-
Airbag system
- --=---=----------------
sit uat ions . Be sure to read the important informat ion about safety
and hee d t he WARNINGS in t his cha pte r.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and the act ivat ion of the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
t he crash senso rs an d regis t ered by t he e lectroni c contr ol unit. The
amount of inflation of the front airbags can a lso be adapted to the
front seat pos it ion, depending on t he distance bet ween t he respec -
tive front seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel as reg is-
t ere d by sensors in the seats. Crash seve rity depends on speed and
deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object
involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, rega rdless of safety be lt use, the a irbag will
be t urned off if the we ight on the passenger seat is less tha n the
amount prog rammed in the e lectr onic contro l unit . The fro nt airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the child safety
sea t s tha t has been cert ified under Federa l Mot or Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on t o tell you when the fron t
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
=> page 187, "Child restraints on t he front sea t - some impo rtant
things to know" .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inju ry when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of position in any way, your risk of injury is mu ch higher .
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close t o it wh en it inflates ·
even with an Advanced Airbag =>
page 185. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 175 Infl ate d
front airbags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
pro per seated pos ition so that a irbags can unf old prope rly and
prov ide supp lemental protect ion in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide add itio na l protec t ion for
the chest and face of the driver and the front sea t passenge r when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• t he seats have been posit ioned so that the occupant is prope rly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because air bags inflate in the blink of a n eye wit h great force, things
you have on your lap or have place d on the seat could become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates.
When an airbag dep loys, fine du st is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy.
It could irritate
skin .
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and m inor abras ions, can also
happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms or the ..,_
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