2009 PORSCHE PANAMERA gas type

Seats, Mirrors and Steering Wheel
49
Function of the air bag systemAir bags are a supplemental safety system. Your
primary protection comes from your safety belts.
The front air bags are triggered during a frontal
collision of sufficient force and direction.
In the event of a side impact of corresponding
force, the side air bag on the impact side is
triggered.
The inflation process generates the amount of gas
required to fill the air bags at the necessary
pressure in fractions of a second.
Air bags help to protect the head and body, while
simultaneously damping the motion of the driver
and passenger in the impact direction in the event
of a frontal impact or side impact.
In order to help provide protection in severe
collisions which can cause death and serious
injury, air bags must inflate extremely rapidly.
Such high speed inflation has a negative but
unavoidable side effect, which is that it can and
does cause injuries, including facial and arm
abrasions, bruising and broken bones. You can
help minimize such injuries by always wearing your
safety belts.
There are many types of accidents in which air
bags are not expected to deploy. These include
accidents where the air bags would provide no
benefit, such as a rear impact against your
vehicle. Other accidents where the air bags are
designed not to deploy are those where the risk of
injury from the air bag deployment could exceed any protective benefits, such as in low speed
accidents or higher speed accidents where the
vehicle decelerates over a longer time. Since air
bag deployment does not occur in all accidents,
this further emphasizes the need for you and your
passengers to always wear safety belts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module. This module will record the
use of the seat belt restraint system by the driver
and front passenger when the air bags and/or belt
tentioner are triggered.
Precondition for activating the restraint systems:
f
Ignition is switched on.
Advanced air bagYour vehicle is equipped with occupant sensing for
the passenger's seat in accordance with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
Depending on the weight, body positioning and
shape acting on the passenger's seat, the
passenger's air bag will automatically be switched
on and off.
Depending on the angle and force of impact, the
passenger's air bag which is switched-on will be
triggered during a collision.
Precondition for switching the passenger's air bag
on and off, depending on weight, body positioning
and shape:
fIgnition is switched on.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death due
to the passenger air bag not triggering.
Improper handling of occupant sensing can
unintentionally impair switching the
passenger's air bag off and on.
If the weight on the passenger's seat is
reduced significantly, e.g., by supporting
weight on the armrest, the passenger's air
bag can be switched off.
f Select an upright seat position, and do not
support weight on the armrests or lean out of
the window.
Always keep feet in the footwell while driving.
Do not put feet on the dashboard or the seat
area. Do not lean against the inside of the door
or outside the window while the vehicle is
moving.
f If a child restraint system is installed on the passenger’s seat, do not adjust the seat.

Minor Repairs
285
In case of tire damage, where it is uncertain
whether there is a break in the ply with all its
consequences or tire damage caused by thermal
or mechanical overloading due to loss of pressure
or any other prior damage, we recommend that
the tire be replaced for safety reasons.
If one faulty tire is replac ed it should be noted that
the difference in tread depth on one axle must not
exceed 30%. Handling inconsistencies may result.
f Perform a visual inspection if necessary.Tire replacementsfUse only tire makes and types tested by
Porsche.
If you do not use a Porsche recommended
replacement tire, make sure that you
purchase your new tires from a reputable tire
dealer and that the dealer complies with all
manufacturers warnings for those tires.
Only tires with the same manufacturer and
with the same specific ation code (e.g. “N0”,
“N1”…) should be mounted on the vehicle.
Before mounting new tires, check with your
Porsche dealer about the current release
status.
Tires should be replaced no less than on one axle
at the time. Only tires of the same make and type
must be used. Mixed tire s are not permissible and
will affect vehicle performance, safety, and can
affect vehicle warranty. Porsche dealers can recommend the most current
replacement tire options for your vehicle.
Initially, new tires do not have their full traction.
You should therefore drive at moderate speeds
during the first 60 - 120 miles (100 - 200 km).
Tires must always remain
on the same side of
the vehicle.
When wheels are removed, the direction of
rotation and position of each wheel should be
marked.
If new tires are installed only on one axle, a
noticeable change in hand ling occurs due to the
different tread depth of the other tires. This
happens especially if only rear tires are replaced.
However, this condition disappears as the new
tires are broken in.
f Please adjust your driving style accordingly.
Installation of new tires should only be done by a
qualified tire technician.
Valves
f Use only plastic valve caps.
f The rubber valves must be replaced whenever
the tires are changed.
f The fitting and replacement specifications
must be observed for metal valves.
f Only use Original Porsche metal valves.
f Protect the valve inserts against soiling with
valve caps. Soiled valve inserts can cause a
gradual loss of air.
Parking at the curb
Danger!
Hard impacts against curbs (or traffic
islands) are dangerous and may cause
hidden tire damage which is not noticeable
until later. Such damage can result in
accidents at high speeds causing serious
personal injury or death. Depending on the
force of impact, the edge of the rim can also
be damaged.
f After such an impact, have the wheel checked
by an expert.
f If you must drive over a curb or other obstacle,
drive slowly and at an obtuse angle. Exercise care when parking along curbs.
Maintenance note
Tire repairs are not permissible under any
circumstances.
Wheel alignment, wheel balancingAs a precaution, have wheels with summer tires
balanced in the spring, and those with mud and
snow tires before winter. Unbalanced wheels may
affect car handling and tire life.
Only the specified weights may be used for wheel
balancing.