1 7 2 Airbag syst em
in a side collision. The side curtain airbag 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 this 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 a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact , since t he cir-
cumstances will vary considerably 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 172, How side cur-
tain airbags work.
Aside from their 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 subst 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 can
only help to protect you if you are wea ring
your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly. This
is ano t her reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety be lt s, not jus t be ca use the law re-
qu ires you to do so c;,
page 143, General
notes.
It
is impor t ant to remember that whi le t he
side curta in airbag syst em is designed t o he lp
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated wit h
these airbags upon deployment . Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents - your safety
belts are a lways there to offer protection .
The side curtain airb ag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and externa l
side impact senso rs
- The side curtai n airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is mo nitored e lect ronically
to make certain it is func tioning properly at all
t imes . Each time yo u sw itch on the ign ition,
t he 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 switched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro t ection when occup a nt s
are in t he proper seating posi t ion
c:> page 58, General recommendations.
- If t he airb ag ind icator light~ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system ins pected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos-
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
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. 174 Illust rat ion of principle: I nflated side curtai n
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows in a side collision
u,
N
g
±
..
03
c:>fig . 174 . ..,_
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