Air bag apparatus for a motor vehicle

The invention provides an air bag apparatus of a motor vehicle which can securely protect a passenger in a much close stare by an inexpensive means. Since a rear end (a parch portion (19)) of a tether belt (20) is positioned at a vertical surface (A) passing through a rear end (21) of an instrument panel (1) or in a front side thereof, in an initial expanding state of an air bag (4), a rearward development of the air bag (4) is restricted just before a passenger (M) due to a tension of the tether belt (20) even in the case that the passenger (M) stands close to the instrument panel (1), whereby no excessive impact is applied to the passenger (M).