Cadillac Escalade: How Does an Airbag Restrain? - Airbag System - Seats and Restraints - Cadillac Escalade Owner's ManualCadillac Escalade: 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 safety belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.

Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper 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, second, and third rows, if equipped with a third row seat. 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?   for more information.

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

    What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?
    After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at l ...

    See also:

    Consistency of Readings
    Always check the fluid level at least twice using the procedures described. Consistency (repeatable readings) is important to maintaining proper fluid level. If fluid is added, it may take 15 minute ...

    How to use brightness control and display ON/OFF button
    HOW TO USE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL AND DISPLAY ON/OFF BUTTON Push the button to switch the display brightness to the daytime mode or the nighttime mode, and to adjust the display brightness usin ...

    Parking Brake
    Set the parking brake by holding the regular brake pedal down, then pushing down the parking brake pedal. If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will come on. See Brake System Warn ...