, may also deploy when the rollover sensor detects a rollover or a potential rollover condition.

Although the driver’s and front passenger’s front air bags are primarily designed for frontal collisions, they may also deploy in other crash situations if the front impact sensors detect sufficient frontal force.

Likewise, although the side air bags, curtain air bags, and front center side air bag are mainly intended for certain side impacts, they may deploy in other situations if the sensors detect sufficient side force or rollover risk. For example, deployment may occur if the Kia Telluride tilts while being towed or if the rollover sensor detects a possible rollover even when a full rollover does not occur.

In rollover-related situations, the side and curtain air bags and front center side air bag may deploy to help reduce the risk of occupant ejection, especially when occupants are properly restrained with seat belts.

Air bags may also deploy if the vehicle chassis receives a strong impact from bumps, obstacles, or uneven surfaces on unimproved roads. Drive carefully on rough roads or surfaces not intended for normal vehicle traffic to help prevent unintended deployment.

Air bag non-inflation conditions

• Air bags may not deploy in some low-speed collisions when the system determines that deployment would not provide protection beyond the seat belts.

• Front air bags are not designed to inflate in rear-end collisions because occupants generally move backward from the force of impact. In this type of crash, front air bag deployment would not provide meaningful additional protection.

• Front air bags may not inflate during side-impact collisions because occupants move toward the impacted side. In such cases, frontal air bag deployment may not add useful protection.

• During an angled collision, impact forces may move occupants in a direction where air bag deployment would not provide additional protection. In these circumstances, the sensors may determine that deployment is not necessary.

• Just before a collision, hard braking can lower the front of the vehicle. This may cause the Kia Telluride to slide partially under a vehicle with higher ground clearance. In an under-ride collision, the deceleration forces detected by the sensors may be reduced, and the front air bags may not inflate.

• Front air bags may not inflate in rollover accidents if the SRS Control Module (SRSCM) determines that front air bag deployment would not provide additional occupant protection.

• Air bags may not inflate if the vehicle strikes a narrow object such as a utility pole or tree. Because the impact force is concentrated in a small area, the full crash force may not be transmitted to the sensors in a way that triggers deployment.