2019 AUDI Q5 Owners Manual

80A012721BG
Airbagsystem

frontseatpassenger'sfrontalAdvancedAirbag.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light:
—willcomeonifthefrontpassengerseatisnot
occupied;
—willcomeoniftheelectricalcapacitancemeas-
uredby thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatequalsthe
combinedcapacitanceofaninfantuptoabout
oneyearofageandoneoftherearward-facing
orforward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFed-
eralMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208with
whichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehi-
cle wascertified;Foralistingofthechildre-
straintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehicle's
compliancewiththeU.S.SafetyStandard
=>page290.
—willgooutifthefrontpassengerseatisoccu-
piedbyanadultasregisteredbythecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystem.
—ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightmust
comeonandstayoniftheignitionisonand...
—a-carbedhasbeeninstalledonthefrontpas-
sengerseat,or
—arearward-facingchildrestrainthasbeenin-
stalledonthefrontpassengerseat,or
—aforward-facingchildrestrainthasbeeninstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseat,
—andiftheelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatisequaltoorlessthan
thecombinedcapacitanceofatypical1year-
old infantandoneoftherearward-facingor
forward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFederal
MotorVehicleSafetyStandard208withwhich
theAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehiclewas
certified.
Ifthefrontpassengerseatisnotoccupied,the
frontairbagwillnotdeploy,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF3%;lightwillstayon.
Neverinstallarearward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,thesafestplacefora
child
inanykind ofchildrestraintisatoneofthe
seatingpositionsontherearseat>page267,
Childrestraintsonthefrontseat-someimpor-
tantthingstoknowand>page288,Childsafe-
ty.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;light
comeson...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightcomes
onwhenoneoftheconditionslistedaboveis
met, besuretocheckthelightregularlytomake
certainthatthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF7;
lightstaysoncontinuouslywhenevertheignition
ison.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
doesnotappearonanddoesnotstayonallthe
time,stopassoonasitissafe todosoand
—reactivatethesystembyturningtheignitionoff
formorethan4secondsandthenturningiton
again;
—removeandreinstallthechildrestraint.Make
surethatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalled
andthatthesafetybeltforthefrontpassenger
seathasbeencorrectlyroutedthroughthe
childrestraintasdescribedinthechildrestraint
manufacturer'sinstructions;
—makesurethattheconvertiblelockingretractor
onthesafetybeltforthefrontpassengerseat
hasbeenactivatedandthatthesafetybelthas
beenpulledtight.
—makesurethatnoelectricaldevice(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchildseats)is
placedorusedonthefrontpassengerseatif
thedeviceisconnectedtothe12-voltsocketor
thecigarettelightersocket;
—makesurethatnoseatheaterhasbeenretrofit-
tedorotherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat;
—makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
safetybeltbucklesandthattheyarenotob-
structed;
—makesurethattherearenowetobjects(such
asawettowel)andnowaterorotherliquidson
thefrontpassengerseatcushion.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF&,lightstill
doesnotcomeon...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightstill
doesnotcomeonanddoesnotstayoncontinu-
ously(whentheignitionisswitchedon),
—takethechildrestraintoffthefrontpassenger
seatandinstallitproperlyatoneoftherear
279
>

Airbagsystem

seatpositions.Havetheairbagsysteminspect-
edbyyourAudidealerimmediately.
—movethechildtoarearseatpositionandmake
sure thatthechildisproperlyrestrainedina
childrestraintthatisappropriateforitssize
andage.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;light
shouldNOTcomeon...
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightshould
NOTcomeonwhentheignitionisonandanadult
issittinginaproperseatingpositiononthefront
passengerseat.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
%¥;lightcomesonandstaysonwhiledriving,un-
derthesecircumstances,makesurethat:
—theadultonthefrontpassengerseatisproper-
lyseatedonthecenteroftheseatcushionwith
hisorherbackupagainstthebackrestandthe
backrestisnotreclined,
—theadultisnottakingweightofftheseatby
holdingontothepassengerassisthandle
abovethefrontpassengerdoororsupporting
theirweightonthearmrest,
—thesafetybeltisbeingproperlywornandthat
thereisnotalotofslackinthesafetybeltweb-
bing,
—therearenoaftermarketseatcoversorcush-
ions orotherthings(such as blankets)onthe
frontpassengerseatthatmightcausetheca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsystemto miscal-
culate
electricalcapacitance.
lacetamedClcwela)

monitoringtheAdvancedAirbagSystem

makesuretheadultisproperlyseatedand
restrainedatoneoftherearseatingposi-
tions.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourauthorizedAudidealerbeforetrans-
portinganyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.


Z\WARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page22
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.


ZAWARNING
—IfthestatusoftheAdvancedAirbagSystem
haschangedwhilethevehicleismoving,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;ON@light
blinks forabout5secondstocatchthedriv-
er'sattention.Ifthishappens,alwaysstop
assoonasitissafe todosoandcheckthe
stepsdescribedabove.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooffwhenanadultwhoisnot
verysmallissittingonthefrontpassenger


seataftertakingthestepsdescribedabove,
ZA\WARNING
Ifthefrontairbaginflates,a childwithouta
childrestraint,orinarearward-facingchild
safetyseat,orinaforward-facingchildre-
straintthathasnotbeenproperlyinstalled
willbeseriouslyinjuredandcanbekilled.
—Eventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwith
anAdvancedAirbagSystem,makecertain
thatallchildren,especially12yearsand
younger,alwaysrideonthebackseatprop-
erlyrestrainedfortheirageandsize.
—Alwaysinstallforwardorrear-facingchild
safetyseatsontherearseat-evenwithan
AdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearward-facingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnot
appearandstayon,immediatelyinstallthe
rear-facingchildsafetyseatinarearseating
positionandhavetheairbagsysteminspect-
edbyyourauthorizedAudidealer.
—If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmust
installaforward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,alwaysmovethe
seatintoitsrearmostpositionintheseat's
foreandaftadjustmentrange,asfaraway
fromtheairbagaspossible.Thebackrest
mustbeadjustedtoanuprightposition.
MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG

280

80A012721BG
Airbagsystem


OFF3%;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenever theignitionisswitchedon.

ZAWARNING
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooutwhenanadultissittingon
thefrontpassengerseataftertakingthe
stepsdescribed above,makesuretheadult
isproperlyseatedandrestrainedatoneof
therearseatingpositions.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
authorizedAudidealer before transporting
anyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.
@®Tips
Ifthecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
determinesthatthefrontpassengerseatis
empty,thefrontalairbagonthepassenger
sidewillbeturnedoff,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF%;lightwillstayon.
Repair,careanddisposaloftheairbags
Partsoftheairbagsystemareinstalledatmany
differentplacesonyourAudi.Installing,remov-
ing,servicingorrepairingapartinanareaofthe
vehiclecandamageapartofanairbagsystem
andpreventthatsystemfromworkingproperly
inacollision.

Therearesomeimportantthingsyouhaveto
knowtomakesurethattheeffectivenessofthe
systemwillnot beimpairedandthatdiscarded
componentsdonotcauseinjuryorpollutethe
environment.

ZAWARNING
Impropercare,servicingandrepairproce-
durescanincreasetheriskofpersonalinjury
anddeathbypreventinganairbagfromde-
ployingwhenneededordeployinganairbag
unexpectedly:
—Nevercover,obstruct,orchangethesteer-
ingwheelhornpadorairbagcoverorthein-
strumentpanelormodifytheminanyway.
—Neverattachanyobjectssuchascupholders
ortelephonemountingstothesurfacescov-
eringtheairbagunits.


—Forcleaningthehornpadorinstrument
panel,useonlyasoft,dryclothoronemois-
tenedwithplainwater.Solventsorcleaners
coulddamagetheairbagcoverorchange
thestiffnessorstrengthofthematerial so
that
theairbagcannotdeployandprotect
properly.
—Neverrepair,adjust,orchangeanypartsof
theairbagsystem.
—Allworkonthesteeringwheel,instrument
panel,frontseatsorelectricalsystem(in-
cludingtheinstallationofaudioequipment,
cellulartelephonesandCBradios,etc.)
mustbeperformedbyaqualifiedtechnician
whohasthetrainingandspecialequipment
necessary.
—Foranyworkontheairbagsystem,we
stronglyrecommendthatyouseeyourau-
thorizedAudidealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Nevermodifythefrontbumperorpartsof
thevehiclebody.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference:
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
havenotbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsin-
flate.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversor to
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.Af-
teranairbaghasbeendeployed,it mustbe
replacedwithnewreplacementpartsde-
signedandapprovedespeciallyforyourAudi
model
version.Replacementofcomplete
airbagsystemsorairbagcomponentsmust
beperformedbyqualifiedworkshopsonly.
Makesurethatanyairbagserviceactionis
enteredinyourAudiWarranty&Mainte-
nancebookletunderAIRBAGREPLACEMENT
RECORD.
—Forsafetyreasonsinsevereaccidents,the
alternatorandstarterareseparatedfrom

281

Airbagsystem


thevehiclebatterywithapyrotechniccircuit
interrupter.
—Workonthepyrotechniccircuitinterrupter
mustonlybeperformedbyaqualified
technicianswhohavetheexperience,in-
formationandspecialtoolsnecessaryto
performtheworksafely.
—Ifthevehicleorthecircuitinterrupteris
scrapped,allapplicablesafetyprecautions
mustbefollowed.

OldtmeaeMar eeelaaNCle-\e)
Airbagperformance
Changingthevehicle'ssuspensionsystemcan
changethewaythattheAdvancedAirbagSystem
performsinacrash.Forexample,usingtire-rim
combinationsnotapprovedbyAudi,loweringthe
vehicle,changingthestiffnessofthesuspension,
includingthesprings,suspensionstruts,shock
absorbersetc.canchangetheforcesthatare
measuredbytheairbagsensorsandsenttothe
electroniccontrolunit.Somesuspensionchanges
can,forexample,increasetheforcelevelsmeas-
uredbythesensorsandmaketheairbagsystem
deployincrashesinwhichitwouldnotdeployif
thechangeshadnotbeenmade.Otherkindsof
changesmayreducetheforcelevelsmeasuredby
thesensorsandpreventtheairbagfromdeploy-
ingwhenitshould.


Z\WARNING
Changingthevehicle'ssuspensionincluding
useof unapprovedtire-rimcombinationscan
changeAdvancedAirbagperformanceandin-
creasetheriskofseriouspersonalinjuryina
crash.
—Neverinstallsuspensioncomponentsthat
donothavethesameperformancecharac-
teristicsasthecomponentsoriginallyinstal-
ledonyourvehicle.
—Neverusetire-rimcombinationsthathave
notbeenapprovedbyAudi.

282
Sideairbags
eyegydaUrey
Theairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemental
protectiontoproperlyrestrainedoccupants.
QS
2
==ao

Fig.235Sideairbaglocationinthedriver'sseat
Thesideairbagsarelocatedinthesidesofthe
frontseatbackrests>fig.235andtherearback-
rest*facingthedoors.
Thesideairbagsinstalled forthefrontseating
positionshavebeendesignedandcertifiedto
helpreducetheriskofinjurythatcanbecaused
byairbagswhentheyinflate,particularlywhen
theoccupantsittingnexttoitisnot seatedprop-
erly.Thesideairbagforthefrontpassengerseat
canbeusedwithproperlyinstalledchildre-
straints.Pleasebesuretoreadtheimportantin-
formationandwarningswheneverusingachild
restraintinavehicle:Safetybelts>page258,
Airbagsystem>page266,Childsafety
=>page288.
Thesideairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—thetwosideairbags locatedinthesidesofthe
frontbackrests
—tworearsideairbags*
—theairbagwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter.
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainthatitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).

80A012721BG
Airbagsystem

Thesideairbagsystemsupplementsthesafety
beltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofinjuryto
thedriver's,frontandrear*passenger'supper
torsoonthesideofthevehiclethatisstruckina
sidecollision.Theairbagdeploysonlyinsideim-
pactsandonlywhenthevehicleaccelerationreg-
isteredbythecontrolunitishighenough.Ifthis
rateisbelowthereferencevalueprogrammedin-
tothecontrolunit,thesideairbagswillnotbe
triggered,eventhoughthecarmaybebadly
damagedasaresultofthecollision.Itisnotpos-
sibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrangethat
willcover everypossibleangleofimpact,since
thecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybetween
onecollisionandanother.Importantfactorsin-
clude,forexample,thenature(hardorsoft)of
theimpactingobject,theangleofimpact,vehicle
speed,etc.>page284,Importantsafetyin-
structionsonthesideairbagsystem.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction,safety
beltsworktohelpkeepthedriverorfrontpas-
sengerinpositioninthe eventofasidecollision
sothatthesideairbagscanprovideprotection.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,it ispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthatthesideairbagsystemcanonly
helptoprotectyouifyouarewearingyoursafety
beltandwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherrea-
sonwhyyoushouldalwayswearyoursafety
belts,notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodo
so>page258,Generalinformation.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalsideairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
ducethelikelihoodofseriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruising,friction
burnsandminorabrasionscanalsobeassociated
withdeployedsideairbags.Remembertoo,side
airbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyincertain
kindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsarealways
theretoofferprotection.
Vehicledamage,repaircosts oreventhelackof
vehicledamagearenotnecessarilyanindication
ofover-sensitiveorfailedairbagactivation.In
somecollisions,bothfrontandsideairbagsmay
inflate.Remembertoo,thatairbagswilldeploy
onlyonceandonlyincertainkindsofcollisions-
yoursafetybeltsarealwaystheretoofferprotec-
tioninthoseaccidentsinwhichairbagsarenot
supposedtodeployorwhenthey havealready
deployed.
Thesideairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisturnedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredby thesensoristoolow
—infront-endcollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
—inrollovers.
Insometypesofaccidentsthefrontairbags,side
curtainairbagsandsideairbagsmaybetriggered
together.

ZA\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page284.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page22
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-

posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

Howsupplementalsideairbagswork
Sideairbagsdeployinstantlyandcanhelpre-
ducetheriskofuppertorsoinjuriesforoccu-
pantswhoareproperlyrestrained.


BFY-0036

Fig.236Inflatedsideairbagsonleftsideofvehicle,rear
side
airbagoptionalequipment
Whenthesystemistriggered,theairbagisfilled
withpropellantgasandbreaksthroughaseamin
theseatsurfacearea.Itexpandsbetweenthe
283
>

Airbagsystem

sidetrimpanelandthepassenger.Inorderto
helpprovidethisadditionalprotection,theside
airbagmustinflatewithinafractionofasecond
atveryhighspeedandwithgreatforce.Thesup-
plementalsideairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsideairbagexpands.This appliesespe-
ciallytochildren>page288,Childsafety.Sup-
plementalsideairbagsinflatebetweentheoccu-
pantandthedoorpanelonthesideofthevehicle
thatisstruckincertainsidecollision>fig.236.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion”theimpactandinthiswaytheycan
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytotheupperpart
ofthebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisnormalanddoesnotmeanthereisafire
inthevehicle.
echAUResc)
Eleeel)
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowandactaccordinglytohelpthesafetybelts
andairbagsdotheirjobtoprovidesupplemental
protection.

Z\WARNING
Aninflatingsideairbagcancauseseriousor
fatalinjury.Improperlywearingsafetybelts
andimproperseatingpositionsincreasethe
riskofseriouspersonalinjuryanddeath
wheneveravehicleisbeingused.
—Inordertoreducetheriskofinjurywhenthe
supplementalsideairbaginflates:
—Alwayssitinanuprightpositionandnever
leanagainsttheareawherethesupple-
mentalsideairbagislocated.
—Neverleta childor anyoneelseresttheir
headagainstthesidetrimpanelinthe
areawherethe supplementalsideairbag
inflates.

284


—Alwaysmakesurethatsafetybeltsare
worncorrectly,
— Donotletanyonesittinginthefrontseat
puttheirhandoranyotherpartsoftheir
bodyoutofthewindow.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference.
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
havenotbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsde-
ploy.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversor to
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
—Objectsbetweenyouandtheairbagcanin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinanaccidentbyin-
terferingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsor
bybeingpushedintoyouastheairbagin-
flates.
—Neverplaceorattachaccessoriesorother
objects(such ascupholders,telephone
brackets,orevenlarge,bulkyobjects)on
thedoors,overorneartheareamarked
“AIRBAG”ontheseatbackrests.
—Suchobjectsandaccessoriescanbecome
dangerousprojectilesandcauseinjury
whenthesupplementalsideairbagde-
ploys.
—Nevercarryanyobjectsorpetsinthede-
ploymentspacebetweenthemandtheair-
bagsorallowchildrenorotherpassengers
totravelinthisposition.
—Alwaysusethebuilt-incoathooks*onlyfor
lightweightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavy
orsharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthat
mayinterferewithsideairbagdeployment
andcancausepersonalinjuryinanaccident.
—Alwayspreventthesideairbagsfrombeing
damagedbyheavyobjectsknockingagainst
orhittingthesidesoftheseatbacks.
— Theairbagsystemcanonlybetriggered
once.Iftheairbaghasbeentriggered,the

80A012721BG
Airbagsystem



systemmustbereplacedbyanauthorized
Audidealership.
—Damage (cracks,deepscratchesetc.)tothe
originalseatcoversor totheseaminthe
areaofthesideairbagmodulemustalways
berepairedimmediatelybyanauthorized
Audidealer.
—Ifchildrenareseatedimproperly,theirrisk
ofinjuryincreasesinthecase ofanaccident
=>page288,Childsafety.
—Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.
—Inasidecollision,sideairbagswillnotfunc-
tionproperlyifsensorscannotcorrectly
measureincreasingairpressureinsidethe
doorswhenairescapesthroughlarger,un-
closed
openingsinthedoorpanel.
—Neverdrivewithinteriordoortrimpanels
removed.
—Neverdrivewhenpartshavebeenremoved
fromtheinsidedoorpanelandtheopen-
ingstheyleavehave notbeenproperly
closed.
—Neverdrivewhenloudspeakersinthe
doorshavebeenremovedunlessthe
speakerholeshavebeenproperlyclosed.
—Alwaysmakecertainthatopeningsare
coveredorfilledifadditionalspeakersor
otherequipmentisinstalledintheinside
doorpanels.
—Alwayshaveworkonthedoorsdonebyan
authorizedAudidealerorqualifiedwork-
shop.

Sidecurtainairbags
PXTraalhatamenmed(sMaiaTTedLe
Theside curtainairbagscanprovidesupplemen-
talprotectiontoproperlyrestrainedoccupants.

B8W-0056)


Fig.237Sidecurtainairbags,driver'sside:location
Thesidecurtainairbagsarelocatedonbothsides
oftheinteriorabovethefrontandrear sidewin-
dows©fig.237.
Thesidecurtainairbagscontainfeaturesthat
provideejectionmitigationtohelppreventvehi-
cleoccupantsorpartsoftheirbodiesfrombeing
completelyorpartiallyejectedfromthevehicle
interiorincertainsideimpactsandvehicleroll-
overs.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystemsupplementsthe
safetybeltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofin-
juryforoccupants’headsanduppertorsoina
sidecollision.Thesidecurtainairbaginflatesin
sideimpactsandonlywhenthevehicleaccelera-
tionregisteredby thecontrolunitishighenough.
Ifthisrateisbelowthereferencevalueprogram-
medintothecontrolunit,thesidecurtainairbag
willnot betriggered,eventhoughthecarmaybe
badlydamagedasaresultofthecollision.Itis
notpossibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrange
thatwillcovereverypossibleangleofimpact,
sincethecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybe-
tweenonecollisionandanother.Importantfac-
torsinclude,forexample,thenature(hardor
soft)oftheimpactingobject,theangleofim-
pact,vehiclespeed,etc.>page286,Howside
curtain
airbagswork.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction, safety
belts
worktohelpkeepthedriverorfrontpas-
sengerinpositionintheeventofacollisionso
285

Airbagsystem

thatthesidecurtainairbagscanprovideprotec-
tion.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherreason
whyyoushouldalwayswearyoursafetybelts,
notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodoso
=>page258,Generalinformation.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhiletheside
curtainairbagsystemisdesignedtohelpreduce
thelikelihoodof seriousinjuries,otherinjuries,
forexample,swelling,bruising,frictionburns
andminorabrasionscanalsobeassociatedwith
theseairbagsupondeployment.Remembertoo,
theseairbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyin
certainkindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsare
alwaystheretoofferprotection.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystembasically
consistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—Thesidecurtainairbagsabovethewindowsof
theouterseatingpositionswithejectionmiti-
gationfeatures
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesidecurtainairbagisnotactivated:
—iftheignitionisturnedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredby thesensoristoolow
—inrear-endcollisions.


ZA\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page55,
Frontseats.

286

-Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page22
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

Howsidecurtainairbagswork
Sidecurtainairbagscanworktogetherwithside
airbagstohelpreducetheriskofheadandupper
torsoinjuriesforoccupantswhoareproperlyre-
strained.

BFY-0037

Fig.238Illustrationofprinciple:Inflatedsidecurtainair-
bagsontheleftside
Thesidecurtainairbagsinflatebetweentheoc-
cupantandthewindowsinasidecollision
>fig.238.
Whenthesystemistriggered,thesidecurtain
airbagisfilledwithpropellantgasandbreaks
throughaseamabovethefrontandrearside
windowsidentifiedby theAIRBAGlabel.Inorder
tohelpprovidethisadditionalprotection,the
sidecurtainairbagmustinflatewithintheblink
ofaneyeatveryhighspeedandwithgreatforce.
The
sidecurtainairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsidecurtainairbaginflates.Thisapplies
especiallytochildren>page288.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,sidecurtain
airbagscan“cushion”theimpactandinthisway
they canhelptoreducetheriskofinjurytothe
headandtheupperpartofthebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisquitenormalanddoesnotmeanthereisa
fireinthevehicle.