Airb a g syste m
can be used with properly insta lled child re-
straints. Please be sure to read the important in-
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a veh icle: Safety belts
c> page 260,
Airbag system c> page 269, Child safety
c>page294 .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
- the e lectron ic control mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- t he two airbags loca t ed in t he sides of t he front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- t he a irbag wa rning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monito red elect ronically to
make certa in that it is funct ioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicato r light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce t he risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle t hat is struck in a
side collision . The airbag dep loys only in side im -
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg-
ist ered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in-
to the control un it, the s ide a irbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even thoug h the ca r may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos-
sib le to define an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact , since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in-
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed , etc.
c> page 289, Important safety in-
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas-
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu-
pant restraint sys t em in your vehicle . Always re-
member that the s ide airbag system can only
288
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea -
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so c>
page 260, General notes.
It is important to remember that w hile the sup-
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re-
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju-
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certa in
kinds of acc idents - you r safety belts are a lways
t here to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-se nsit ive or fa iled a irbag act ivat ion. In
some coll isions, bot h front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, t ha t a irbags w ill dep loy
on ly once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec -
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deplo y:
- when t he ignition is switched off
- in side collisions when the accelera t ion meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll isio ns
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r sea ti ng pos it ion c>
page 289.
- If t he a irbag ind icator light c> page 26
comes w hen the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspe cted immedia t ely by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is poss ible t hat
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup -
posed to, or will not inflate when it should .
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