Air Bag, Side Curtain: Description
Side curtain airbags (also known as Side AirBag Inflatable Curtains/SABIC) (1) are standard factory-installed equipment for this vehicle. These airbags are passive, inflatable, Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) components. The side curtain airbag system is designed to reduce injuries to the vehicle occupants in the event of a side impact collision or a vehicle rollover incident. Each side curtain airbag cushion provides full coverage of the side glass on the same side of the vehicle as the monitored impact.
Each vehicle is equipped with two individually controlled side curtain airbag units. These side curtain airbag units are concealed and mounted above the headliner where they are each secured to one of the roof side rails. Each folded airbag cushion is contained within a fabric wrap and suspended from plastic clamp hangers that are spaced along the inner roof rail from the A-pillar at the front of the vehicle to the C-pillar at the rear of the vehicle. A screw secures each of the clamp hangers to a weld nut in the inner roof rail.
A long tether (3) extends down the A-pillar from the front of the side curtain airbag cushion, while a shorter tether extends back to over the C-pillar. The end of each tether is secured to a slot in the sheet metal with a metal T-hook. An additional screw (front) or plastic push-in fastener (rear) secures the T-hook within the slot in the sheet metal of the pillar.
The stamped metal airbag inflator (2) bracket of each SABIC unit is hung by a high retention clip from a locator hole in the inner roof side rail above the B-pillar, then secured by plastic push-in fasteners to the inner roof rail. The inflator initiator is connected to the vehicle electrical system through a dedicated take out and connector of the body wire harness near the rear of the inflator. The body wire harness connects the side curtain airbag unit to the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC).
The side curtain airbag units cannot be adjusted or repaired and must be replaced if deployed, ineffective, or in any way damaged. Once a side curtain airbag has been deployed, the complete side curtain airbag unit, the headliner, the upper A, B, and C-pillar trim as well as all other visibly damaged components must be replaced.