Honda Odyssey Owners Manual: Airbags

Airbag System Components

The front, front side, and side curtain airbags are deployed according to the direction and severity of impact. The airbag system includes:

1 Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) front airbags. The driver's airbag is stored in the center of the steering wheel; the front passenger's airbag is stored in the dashboard. Both are marked SRS AIRBAG.
2 Two side airbags, one for the driver and one for a front passenger. The airbags are stored in the outer edges of the seatbacks.

Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
3 Two side curtain airbags, one for each side of the vehicle. The airbags are stored in the ceiling, above the side windows.

The front and rear pillars are marked SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.
4 An electronic control unit that continually monitors and records information about the sensors, the airbag activators, the seat belt tensioners, and driver and front passenger seat belt use when the ignition switch is in ON .
5 Automatic front seat belt tensioners. The driver's and front passenger's seat belts incorporate sensors that detect whether or not they are fastened.
6 A driver's seat position sensor. If the seat is too far forward, the airbag will inflate with less force.
7 Weight sensors in the front passenger's seat. The front passenger's airbag will be turned off if the weight on the seat is 65 lbs (29 kg) or less (the weight of an infant or small child).
8 Impact sensors that can detect a moderate to severe front or side collision.

9 An indicator on the dashboard that alerts you that the front passenger's front airbag has been turned off.
10 Sensors that can detect if a child or small statured adult is in the deployment path of the front passenger's side airbag.
11 An indicator on the instrument panel that alerts you to a possible problem with your airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
12 An indicator on the instrument panel that alerts you that the front passenger's side airbag has been turned off.
13 A rollover sensor that can detect if your vehicle is about to roll over and signal the control unit to deploy both side curtain airbag.

■Important facts about your airbags

Airbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with tremendous force. So, while airbags help save lives, they can cause burns, bruises, and other minor injuries, and sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not wearing their seat belts properly and sitting correctly.

What you should do: Always wear your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as far back from the steering wheel as possible while allowing full control of the vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as possible.

Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths that can occur in a severe crash, even when seat belts are properly worn and the airbags deploy.

Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.

Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp object in your mouth, can result in injuries if your front airbag inflates.

Do not attach or place objects on the front airbag covers. Objects on the covers marked SRS AIRBAG could interfere with the proper operation of the airbags or be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone if the airbags inflate.

Do not attempt to deactivate your airbags. Together, airbags and seat belts provide the best protection.

When driving, keep hands and arms out of the deployment path of the front airbag by holding each side of the steering wheel. Do not cross an arm over the airbag cover.

Types of Airbags

Your vehicle is equipped with three types of airbags:
• Front airbags: Airbags in front of the driver's and front passenger's seats.
• Side airbags: Airbags in the driver's and front passenger's seat-backs.
• Side curtain airbags: Airbags above the side windows.

Each is discussed in the following pages.

The airbags can inflate whenever the ignition switch is in ON .

Front Airbags (SRS)

The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate to severe frontal collision to help protect the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger.

SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indicates that the airbags are designed to supplement seat belts, not replace them. Seat belts are the occupant's primary restraint system.

Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-stage, multiplethreshold front airbags (SRS).

During a frontal crash severe enough to cause one or both front airbags to deploy, the airbags can inflate at different rates, depending on the severity of the crash, whether or not the seat belts are latched, and/ or other factors. Frontal airbags are designed to supplement the seat belts to help reduce the likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal crashes.

Housing Locations

The front airbags are housed in the center of the steering wheel for the driver, and in the dashboard for the front passenger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.

Operation

Front airbags are designed to inflate during moderate-to-severe frontal collisions.

When the vehicle decelerates suddenly, the sensors send information to the control unit which signals one or both front airbags to inflate.

A frontal collision can be either head-on or angled between two vehicles, or when a vehicle crashes into a stationary object, such as a concrete wall.

How the Front Airbags Work

While your seat belt restrains your torso, the front airbag provides supplemental protection for your head and chest.

The front airbags deflate immediately so that they won't interfere with the driver's visibility or the ability to steer or operate other controls.

The total time for inflation and deflation is so fast that most occupants are not aware that the airbags deployed until they see them lying in front of them.

After a front airbag inflates in a crash, you may see what looks like smoke. This is actually powder from the airbag's surface. Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems may experience some temporary discomfort. If this occurs, get out of the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.

Although the driver's and front passenger's airbags normally inflate within a split second of each other, it is possible for only one airbag to deploy. This can happen if the severity of a collision is at the margin, or threshold, that determines whether or not the airbags will deploy. In such cases, the seat belt will provide sufficient protection, and the supplemental protection offered by the airbag would be minimal.

■ When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and help save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might occur during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.

Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration causes a driver or front passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side airbags and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which can cause the driver or passenger to move towards the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear impact. Front airbags cannot provide any significant protection and are not designed to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts and, in vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags and side curtain airbags offer the best protection in a rollover. Because front airbags could provide little if any protection, they are not designed to deploy during a rollover.

■ When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the vehicle framework or suspension might cause one or more of the airbags to deploy.

Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object that causes a sudden deceleration in the vehicle chassis. Since the impact is underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.

■ When front airbags may not deploy, even though exterior damage appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of visible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they had deployed.

Advanced Airbags

Your front airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag related injuries to smaller occupants.

The driver's advanced front airbag system includes a seat position sensor.

If the seat is too far forward, the airbag inflates with less force, regardless of the severity of the impact.

The passenger's advanced front airbag system has weight sensors.

Although Honda recommends against carrying an infant or small child in front, if the sensors detect the weight of a child (up to about 65 lbs or 29 kg), the system will automatically turn off the passenger's front airbag.

If there is a problem with the driver's seat position sensor, the SRS indicator will come on and the airbag will inflate with full (normal) force, regardless of the driver's seating position.

For both advanced front airbags to work properly:
• Do not spill any liquid on or under the seats.
• Do not put any object under the passenger’s seat.
• Make sure any objects are positioned properly on the floor. Improperly positioned objects can interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
• All occupants should sit upright and wear their seat belts properly.
• Do not place any cover over the passenger side dashboard.

Make sure the floor mat behind the front passenger’s seat is hooked to the floor mat anchor. An improperly placed mat can interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.