in a side collision. The side curtain airbag in-
flates in side impacts and on ly when the vehi-
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enough. If th is rate is below the refer -
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re-
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de-
fine an airbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impac t, since t he cir-
cumstances will vary conside rably between
one collision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.
c:> page 141.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safe -
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a colli-
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro-
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc-
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al-
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. This
is another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety belt s, not just beca use the law re-
quires you to do so
<=:>page 113, General
notes.
It
is important to rememb er that while the
side curta in airbag syst em is designed to he lp
reduce the likelihood of se rious injur ies, other
inju ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accide nts - your safety
belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control mod ule and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
A irba g sy stem 141
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The airbag system is mon itored electronically
to make cert ain it is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
- if t he ignition is turned off,
- in side collisions whe n the accele ration
meas ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rea r-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in t he proper seating posit ion
c:> page 61, General recommenda tions .
- If t he airbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immedi ately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The side curtain
airbag may not wo rk proper ly even when
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a side collision
is high enoug h to activate the airbag.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig. 138 Illust ration of principle: Inflated side curtai n
airbags on t he left side
The side curtai n airbags inflate betwee n the
occupant and the windows on the side of the ..,.
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