2014 Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual - Airbag System

Airbag System

The vehicle has the following airbags:

• A frontal airbag for the driver.
• A frontal airbag for the front outboard passenger.
• A knee airbag for the driver.
• A knee airbag for the front outboard passenger
• A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the driver.
• A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the front outboard passenger.
• Seat-mounted side impact airbags for the second row outboard passengers.
• A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger seated directly behind the driver.
• A roof-rail airbag for the front outboard passenger and the passenger seated directly behind the front outboard passenger.

All vehicle airbags have the word AIRBAG on the trim or on a label near the deployment opening.

For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the center of the steering wheel for the driver and on the instrument panel for the front outboard passenger.

For knee airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the lower part of the instrument panel.

For seat-mounted side impact airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the side of the seatback closest to the door.

For roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the ceiling or trim.

Airbags are designed to supplement the protection provided by safety belts. Even though today's airbags are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate very quickly to do their job.

Here are the most important things to know about the airbag system:

Warning

You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you are not wearing your safety belt, even with airbags. Airbags are designed to work with safety belts, not replace them. Also, airbags are not designed to inflate in every crash. In some crashes safety belts are the only restraint.

See When Should an Airbag Inflate? on page 3-22.

Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps reduce the chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Airbags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety belts. Everyone in the vehicle should wear a safety belt properly, whether or not there is an airbag for that person.

Warning

Because airbags inflate with great force and faster than the blink of an eye, anyone who is up against, or very close to any airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily close to any airbag, as you would be if sitting on the edge of the seat or leaning forward. Safety belts help keep you in position before and during a crash. Always wear a safety belt, even with airbags. The driver should sit as far back as possible while still maintaining control of the vehicle.

Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the door or side windows in seating positions with seat-mounted side impact airbags and/or roof-rail airbags.

Warning

Children who are up against, or very close to, any airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Always secure children properly in the vehicle. To read how, see Older Children on page 3-32 or Infants and Young Children on page 3-34.

 There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument cluster, which shows the airbag symbol. The system checks the airbag electrical system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 5-11 for more information.

Where Are the Airbags?

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

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

The driver knee airbag is below the steering column. The front outboard passenger knee airbag is below the glove box.

Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar

The seat-mounted side impact airbags for the driver and front outboard passenger are in the side of the seatbacks closest to the door.

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

Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar

The second row seat-mounted side impact airbags are in the sides of the rear seatback closest to the door.

Warning

If something is between an occupant and an airbag, the airbag might not inflate properly or it might force the object into that person causing severe injury or even death. The path of an inflating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put anything between an occupant and an airbag, and do not attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near any other airbag covering.

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

Never secure anything to the roof of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags by routing a rope or tie- down through any door or window opening. If you do, the path of an inflating roof-rail airbag will be blocked.

When Should an Airbag Inflate?

This vehicle is equipped with airbags. See Airbag System on page 3-19. Airbags are designed to inflate if the impact exceeds the specific airbag system's deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help restrain the occupants. The vehicle has electronic sensors that help the airbag system determine the severity of the impact. Deployment thresholds can vary with specific vehicle design.

Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crashes to help reduce the potential for severe injuries, mainly to the driver's or front outboard passenger's head and chest.

Whether the frontal airbags will or should inflate is not based primarily on how fast the vehicle is traveling.

It depends on what is hit, the direction of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down.

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

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

In addition, the vehicle has advanced technology frontal airbags. Advanced technology frontal airbags adjust the restraint according to crash severity.

Knee airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or near frontal impacts. Knee airbags are not designed to inflate during vehicle rollovers, in rear impacts, or in many side impacts.

Seat-mounted side impact airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact.

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

A seat-mounted side impact airbag is designed to inflate on the side of the vehicle that is struck.

Roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side crashes depending on the location of the impact. In addition, these roof-rail airbags are designed to inflate during a rollover or in a severe frontal impact. Roof-rail airbags are not designed to inflate in rear impacts. Both roof-rail airbags will inflate when either side of the vehicle is struck, if the sensing system predicts that the vehicle is about to roll over on its side, or in a severe frontal impact.

In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inflated simply because of the vehicle damage or repair costs.

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

For airbag locations, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-21.

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 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? on page 3-22.

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

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 least partially inflated for some time after they inflate. Some components of the airbag module may be hot for several minutes. For location of the airbags, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-21.

The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.

Warning

When an airbag inflates, there may be dust in the air. This dust could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble.

To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have breathing problems but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a window or a door.

If you experience breathing problems following an airbag deployment, you should seek medical attention.

The vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock the doors, turn on the interior lamps and hazard warning flashers, and shut off the fuel system after the airbags inflate.

The feature may also activate, without airbag inflation, after an event that exceeds a predetermined threshold. You can lock the doors, and turn off the interior lamps, and turn off the hazard warning flashers by using the controls for those features.

Warning

A crash severe enough to inflate the airbags may have also damaged important functions in the vehicle, such as the fuel system, brake and steering systems, etc. Even if the vehicle appears to be drivable after a moderate crash, there may be concealed damage that could make it difficult to safely operate the vehicle.

Use caution if you should attempt to restart the engine after a crash has occurred.

In many crashes severe enough to inflate the airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.

Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the front outboard passenger airbag.

• Airbags are designed to inflate only once. After an airbag inflates, you will need some new parts for the airbag system.

   

  If you do not get them, the airbag system will not be there to help protect you in another crash. A new system will include airbag modules and possibly other parts. The service manual for the vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.

• The vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic module which records information after a crash. See Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy on page 13-14 and Event Data Recorders on page 13-14.
• Let only qualified technicians work on the airbag systems.

   

  Improper service can mean that an airbag system will not work properly. See your dealer for service.

Passenger Sensing System

The vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the front outboard passenger position. The passenger airbag status indicator will light on the center display when the vehicle is started.

United States

Canada

The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off, will be visible during the system check. When the system check is complete, either the word ON or OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will be visible. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 5-11.

The passenger sensing system turns off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag under certain conditions. No other airbag is affected by the passenger sensing system.

The passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of the front outboard passenger seat and safety belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag should be allowed to inflate or not.

According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the correct child restraint for their weight and size.

Whenever possible, children aged 12 and under should be secured in a rear seating position.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front. This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag inflates.

Warning

A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the front outboard passenger frontal airbag inflates.

This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the front outboard passenger frontal airbag inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position.

Even if the passenger sensing system has turned off the front outboard passenger airbag(s), no system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an airbag will not inflate under some unusual circumstance, even though the airbag(s) are off.

Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat, even if the airbag(s) are off. If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in the front outboard passenger seat, always move the seat as far back as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag if:

• The front outboard passenger seat is unoccupied.
• The system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant seat.
• The system determines that a small child is present in a child restraint.
• The system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat.
• A front outboard passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of time.
• The front outboard passenger seat is occupied by a smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown child restraints.
• There is a critical problem with the airbag system or the passenger sensing system.

When the passenger sensing system has turned off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag, the off indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbags are off. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 5-11.

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn on the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front outboard passenger seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbags to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit as a reminder that the airbags are active.

For some children who have outgrown child restraints and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag, depending upon the person's seating posture and body build.

Everyone in the vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt properly - whether or not there is an airbag for that person.

Warning

If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and stays on, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the vehicle serviced right away. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 5-11 for more information, including important safety information.

If the On Indicator Is Lit for a Child Restraint

If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit:

1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and refer to Securing Child Restraints (Rear Seat) on page 3-47 or Securing Child Restraints (Front Passenger Seat) on page 3-49.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, turn the vehicle off. Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback and adjust the seat cushion, if adjustable, to make sure that the vehicle seatback is not pushing the child restraint into the seat cushion. Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint. See Head Restraints on page 3-2.
6. Restart the vehicle.

If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle, and check with your dealer.

If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an Adult-Sized Occupant

If a person of adult size is sitting in the front outboard passenger seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be because that person is not sitting properly in the seat or that the child restraint locking feature is engaged.

Use the following steps to allow the system to detect that person and enable the front outboard passenger frontal airbag and knee airbag:

1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with legs comfortably extended.
5. If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all the way, the child restraint locking feature will be engaged. This may unintentionally cause the passenger sensing system to turn the airbag off for some adult-sized occupants. If this happens, unbuckle the belt and let the belt go back all the way, and then buckle the belt again without pulling the belt out all the way.
6. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for two to three minutes after the on indicator is lit.

Warning

If the front outboard passenger airbag is turned off for an adult-sized occupant, the airbag will not be able to inflate and help protect that person in a crash, resulting in an increased risk of serious injury or even death. An adult-sized occupant should not ride in the front outboard passenger seat, if the passenger airbag off indicator is lit.

Additional Factors Affecting System Operation

Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which helps the passenger sensing system maintain the passenger airbag status. See “Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints” in the Index for additional information about the importance of proper restraint use.

A thick layer of additional material, such as a blanket or cushion, or aftermarket equipment such as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers can affect how well the passenger sensing system operates. We recommend that you not use seat covers or other aftermarket equipment except when approved by GM for your specific vehicle. See Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 3-30 for more information about modifications that can affect how the system operates.

The on indicator may be lit if an object, such as a briefcase, handbag, grocery bag, laptop, or other electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is not desired, remove the object from the seat.

Warning

Stowing of articles under the passenger seat or between the passenger seat cushion and seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system.

Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle

Airbags affect how the vehicle should be serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in several places around the vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual have information about servicing the vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see Service Publications Ordering Information on page 13-11.

Warning

For up to 10 seconds after the vehicle is turned off and the battery is disconnected, an airbag can still inflate during improper service. You can be injured if you are close to an airbag when it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.

They are probably part of the airbag system. Be sure to follow proper service procedures, and make sure the person performing work for you is qualified to do so.

Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle

Adding accessories that change the vehicle's frame, bumper system, height, front end, or side sheet metal may keep the airbag system from working properly. The operation of the airbag system can also be affected by changing any parts of the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and diagnostic module, steering wheel, instrument panel, any of the airbag modules, ceiling or pillar garnish trim, front sensors, side impact sensors, or airbag wiring.

Your dealer and the service manual have information about the location of the airbag sensors, sensing and diagnostic module, and airbag wiring.

In addition, the vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the front outboard passenger position, which includes sensors that are part of the passenger seat. The passenger sensing system may not operate properly if the original seat trim is replaced with non-GM covers, upholstery, or trim; or with GM covers, upholstery, or trim designed for a different vehicle. Any object, such as an aftermarket seat heater or a comfort-enhancing pad or device, installed under or on top of the seat fabric, could also interfere with the operation of the passenger sensing system. This could either prevent proper deployment of the passenger airbag(s) or prevent the passenger sensing system from properly turning off the passenger airbag(s).

See Passenger Sensing System on page 3-25.

The vehicle has rollover roof-rail airbags. See Different Size Tires and Wheels on page 10-52 for additional important information.

If you have to modify your vehicle because you have a disability and you have questions about whether the modifications will affect the vehicle's airbag system, or if you have questions about whether the airbag system will be affected if the vehicle is modified for any other reason, call Customer Assistance.

See Customer Assistance Offices on page 13-3.

Airbag System Check

The airbag system does not need regularly scheduled maintenance or replacement. Make sure the airbag readiness light is working. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 5-11.

Caution

If an airbag covering is damaged, opened, or broken, the airbag may not work properly. Do not open or break the airbag coverings. If there are any opened or broken airbag coverings, have the airbag covering and/or airbag module replaced. For the location of the airbags, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 3-21. See your dealer for service.

Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash

Warning

A crash can damage the airbag systems in the vehicle.

A damaged airbag system may not work properly and may not protect you and your passenger(s) in a crash, resulting in serious injury or even death. To help make sure the airbag systems are working properly after a crash, have them inspected and any necessary replacements made as soon as possible.

If an airbag inflates, you will need to replace airbag system parts. See your dealer for service.

If the airbag readiness light stays on after the vehicle is started or comes on when you are driving, the airbag system may not work properly. Have the vehicle serviced right away. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 5-11.