at all times, not only because this is required by
law in most countries, but also for your safety
››› page 42, Seat belts.
The airbag inates in a matter of seconds, so if
you are not properly seated when the airbag is
triggered, you may sustain fatal injuries. There-
fore, it is essential that all vehicle occupants
assume a correct sitting position while travel-
ling.
Sharp braking before an accident may cause a
passenger not wearing a seat belt to be thrown
forward into the area of the deploying airbag.
In this case, the inating airbag may inict criti-
cal or fatal injuries on the occupant. This also
applies to children.
Always maintain the greatest possible distance
between yourself and the front airbag. This
way, the front airbags can completely deploy
when triggered, providing their maximum pro-
tection.
The most important factors for triggering the
airbag are the type of accident, the angle of
impact and the vehicle speed.
Whether or not the airbags are activated de-
pends primarily on the vehicle deceleration
rate resulting from the collision and detected
by the control unit. If the vehicle deceleration
occurring during the collision and measured by
the control unit remains below the specied
reference values, the front, side and/or curtain
airbags will not be triggered. Take into account
that the visible damage in a vehicle involved in
an accident, no matter how serious, is not a
determining factor for the airbags to have been
activated.
WARNING
Wearing the seat belt incorrectly or assuming
an incorrect sitting position can lead to criti-
cal or fatal injuries
•
All vehicle occupants, including children,
who are not properly belted can sustain criti-
cal or fatal injuries if the airbag is triggered.
Children up to 12 years old should always
travel on the rear seat. Never transport chil-
dren in the vehicle if they are not restrained
or the restraint system is not appropriate for
their age, size or weight.
•
To reduce the risk of injury from an inat-
ing airbag, always wear the seat belt properly
››› page 42.
Description of the airbag system
The airbag system oers additional protection
for the occupants in combination with the seat
belts.
The airbag system comprises the following
modules (as per vehicle equipment):
•
Electronic control unit
•
Front airbags for driver and passenger
•
Side airbags
•
Central airbag for the driver
•
Head airbag
•
Airbag control lamp on the instrument
cluster ››› page 51
•
Key-operated switch for front passenger air-
bag
•
Control lamp for disabled/enabled status of
the front passenger airbag.
The airbag system operation is monitored
electronically. The airbag control lamp will illu-
minate for a few seconds every time the igni-
tion is switched on (self-diagnosis).
There is a fault in the system if the control
lamp
:
•
does not light up when the ignition is
switched on
›››
page 51,
•
turns o after 4 seconds after the ignition is
switched on,
•
turns o and then lights up again after the
ignition is switched on,
•
illuminates or ashes while the vehicle is
moving.
The airbag system is not triggered if:
•
the ignition is switched o
•
there is a minor frontal collision
•
there is a minor side collision
•
there is a rear-end collision