Safing Sensor: Description and Operation

PURPOSE
The air bag system is designed to:
- operate in frontal or front-angled collisions.
- activate the air bags in a crash with severe frontal deceleration, more severe than hitting a parked car of similar size and weight head-on at about 45 km/h (28 mph).
- sense the severity of the crash rather than vehicle speed, thus some frontal collisions at speeds above 45 km/h (28 mph) may not be severe enough to require air bag inflation.





OPERATION
The sensor is an electrical switch which operates as follows:
- It reacts to impacts according to direction and force.
- It discriminates between impacts that require air bag inflation and impacts that do not require air bag inflation.
- When an impact occurs that requires air bag inflation, the sensor contacts close, completing the electrical circuit necessary for system operation.

The safing sensor and one of the primary crash sensors must be activated simultaneously to inflate the air bag.

LOCATIONS
- a LH radiator primary crash sensor at the left hand front radiator support.
- a RH radiator primary crash sensor at the right hand front radiator support.
- a safing rear air bag sensor and bracket at the LH kick panel in the passenger compartment.