Airbag system
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the airbag wa rnin g light in the inst rument clus -
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is functioning prope rly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
t he dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor-
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision . The airbag dep loys only in side im-
pacts and on ly when the ve hicle acceleration reg -
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in-
to the control un it, the side curta in a irbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision.
It is
not poss ible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover eve ry poss ible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be -
tween one collision and another . Important fac-
tors include, for exam ple, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im-
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c> page 245, Important
safety instructions 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 substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu -
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re-
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea-
son why you s hou ld always wear you r safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so c>
page 219 , General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup-
plemental s ide a irbag system is designed to re-
duce the like lihood of se rious injur ies, other inju-
ries, for example, swelling , bruising, and minor
244
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags will de-
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci-
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
only once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety be lts are always there to offe r protec-
t ion in those accidents in wh ich airbags a re not
suppo sed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ign iti on is switched off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear -end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
curtain a irbags and s ide airbags may be t rigg ered
together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
c> page 245.
- If the airbag indicator light c> page 23
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or w ill not inflate w he n it should.
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