How Air Bags Work

HOW AIR BAGS WORK THEY DEPLOY ONLY IN CERTAIN CRASH CONDITIONS. DEFECTS CAN HARM THE VEHICLE'S OCCUPANTS 1 2 PROPELLANT NITROGEN GAS IMPACT Sensors in your car detect the pulse of impact as well as the position of occupants, sending signals to the electronic control unit in the middle of the car. An DEPLOYMENT Air-bag inflators are small metal containers that STEERING COLUMN FOLDED AIR BAG Jose, hold an igniter and a propellant. In a crash, the ignited propellant triggers a chemical reaction IGNITER algorithm decides whether to deploy the air bags and at what force-full or that produces nitrogen gas, which fills the INFLATOR bag rapidly. partial power. 3 WHAT GOES WRONG Takata's propellant, ammonium nitrate tablets, may be degrading over time, particularly in humid climates. This could cause a violent reaction in a crash, in which the force blasts apart the inflator, causing injuries or death. 8-14 M.P.H. AFTER A CRASH, IT TAKES: 0.02.m 0.02 SECONDS Minimum crash speed (13-23 km/h) that could cause an air bag to deploy for an air bag to deploy 0.06. SECONDS 10 MILLION+ 2,213 for the passenger to hit the air bag Number of cars in the U.S. recalled by 10 manufacturers for Takata air bags Lives saved by air bags in the U.S. in 2012 SOURCES: NHTSA; TAKATA