Front airbags - the forward thrust of the driver and of the front passenger is
cushioned when they make contact with the fully-inflated airbag, and the risk
of injury to head and chest is thus reduced.
The front airbags can be identified by the lettering
featured on the steer-
ing wheel and on the dash panel on the passenger side.
Side airbags Head-Thorax - The stress on occupants’ bodies is cushioned
when they make contact with the fully-inflated airbag and the risk of injury to
head and the entire upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is reduced on the
side facing the door.
The side air bags can be identified by a label with the lettering
marked on
the front seat backrests.
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the airbag system consists of the
following parts. ▶ Individual airbags.
▶ Warning light in the instrument cluster
» page 35.
▶ Key switch for the front passenger airbag » page 20.
▶ Warning light for the front passenger airbag in the middle of the dash panel
» page 20 .
Airbag deployment
Fig. 7
Inflated airbags
The airbag system is only functional when the ignition is switched on.
When triggered, the airbag fills with gas and unfolds. The inflation of the air-
bag is carried out in a fraction of a second.
When the airbag inflates, smoke is released. This is not a sign of a fire in the
vehicle.
Triggering conditions
It is not possible to generally determine which deployment conditions apply to
the airbag system in every situation. The important factors here are the hard-
ness of the object with which the vehicle collides, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed etc.
A decisive factor in the deployment of the airbags is the degree of deceleration
at the time. If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured during
the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the
control unit, the airbags are not deployed although the vehicle may well suffer
severe damage to the bodywork as a consequence of the accident.
The following airbags will be deployed in the event of a severe frontal
collision.
▶ Driver’s front airbag.
▶ Front passenger airbag.
The following airbags will be deployed in the event of a severe side collision. ▶ Head-Thorax side airbag on the crash side.
When an airbag is deployed, the following events occur. ▶ The hazard warning lights are switched on.
▶ All doors are unlocked.
▶ The fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
▶ The interior light comes on (if the automatic operation of the interior light is
switched on - position ).
When there is no air bag deployment?
With minor frontal and side collisions, rear collision, overturning of the vehicle
or vehicle roll-over there is no airbag deployment.18Safety
