Airbag system
119
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Side airbags*Description of side airbags The side airbag increases protection of the passenger concerned in the case of a side impact.The side airbags are housed in the uphols
tery of the seat backrests of the front
seats. The side airbag system in combination with
the three-point seat belts, offers addi-
tional protection for the upper area of th
e body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of the
occupants of the vehicle in the ev
ent of severe side collisions
⇒
in “Important
safety information on the side airbag” on page 120. Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the
seat belts
is to
also hold the driver and front passenger in
a correct seated position in the event of
a side collision so as to enable the side
airbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat
belts, not only because this is required
by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection
⇒page 108, “Why
seat belts?”.
Function of the side airbags Risk of injury to the upper part of the body is reduced by fully inflated side airbags.In the case of a
violent side crash
, the side airbag in the front seat is deployed on
the side of the vehicle on which the collision occurs
⇒fig. 127
.
In certain accident situations, the front an
d side airbags may be deployed together.
If an airbag is deployed, the airbag is filled
with gas. The airbags inflate in fractions
of a second and at a high speed in order to
be able to offer that additional protec-
tion in the event of an accident. A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle. The load of the occupants is cushioned when
plunging into the fully inflated airbag
and the risk of injury to the entire up
per body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is
reduced on the side facing the door.
Fig. 126 Installation position of side airbag in driver seat
Fig. 127 Inflated side airbag
s2g8.b.book Page 119 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM
