A: Air bags instantly activate during a crash to provide life-saving cushioning. This protects people from blunt head trauma, which is one of the main causes of vehicle fatalities.
Steering wheel air bags are typically mounted inside the center of the steering wheel. On the passenger’s seat, air bags are in the dashboard directly in front of the seat. Airbags can also be in the side of the seat back cushion so that they deploy to prevent the driver or passenger’s head from contacting the B pillar during a T-bone collision.
Some vehicles can also have knee air bags and door-mounted air bags. There are also curtain airbags mounted all along the roofline above the doors. Knee air bags are located under the dashboard, while door-mounted air bags are located in the front doors.
But again, make sure you have good OEM shop manual information available before beginning any kind of work on vehicle airbags.
CAUTION: Air bags are very dangerous. Servicing vehicle airbags should not be attempted without careful consideration and specific research on the vehicle being serviced. The video below shows a passenger airbag being deployed in a 2004 Lexus.
Accessing the steering wheel air bag in a 2014 to 2019 Toyota Corolla involves removing the air bag cover. Before doing so, you’ll need to remove the pieces of plastic trim on the steering column. These pieces of plastic trim are hiding metal rods that clip the air bag cover in place. You’ll need a screwdriver to push these metal rods to release the air bag cover.
Accessing the steering wheel air bag on vehicles like the 2010 to 2014 Subaru Outback involves a similar process of releasing clips located behind the plastic trim on the steering column. To help you access these clips, you should insert the key into the ignition so that the steering wheel can move. This should help you access the clips. Remember that the steering wheel air bag can have up to three clips. Parts of the steering wheel cover should release as soon as you press on the clips.
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