GMC Terrain: Airbag System / How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.

Airbags supplement the protection provided by seat belts by distributing the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's body.

Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help contain the head and chest of occupants in the outboard seating positions in the first and second rows. The rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events, although no system can prevent all such ejections.

But airbags would not help in many types of collisions, primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward those airbags. See When Should an Airbag Inflate?.

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to seat belts.

    What Makes an Airbag Inflate?

    In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of the cover...

    What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?

    After frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize the airbags inflated...

    Other information:

    GMC Terrain 2018-2026 Owners Manual: Automatic Transmission


    The shift switches are on the center stack. The selected gear position will illuminate red on the shift switch, while all others will be displayed in white. If the shift is not immediate, as in very cold conditions, the indicator on the shift switch may blink until it is fully engaged...

    GMC Terrain 2018-2026 Owners Manual: Stationary or Very Slow-Moving Objects


    Warning ACC may not detect and react to stopped or slow-moving vehicles ahead of you. For example, the system may not brake for a vehicle it has never detected moving. This can occur in stop-and-go traffic or when a vehicle suddenly appears due to a vehicle ahead changing lanes...

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