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📘 How Airbags Work

In a severe crash, a supplemental airbag works with your seat belt — not instead of it — to slow head and chest motion before they hit hard interior surfaces.

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
Adults
level
Start the course →

What you’ll learn

  1. Restraints and sensingExplain how airbags supplement belts and how sensors classify crash pulses.An airbag is a timed, vented cushion designed to work with the seat belt after sensors evaluate the crash.
  2. Firing and timingTrace the firing loop from controller to squib, inflator, inflation, and venting.Milliseconds separate impact from the occupant reaching the vehicle interior.
  3. Limits and warningsIdentify why airbags do not deploy in every crash and why warning lamps matter.Airbags have specific deployment conditions, are single-use, and require qualified diagnosis when faults appear.

Questions this course answers

Why is an airbag called a supplemental restraint?

The belt positions and restrains the occupant while the airbag adds protection against interior impact.

Put the basic sensing loop in order

The system measures first, decides second, then fires the selected restraint.

What helps the controller distinguish a severe crash from a pothole?

Crash algorithms analyze the shape and severity of the measured motion.

Match each part to its role

These parts form a chain from measurement to decision to chemical deployment.

Why must deployment begin so quickly?

Inertia carries the occupant toward the interior while the vehicle structure decelerates.

Why does an airbag vent after it inflates?

The bag must catch and slow the occupant in a controlled way.

Grounded in trusted sources

  • NHTSA, Vehicle Air Bags and Injury Prevention, https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/air-bags
  • NHTSA, Advanced Air Bag Inflator and Crash Sensor Testing, https://www.nhtsa.gov/advanced-air-bag-inflator-and-crash-sensor-testing
  • Bosch Mobility, Airbag control unit, https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/solutions/control-units/airbag-control-unit/
  • Bosch Mobility, Peripheral acceleration sensor, https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/solutions/sensors/peripheral-acceleration-sensor/
  • SAE International, Electronic Crash Sensors for Restraint Systems, https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/electronic-crash-sensors-restraint-systems-901136

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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