Buick Enclave: Where Are the Airbags?. When Should an Airbag Inflate?. What Makes an Airbag Inflate?

Where Are the Airbags?

The driver frontal airbag is located in the center of the steering wheel.

The front outboard passenger frontal airbag is located in the passenger-side instrument panel.

Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar

The driver and front outboard passenger seat-mounted side impact airbags are built into the sides of the seatbacks closest to the doors.

Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar

The roof-rail airbags for the driver, front outboard passenger, and second and third row outboard passengers are located in the ceiling area above the side windows.

WARNING
If an object is between an occupant and an airbag, the airbag may not inflate correctly, or it may force the object into the occupant and cause severe injury or death. The path of an inflating airbag must always be kept clear. Do not place anything between an occupant and an airbag, and do not attach or place anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near any other airbag cover.

Do not use seat accessories that could block the deployment path of a seat-mounted side impact airbag.

Never secure items to the roof of a vehicle equipped with roof-rail airbags by routing rope, straps, or tie-downs through any door or window opening. Doing so can block the path of an inflating roof-rail airbag.

For safe Buick Enclave use, keep the areas around airbag covers, seatbacks, doors, side windows, and roof rails free of objects that could interfere with deployment.

When Should an Airbag Inflate?

Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. Their purpose is to help reduce the risk of serious injury, especially to the head and chest of the driver or front outboard passenger.

These airbags are designed to deploy only when the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment threshold. These thresholds help the system estimate crash severity quickly enough for the airbags to inflate and help restrain the occupants.

Whether the frontal airbags should inflate is not based mainly on vehicle speed.

Airbag deployment depends on what the vehicle hits, the direction of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down.

Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash speeds depending on whether the Buick Enclave strikes an object straight on or at an angle, and whether the object is fixed or moving, rigid or deformable, narrow or wide.

Deployment thresholds can also vary according to the specific vehicle design.

Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate in rollovers, rear impacts, or many side impacts.

In addition, the vehicle has dual-stage frontal airbags.

Dual-stage airbags adjust the amount of restraint according to crash severity.

The vehicle uses electronic frontal sensors that help the sensing system distinguish between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal impact. In moderate frontal impacts, the dual-stage airbags may inflate at less than full deployment. In more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.

The vehicle is also equipped with seat-mounted side impact airbags and roof-rail airbags.

See Airbag System.

Seat-mounted side impact airbags and roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes, depending on where the impact occurs. The roof-rail airbags are also intended to inflate during a rollover or in a severe frontal impact.

Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags will deploy only if crash severity is above the system’s designed threshold level. This level can vary depending on the vehicle design.

Seat-mounted side impact airbags are not intended to inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts. Roof-rail airbags are not intended to inflate in rear impacts.

A seat-mounted side impact airbag is designed to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck. Both roof-rail airbags will inflate when either side of the vehicle is struck, when the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over onto its side, or during a severe frontal impact.

In any specific crash, it is not possible to determine whether an airbag should have inflated based only on visible vehicle damage or repair cost.

For frontal airbags, deployment is determined by the object struck, the angle of impact, and the rate at which the vehicle slows down.

For seat-mounted side impact airbags and roof-rail airbags, deployment is determined by the location and severity of the side impact. In a rollover event, roof-rail airbag deployment is determined by the direction of the roll.

In the Buick Enclave, the airbag system works together with the safety belts and vehicle sensors. Because every crash is different, proper seating position and correct safety belt use remain essential on every trip.

What Makes an Airbag Inflate?

During a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal that triggers the release of gas from the inflator. This gas fills the airbag, causing it to break through the cover and inflate rapidly.

The inflator, airbag, and related hardware are all parts of the airbag module.

For airbag locations, see Where Are the Airbags?

The Buick Enclave airbag system is designed to respond very quickly when deployment conditions are met, but airbags are supplemental restraints. They are most effective when occupants are seated properly and wearing safety belts correctly.