in a side collision. The side curtain a irbag in-
f lates 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 be low the refer-
ence value programmed into the control un it,
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-
f ine an a irbag 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,
veh icle speed, etc.
c:> page 179, How side cur-
tain airbags work.
Aside from thei r normal safety function, safe-
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a colli-
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro-
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc-
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al-
ways remember that the airbag system ca n
only help to protect you if you are wea ring
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. This
is ano t her reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belt s, not jus t be ca use t he law re-
qu ires you to do soc:>
page 152, General
notes.
It is impor t ant to remember tha t while the
side curt ain airbag system is designed t o he lp
red uce the likelihood of serious injuries, othe r
injuries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can a lso be associated wit h
these airbags. Remember too, these a irbags
will deploy only once and only in certain kinds
of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control modu le and externa l
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtai n airbags above the front and
rear side windows
A irba g sy stem 1 79
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag syste m is mon itored e lect roni cally
to make ce rt ain it is func t ioning 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 t ur ned 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
a re in t he proper seating position
c:> page 62, General recommenda tions .
- If t he air bag ind icator light comes on
when the ve hicle is being used, have t he
syst em inspec t ed immedi ately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The s ide curt ain
airbag may not wo rk proper ly even when
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a s ide 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. 18 2 Illustrat ion of principle: Inflated side curtai n
a irbags on the left side
The side curtai n airbags inflate betwee n the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the ..,.
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