Like first and second generation frontal air bags, third generation advanced frontal air bags inflate in a fraction of a second to prevent occupants from striking the interior of the vehicle during a moderate to severe crash.

However, in a lower-speed frontal crash, where full-force air bag deployment would not be necessary or could cause injury to smaller occupants, an advanced air bag system provides the appropriate level of protection by:

• Inflating a frontal air bag with less force (referred to as low-risk deployment), or
• Shutting off a frontal air bag entirely (referred to as suppression.)