GM airbag deploys whilst drifting
High G force manoeuvre triggers spontaneous deployment of airbag in Chevrolet Camaro, but no issues for CommodoreA recent drifting session, albeit an amateurish attempt, has elicited an unwelcome side-effect from Chevrolet's 2011 Camaro SS: accidental airbag deployment! But says Holden there's little chance of the same thing happening with the Camaro's twin-under-the-skin Commodore.
The high-powered V8 Chev coupe spontaneously deployed its airbags when the car performed a rapid change of direction (see video below). GM spokesperson Alan Adler told US website Autoblog that the incident is evidence the system was working appropriately, the car designed to "predict" an imminent rollover.
Holden backs up the claim, saying there is little or no chance of the unexpected deployment happening in local Commodore models. As well as the Commodore and Camaro using different components, the deployment strategies for the pair's airbags are vastly different.
Some US states require airbags to react differently to others. Indeed the airbags may be tuned to fire differently to protect occupants who may not be required to wear a seatbelt, for example. This pre-emptive strike, such as it is, may have been the reason behind the premature detonation.
As for the occupants of the Camaro, both were unharmed; the passenger receiving only light burns to her arm.
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