Elements of vehicle safety systems (Opel Corsa B)

Contents: General information ⬇ Rules for the use of passive safety…⬇ Design features of seat belts ⬇ Operating principles of the elements…⬇ Risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO)…⬇

General information

The vehicles covered by this Manual are equipped with a range of safety features designed to protect the driver and passengers in the event of a road traffic accident. These include seats equipped with head restraints, seat belts, emergency automatic belt tensioners, and driver and front passenger airbags.

Some components of the safety system, being an integral part of the vehicle design, do not require additional attention from the vehicle owner. These include a strong steel frame that forms the structure of the cabin, inside which the passenger compartment is located; front and rear crumple zones that absorb impact energy in the event of a collision, as well as automatic seat belt tensioners (additional equipment), which automatically tighten the belts in the event of an impact.

Seat belts

To ensure the safety of the driver and passengers, all vehicle seats are equipped with seat belts.

A special control lamp is mounted in the instrument panel, reminding the driver and passengers of the need to fasten their seat belts.

Driver and passenger airbags

Some models come standard with an additional SRS safety system, better known as airbags. The system is designed to protect the driver and front passenger from hitting their head or chest on the steering wheel or instrument panel in the event of a strong frontal impact.

Operating principle of front airbags

The optional equipment may also include side airbags to provide protection for the driver and front passenger in the event of a side impact.

How side airbags work

The owner of a vehicle equipped with an SRS system must know the most important points about the design and operating principle of the system elements:

The presence of airbags is in no way an excuse for not wearing seat belts. SRS should only be used in conjunction with seat belts and other passive safety equipment;
The front airbags do not provide protection in the event of a side impact, or in a rear impact. In addition, the modules are activated only in case of high-intensity directional impacts, i.e. the system does not provide protection in weak frontal collisions;
Side impact protection does not provide protection in the event of a frontal or rear impact, and it is also only activated when the energy of the side impact exceeds a certain threshold, which is not always the case when the vehicle rolls over;
Airbag deployment may cause injury.

In order to effectively perform its protective function, the airbag must deploy from the folded state to the working state in a very short time. Therefore, the airbag, while protecting the driver or front passenger from serious injuries, in some cases saving their lives, can cause injury, and sometimes serious injuries, up to and including death, if the driver or front passenger were not properly fastened with seat belts or occupied an abnormal position in the seats.

To reduce the risk of injury from an airbag, always wear your seat belt and sit in the driver's seat as far away from the steering wheel/instrument panel as possible.

Position of seats and their backs

The design of the car seats guarantees maximum comfort for the person sitting in them, while simultaneously providing conditions for the most effective performance of their functions by the seat belts and airbags. Soft padding of the cushions and backrests provides additional protection for the occupant in emergency situations.

The choice of seat position also affects the safety of the occupant. For example, if the seat is too close to the steering wheel or dashboard, the risk of injury to the occupant when the airbag deploys increases, as does the risk of being thrown through the windshield in a frontal collision.

Increasing the angle of the seat back will worsen the fixation of the body by the seat belt - the more the seat back is tilted back, the higher the probability of the occupant's body sliding under the lap section of the seat belt in the event of a strong frontal impact, and the more severe the injuries may be.

Lock the front seat in the most retractable position (and at the same time convenient for driving the vehicle) from the steering wheel or instrument panel position, bring the backrest to a vertical position.

Headrests

Head restraints prevent injury to the cervical spine and head in the event of a rear impact. The head restraint should be adjusted in height so that its upper edge is level with the upper edge of the occupant's ear.

Rules for the use of passive safety equipment for drivers and passengers

General information

The following instructions will provide the reader with ways to ensure maximum protection for all vehicle occupants.

Doors

After the driver and all passengers have taken their seats in the vehicle, make sure that all vehicle doors are tightly closed.

Some models are equipped with an audible or visual alarm that operates when one or more doors of the car are not closed tightly.

Front seats

A driver who sits too close to the instrument panel is at increased risk of injury, including serious injury or death, from being struck by the steering wheel or from an airbag deploying in an accident.

To avoid the risk of injury, fasten your seat belt properly, bring the seatback to an upright position and press your back firmly against it, while moving the seat as far away from the steering wheel as possible. At the same time, of course, the driver must ensure a good view and the ability to conveniently manipulate all vehicle controls. Make sure that the front passenger seat is also as far away from the instrument panel as possible.

Correct driver position on the seat

If the driver and front passenger seats are positioned too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel in the event of an accident, this can result in serious injury or even death!

The vast majority of drivers (even of short stature) can move the driver's seat as far away from the steering wheel as possible, while still being able to reach the pedals freely. However, if you are concerned about the driver's seat being too close to the steering wheel, the authors of this Guide recommend that the reader pay attention to certain types of auxiliary equipment - comprehensive information on this issue can be obtained at branded service stations.

Once you have verified that the seat is in the correct position, check that it is securely locked. For instructions on adjusting the front seats, see Section Salon equipment.

Adjust the angle of the driver's seat back to the most comfortable position for your body type, as close to vertical as possible, while leaving sufficient space between your chest and the steering wheel hub, into which the airbag is mounted.

If the seat back is tilted too far back, the shoulder section of the seat belt will not be pressed against the chest, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of its protective functions. The more the seat back is tilted back, the greater the likelihood of the occupant's body sliding under the lumbar section in a severe frontal impact, and the more severe the injuries may be. Instructions for adjusting the seat backs are provided in Section Salon equipment.

Headrests

Before driving, make sure that the position of the head restraints on each seat meets the necessary requirements, providing adequate protection for the cervical spine and head of the occupant in a rear impact. The head restraint should be adjusted in height so that its central part is level with the back of the head. If this cannot be achieved, the head restraint should be set to the highest position.

Correct adjustment of the headrest

Incorrect positioning of head restraints reduces the effectiveness of their protective functions and increases the risk of serious injury in a traffic accident!

Instructions for adjusting the position of the head restraints are provided in Section Salon equipment.

Seat belts

Snap the belt buckle into the lock, then pull the shoulder section strap up, checking that the buckle is securely locked into the lock. Make sure that the belt strap is not twisted - a twisted belt is dangerous in itself.

Lower the lap section of the belt as much as possible, placing it as low on the hips as possible. Pull on the shoulder section to take up the slack and try to achieve a tight fit. If necessary, tighten the belt and achieve a tight fit of the shoulder section to the torso. The strap should pass diagonally across the occupant's chest so that the load during an impact falls mainly on the strongest upper torso.

Failure to wear seat belts can result in serious injuries in the event of a traffic accident!

The driver of a vehicle, having fastened his seat belt, must ensure that all passengers are also properly fastened.

The correct position of the lap section of the belt will provide the safest absorption of the body's inertia in an accident, holding it by the strong bones of the hip joint. If the strap passes through the shoulder joint of the arm, the position of the upper anchor of the belt on the car pillar should be adjusted

Upper seat belt anchorages

To adjust the position of the upper belt anchor, press the release buttons and slide the anchor up or down along the guide built into the pillar until the shoulder section of the belt is positioned correctly relative to your neck. The anchor has four locking positions.

Never pass the shoulder section of the belt under your arm or behind your back - this could have the most serious consequences in an accident!

An incorrectly functioning seat belt will not provide adequate protection for the driver/passenger in the event of an accident. If you are not sure that the adjustments are correct, have the seat belts checked by a service station of the vehicle manufacturer. Additional information on seat belts is provided in Section Salon equipment.

Landing on the seat

General recommendations

After the driver and all passengers have taken their seats in the car, adjusted their seats and put on their seat belts, they must position their bodies correctly, with their backs pressed firmly against the seat back and their feet firmly on the floor of the car. Their feet should not come off the floor until the car has come to a complete stop and the engine has been turned off.

Failure to sit correctly while driving increases the risk of injury in an accident. Thus, if passengers sit hunched over, lie down, turn to the sides, lean forward or to the side, climb onto the seat with their feet, the risk of them receiving serious injuries in an accident increases significantly.

In addition, front passengers who are not seated properly may be seriously injured by interior trim breaking during a crash or by the deployment of the front airbag.

If the front passenger's head is tilted sideways in a vehicle equipped with side airbags and is located in the area where the airbag is activated, the risk of serious injuries and injuries is extremely high.

Try to maintain proper seating position throughout the entire journey, keeping your back pressed firmly against the seatback and your feet flat on the floor. Remember that sitting upright and using seat belts correctly will improve the effectiveness of all safety features in your vehicle.

Recommendations for pregnant women

Ensuring the safety of a pregnant woman is the best way to preserve the fetus in the event of an accident, so when driving a car (as a driver or passenger) a pregnant woman must wear a seat belt, paying particular attention to the correct placement of its sections relative to her body.

When using diagonal-waist belts, remember that the waist section of the belt should be positioned as low as possible on the hips and should never be placed on the stomach.

A pregnant woman should also take an upright position on the seat. In this case, the front seat should be moved as far away from the dashboard as possible, which will reduce the risk of injury and mutilation not only for the mother but also for the fetus in the event of an accident or deployment of the front airbag.

At each visit to your supervising physician, consult whether it is safe for you to drive a car.

Transportation of children

To ensure the safety of transporting young and middle-aged children, special child seats and restraints should be used, detailed instructions for placement and installation of which will be offered to you at the place of purchase of the product. If necessary, contact the company's service stations for advice.

Opel child restraint systems are equipped with transponders that ensure that the passenger airbags are deactivated when the system is placed on the front passenger seat.

Additional recommendations

It is prohibited to use the same seat belt to fasten two people at the same time. In this case, the belt will not perform its protective functions and in the event of an accident, passengers may be seriously injured.

Do not attach pads or other objects to the seat belt webbing. Adding additional devices or changing the position of the shoulder section attachment may reduce the effectiveness of the seat belts and increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Do not place hard or sharp objects between your body and the front airbag.

Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a smoking pipe or other sharp object in your mouth during an accident can result in serious injury.

To prevent the risk of unauthorized deployment of the front airbags, try to keep your hands away from the locations of their modules on the instrument panel and the steering wheel hub

On models equipped with side airbags, do not attach hard objects to or near the inside panels of the front doors.

Design features of seat belts

Diagonal lap seat belt

Diagram of the diagonal-lap design seat belt routing

To unfasten the belt, press the red button marked PRESS, which is located on the buckle lock body. When the belt is wound up by the retractor drum, hold it by the buckle bracket. After leaving the car, check that the belt does not get caught in the door opening or get jammed when the door is slammed.

The diagonal-waist belts are equipped with an inertial return device, the drum of which automatically takes up the slack in the straps and constantly maintains a slight preliminary tension of the belt pressed to the body. Inertial belts practically do not restrict the movements of the person fastened with them and allow him to easily change his position on the seat. In the event of an accident or sudden braking of the car, the locking mechanism of the return device is activated. The drum locks the belt, eliminating the possibility of dangerous movement of the occupant.

Automatic emergency seat belt tensioners

On some models, in order to provide additional protection for the driver and front passenger, the front seat belts are equipped with devices that, when activated, automatically tighten the belts, which provides additional guarantees to prevent dangerous movements of the driver and front passenger in the event of a frontal collision.

Emergency Automatic Tensioner Modules

The automatic emergency tensioners are triggered by directional overloads that occur during a severe frontal collision. At the same time, the front airbags are ejected.

When the tensioner is activated, the seat belt remains in a tensioned position until the buckle clip is released from the last buckle.

Emergency seat belt tensioners are single-use devices and must be replaced after they have been activated.

The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) indicator light comes on to alert the driver to possible malfunctions in the seat belt pretensioners (see section Instrument panel).

Operating principles of the elements of the additional safety system (SRS)

The devices and components that make up the supplemental safety system (SRS) include:

Two front airbags. The driver's airbag module is housed in the steering wheel hub. The front passenger airbag is housed in a special cavity on the right side of the vehicle's instrument panel. The locations of both modules are marked with warning signs "AIRBAG";

Driver airbag module

Side airbags (with appropriate equipment), mounted in the outer surfaces of the front seat backs;

Marking on the side airbag module cover

Directional overload sensors that are triggered by strong impacts in the corresponding direction;
Electronic self-diagnostic system which, when the ignition is on, continuously tests the overload sensors, control unit, airbag gas generators and the connecting electrical wiring of the corresponding circuits;
Automatic emergency seat belt tensioners for front seats;
SRS malfunction indicator lamp mounted in the instrument panel;
A spare autonomous power source designed to duplicate the main power supply system in the event of its failure during a vehicle collision.

Front airbags

Directional overload sensors react to the excess of a certain limit value, which may occur during a strong frontal collision. At the signal from the sensors, the control unit turns on the airbag gas generators, causing their immediate filling.

Diagram of impact directions that trigger the directional overload sensors of the front airbags

During a collision, the seat belt keeps the lower part of the occupant's body from moving. Front airbags help prevent injury to the driver and front passenger when their heads and chests hit the steering wheel or dashboard.

Since the signals for both airbags to operate come from the same sensors, both airbags operate simultaneously. However, it is possible that only one of the airbags will be activated if the magnitude of the directional overloads that arose during the collision was on the edge of the gas generators' operating range. In this case, the seat belts provide sufficiently reliable protection for the driver and front passenger, while the effect of the airbag operating will be minimal.

Immediately after the airbags are triggered and perform their functions, the gas is released from them, which allows the driver to maintain visibility and freely manipulate all vehicle controls.

The entire duration of the process from the moment the signal is sent by the overload sensors to the release of gas from the cushions takes a fraction of a second.

After an accident in which the airbags were deployed, the interior of the car looks slightly smoky. In fact, this is a suspension of fine powder, which is usually sprinkled on the folded airbag shells. People with respiratory diseases may experience some discomfort when inhaling products released by the airbag gas generators that get into the air.

SRS Malfunction Indicator Light

The SRS warning lamp is mounted in the vehicle's instrument cluster (see section Instrument panel) and is designed to warn the driver about failures in the additional safety system detected by the self-diagnostic system. On some vehicle modifications, the activation of the warning lamp indicates possible malfunctions in the side airbag units or automatic emergency seat belt tensioners.

When the ignition is turned on (the ignition key is turned to position "II"), the K/L lights up for a short time, then immediately goes out, which confirms the proper functioning of all system components.

If the K/L is triggered at any other time, the car owner should contact Opel service station specialists for help at the earliest opportunity. Such situations include the following:

K/L does not turn on when the ignition key is turned to position "II";
K/L continues to light after engine start;
The K/L is on and lights up in a constant or flashing mode while the vehicle is moving.

If the above symptoms are present, the additional safety system may fail in the event of an accident.

Disregard for the SRS warning light signals can lead to the most serious consequences if the airbags fail during an accident!

Side airbags

Some models may be equipped with optional driver and front passenger side airbags to provide head protection for the driver and front passenger in side impacts. The side airbag modules are mounted in the outer ends of the front seat backs. The locations of both side airbags are marked with the words "AIRBAG". The SRS control panel on the vehicle's instrument panel is triggered when a fault is detected in the additional airbag initiation circuits.

In the event of a severe side impact, the directional overload sensors record the excess of a certain threshold value by the loads that arise and send an information signal to the control unit, which generates a command to trigger the gas generator of the corresponding side airbag. In this case, if the impact occurs from the passenger seat, the passenger side airbag will trigger even if there is no passenger in the front seat.

Response diagrams of directional overload sensors of side airbags

To ensure that the airbags provide the most effective protection, the driver and passenger sitting in the front seat should sit up straight and be wearing seat belts.

Maintenance of SRS components

Pyrotechnic modules of airbags and automatic emergency seat belt tensioners practically do not require regular inspections and maintenance. However, the owner of a vehicle equipped accordingly should remember the following:

After the airbags have been deployed, they must be replaced along with the system control unit. Do not attempt to remove the airbags yourself. These operations must only be performed in a car service workshop;
If the SRS warning light is triggered, indicating a system failure, you should immediately contact your nearest Opel service station for a full diagnostics and the necessary repairs. Otherwise, the airbags and emergency seat belt tensioners may not deploy in an accident and will not perform their protective function;
Do not open the gas generator modules or change the electrical wiring of the airbag systems and emergency automatic seat belt tensioners - such intervention may lead to inadvertent deployment of the airbags and tensioners and cause injury to the operator or nearby people;
If equipped, do not replace the front seats without first consulting an Opel service station. Careless or incorrect replacement or removal of the covers may result in failure of the side airbags to deploy in the event of an accident.

Risk of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning

The composition of engine exhaust gases includes highly toxic carbon monoxide (CO). If the exhaust system is in good working order and the vehicle is operated correctly, engine exhaust gases should not enter the vehicle interior. Try to check the technical condition of the exhaust system and the tightness of its pipeline connections in the following cases:

At the next engine oil change, when the car is installed on a lift;
If there is a noticeable change in the nature of the background noise emitted by the exhaust system;
After an accident in which parts located under the bottom of the car may have been damaged.

Inhalation of carbon monoxide causes unconsciousness and can be fatal. Avoid being in a closed, unventilated room or performing work that will force you to breathe air containing CO in high concentrations!

In closed spaces with poor ventilation, such as a garage, the CO concentration can quickly increase to dangerous levels. Therefore, do not leave the engine running with the garage door closed. Even with the door open, do not leave the engine running for a long time. Immediately after starting the engine, drive out of the garage and continue warming up the engine outside.

When driving with the tailgate open, exhaust gases from the engine may enter the car interior and create a dangerous situation. If a situation arises where it is not possible to close the door, you should fully open all windows and turn on the air ventilation.

When inside a vehicle with the engine idling (even in an open area), do the following: