2011 Citroen DS3 Owner's Manual

151Safety






Lateral airbags

System which protects the driver and front
passenger in the event of a serious side impact
in order to limit the risk of injury to the chest,
between the hip and the shoulder.
Each lateral airbag is fitted in the seat backrest
frame, door side.

Deployment
Impact detection zones



A.
Front impact zone.

B.
Side impact zone.

The lateral airbags are deployed unilaterally in
the event of a serious side impact applied to all
or par t of the side impact zone B
, perpendicular
to the longitudinal centreline of the vehicle on a
horizontal plane and directed from the outside
towards the inside of the vehicle.
The lateral airbag inflates between the hip and
shoulder of the front occupant of the vehicle
and the corresponding door trim panel.

Curtain airbags

System which protects the driver and
passengers (with the exception of the rear
centre passenger) in the event of a serious side
impact in order to limit the risk of injury to the
side of the head.
Each cur tain airbag is built into the pillars and
the upper passenger compar tment area.

Deployment

The cur tain airbag is deployed at the same
time as the corresponding lateral airbag in the
event of a serious side impact applied to all or
par t of the side impact zone B
, perpendicular
to the longitudinal centreline of the vehicle on a
horizontal plane and directed from the outside
towards the inside of the vehicle.
The cur tain airbag inflates between the front or
rear occupant of the vehicle and the windows.


Operating fault

In the event of a minor impact or bump
on the side of the vehicle or if the
vehicle rolls over, the airbag may not be
deployed.
In the event of a rear or front collision,
the airbag is not deployed.
If this warning lamp comes on in the
instrument panel, accompanied by
an audible signal and a message in
the screen, contact a CITROËN dealer or a
qualified workshop to have the system checked.
The airbags may no longer be deployed in the
event of a serious impact.

153Safety













For the airbags to be fully effective, observe the following safety rules:

Front airbags

Do not drive holding the steering wheel by its
spokes or resting your hands on the centre
part of the wheel.
Passengers must not place their feet on the
dashboard.
If possible, do not smoke as deployment of
the airbags can cause burns or the risk of
injury from a cigarette or pipe.
Never remove or pierce the steering wheel or
hit it violently.




Lateral airbags

Use only approved covers on the seats,
compatible with the deployment the lateral
airbags. For information on the range of seat
covers suitable for your vehicle, you can
contact a CITROËN dealer (see "Practical
information - § Accessories").
Do not fix or attach anything to the seat
backs (clothing...). This could cause injury
to the chest or arms if the lateral airbag is
deployed.
Do not sit with the upper par t of the body any
nearer to the door than necessary.


Curtain airbags

Do not fix or attach anything to the roof.
This could cause injury to the head if the
cur tain airbag is deployed.
Do not remove the grab handles installed
on the roof, they play a par t in securing the
curtain airbags.
Sit in a normal upright position.
Wear a correctly adjusted seat belt.
Do not leave anything between the occupants
and the airbags (a child, pet, object...). This
could hamper the operation of the airbags or
injure the occupants.
After an accident or if the vehicle has been
stolen or broken into, have the airbag
systems checked.
All work on the airbag system must be carried
out by a CITROËN dealer or a qualified
workshop.
Even if all of the precautions mentioned
are obser ved, a risk of injury or of minor
burns to the head, chest or arms when an
airbag is deployed cannot be ruled out. The
bag inflates almost instantly (within a few
milliseconds) then deflates within the same
time discharging the hot gas via openings
provided for this purpose.

009
Driving


This section describes the use of the parking brake, the manual,
SensoDrive or automatic gearbox, the gear shift indicator and
Stop & Start to help reduce fuel consumption, the speed limiter to
avoid exceeding a programmed speed, cruise control to maintain a
programmed speed, the rear parking sensors to detect obstacles.

Parking brake


Applying



)
Pull the parking brake lever fully up to
immobilise your vehicle.



Releasing



)
Pull the parking brake lever gently, press
the release button then lower the lever fully. When parking on a slope, direct your
wheels against the pavement, apply the
parking brake and engage a gear.

When the vehicle is being driven, if this
warning lamp and the STOP
warning
lamp come on, accompanied by an
audible signal and a message on the multifunction
screen, this indicates that the parking brake is still
on or has not been properly released.

157Driving








6-speed manual gearbox



)
Move the lever fully to the right to engage
5 th or 6 th gear.



Engaging 5 th or 6 th gear

As a safety precaution and to facilitate
star ting of the engine:


- always select neutral,

- press the clutch pedal.
Only engage reverse gear when the
vehicle is stationary with the engine at idle.

Engaging reverse gear



)
Raise the ring under the knob and move
the gear lever to the left then for wards.

Gear shift indicator *
System which reduces fuel consumption by advising the driver to change up on vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox.


Operation

The system inter venes only when driving
economically.
Depending on the driving situation and your
vehicle's equipment, the system may advise
you to skip one or more gears. You can
follow this instruction without engaging the
intermediate gears.
The gear engagement recommendations must
not be considered compulsory. In fact, the
configuration of the road, the amount of traffic
and safety remain determining factors when
choosing the best gear. Therefore, the driver
remains responsible for deciding whether or not
to follow the advice given by the system.
This function cannot be deactivated.

- The system may suggest that you engage a
higher gear, if appropriate.
The information appears in the instrument
panel screen in the form of an arrow
accompanied by the suggested gear.

In the case of driving which makes
particular demands on the performance
of the engine (firm pressure on the
accelerator pedal, for example, when
over taking...), the system will not
recommend a gear change.
The system never suggests:


- engaging first gear,

- engaging reverse gear,

- engaging a lower gear.



*
According to engine.
Example:


- You are in third gear.

- You press the accelerator pedal
moderately.