2019 AUDI Q5 child restraint

Seats

Installingtheheadrestraints
>Slidethepostsontheheadrestraintdowninto
theguidesuntilthepostsclickintoplace.
>Pressthebutton(arrow)©fig.60andslidethe
headrestraintallthewaydown.Youshould not
be
abletoremovetheheadrestraintfromthe
backrestwithoutpressingthebutton.

ZXWARNING
—Alwaysreadandfollowtheapplicablewarn-
ings>page255,Properadjustmentof
headrestraints.
—Onlyremovetheheadrestraintsfromthe
rearseatswhenitisnecessaryforinstalling
achildsafetyseat>page288,Childsafety.
Installtheheadrestraintagainimmediately
oncethechildsafetyseatisremoved.Driv-
ingwiththeheadrestraintsremovedornot
intheuprightpositionincreasestheriskof
seriousinjury.

Memoryfunction
Appliesto:vehicleswithmemoryfunction
Withthememoryfunction,youcansaveandre-
call
seatprofilesusingthememorybuttonsin
thedoortrimpanelandwiththevehiclekey.
Thedriver'sseatprofileisstoredagainandas-
signedtothevehiclekeyeachtimethevehicleis
locked.Whenyouopenthedoor,theseatprofile
isautomaticallyrecalled.Iftwopeopleuseone
vehicle,itisrecommendedthateachpersonal-
waysuses“hisorherown”vehiclekey.
Dependingontheequipment,itmaybepossible
tostorethefollowingsettings:
—Driver'sseat:seat,exteriormirror*
Aaa]
Appliesto:vehicleswithmemoryfunction
Thedriver'sseatprofilecanbeassignedtothe
vehiclekeywhenthevehicleislocked.

> SelectintheInfotainmentsystem:[MENU]but-
ton>Vehicle> leftcontrolbutton>Vehicle

58

settings>Seats>Driver'sseat>Storeset-
tingsonremotecontrolkey.
@)Tips
Ifyoudonotwishtohavetheseatprofilefor
anotherdriverassignedtothevehiclekey,
switchthememoryfunctionoffintheInfo-
tainmentsystem.
iTaatelaaeliacelry
Appliesto:vehicleswithmemoryfunction
1D Ss
£ > ao
Fig.62Driver'sdoor:memoryfunctionbuttons
Storingaseatprofile

>Pressthe[SET]button.TheLEDinthe button
willturnon.
>Pressmemorybutton[1]or[2].



Asignaltonewillsoundwhenitissuccessfully
stored.
Recallingaseatprofile
>Ifthedriver's doorisopenandtheignitionis
switchedoff,pressthememorybutton.
>Ifthedriver'sdoorisclosedortheignitionis
switchedon, pressandholdthememorybut-
tonuntiltheseat adjustmentiscomplete.

Z\WARNING
—Forsafetyreasons,theseatsettingcanonly
berecalledwhenthevehicleisstationaryto
reducetheriskofanaccident.
—Inanemergency,seatadjustmentoperation
canbestoppedbypressingthe[SET]button
orthebuttons@)or®)>page55,fig.54.

Drivingsafety

Drivingsafety
Basics
Safedrivinghabits
Pleaseremember-safetyfirst!
Theindividualsafetyfeaturesofyourvehiclecan
worktogetherasasystemtohelpprotectyou
and
yourpassengersinawiderangeofaccidents.
Thesefeaturescannotworkasasystemifthey
arenot alwayscorrectlyadjustedandcorrectly
used.
Thischaptercontainsimportantinformation,
tips,instructionsandwarningsthatyouneedto
readandobserveforyourownsafety,thesafety
of
yourpassengersandothers.Wehavesummar-
izedherewhatyouneedtoknowaboutsafety
belts,airbags,childrestraintsaswellaschild
safety.Yoursafetyisforusprioritynumber1.Al-
waysobservetheinformationandwarningsin
thissection-foryourownsafetyaswellasthat
ofyourpassengers.
Theinformationinthissectionapplies toall
modelversionsofyourvehicle.Someofthefea-
turesdescribedinthissectionsmaybe standard
equipmentonsomemodels,ormaybeoptional
equipmentonothers.Ifyouarenotsure,ask
yourauthorizedAudidealer.

ZXWARNING
—Alwaysmakesurethatyoufollowthe in-
structionsandheedtheWARNINGSinthis
manual.Itisinyourinterestandinthein-
terestofyourpassengers.
—AlwayskeepalloftheOwner'sLiterature
manualsinyourAudiwhenyoulendorsell
yourvehiclesothatthisimportantinforma-
tionwillalwaysbeavailabletothedriver
andpassengers.
—AlwayskeeptheOwner'sLiteraturehandyso
thatyoucanfinditeasilyifyouhaveques-
tions.

252
Importantthingstodobeforedriving
Safetyiseverybody'sjob!Vehicleandoccupant
safetyalwaysdependsontheinformedandcare-
fuldriver.
Foryoursafetyandthesafety ofyourpassen-
gers,beforedrivingalways:
>Makesurethatalllightsandsignalsareoperat-
ingcorrectly.
> Makesurethatthetirepressureiscorrect.
>
Makesurethatallwindowsarecleanandafford
goodvisibility totheoutside.
>Secureallluggageandotheritemscarefully
=>page61.
>Makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
pedals.
>Adjustfrontseat,headrestraintandmirrors
correctlyforyourheight.
>Instructpassengerstoadjusttheheadre-
straintsaccordingtotheirheight.
> Makesuretousetherightchildrestraintcor-
rectlytoprotectchildren>page288,Child
safety.
>Sitproperlyinyourseatandmakesurethat
yourpassengersdothesame>page55,Front
seats.
>Fastenyoursafetybeltandwearitproperly.Al-
soinstructyourpassengerstofastentheirsafe-
tybeltsproperly>page258.
Whatimpairsdrivingsafety?
Safedrivingisdirectlyrelatedtotheconditionof
thevehicle,thedriveraswellasthedriver’sabili-
tytoconcentrateontheroadwithoutbeingdis-
tracted.
Thedriverisresponsibleforthesafetyoftheve-
hicleandallofitsoccupants.If yourabilityto
driveisimpaired,safetyrisksforeverybodyinthe
vehicleincreaseand youalsobecomeahazardto
everyoneelseontheroad>/\.Therefore:
>Donotletyourselfbedistractedbypassengers
orbyusingacellulartelephone.
>NEVERdrivewhenyourdrivingabilityisim-
paired(bymedications,alcohol,drugs,etc.).
>Observealltrafficlaws,rulesoftheroadand
speedlimitsandplaincommonsense.

Drivingsafety


—Beforedriving,alwaysadjustthefront seats
andheadrestraintsproperlyandmakesure
thatallpassengersareproperlyrestrained.
—Neveradjusttheseatswhilethevehicleis
moving.Yourseatmaymoveunexpectedly
and youcouldlosecontrolofthevehicle.
—Neverdrivewiththebackrestreclinedortilt-
edfarback!Thefartherthebackrestsare
tiltedback,thegreatertheriskofinjurydue
toincorrectpositioningofthesafetybelt
andimproperseatingposition.
—Childrenmustalwaysrideinchildsafety
seats>page288.Specialprecautionsapply
wheninstallinga childsafetyseatonthe
frontpassengerseat>page266.


Properseatingpositionforthefri
passenger
Theproperfrontpassengerseatingpositionis
importantforsafe,relaxeddriving.
Foryourownsafetyandtoreducetheriskofin-
juryinthe eventofanaccident,werecommend
thatyouadjusttheseatforthefrontpassenger
tothefollowingposition:
>Adjusttheangleoftheseatbacksothatitisin
anuprightpositionandyourbackcomesinfull
contactwithitwheneverthevehicleismoving.
>Adjusttheheadrestraintsotheupperedgeis
asevenaspossiblewiththe topofyourhead.If
thatisnotpossible,trytoadjusttheheadre-
straintsothatitisasclosetothispositionas
possible>page57.
>Keepbothfeetflatonthefloorinfront ofthe
frontpassengerseat.
>Fastenandwearsafetybeltscorrect-
ly>page261.
Fordetailedinformationonhowtoadjustthe
frontpassenger'sseat,see>page55.

ZAWARNING
Frontseatpassengerswhoareunbelted,out
ofpositionortooclosetotheairbagcanbe
seriouslyinjuredorkilledbytheairbagasit
unfolds.Tohelpreducetheriskof seriousper-


sonalinjury:

254
—Passengersmustalwayssitinanuprightpo-
sitionandneverleanagainstor placeany
partoftheirbodytooclosetothearea
wheretheairbagsarelocated.
—Passengerswhoareunbelted,outofposi-
tion ortooclosetotheairbagcanbeseri-
ouslyinjuredbyanairbagasitunfoldswith
greatforceintheblinkofaneye.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereareatleast
10inches(25cm)betweenthefrontpas-
senger‘sbreastboneandtheinstrument
panel.
—Eachpassengermustalwayssitonaseat of
theirownandproperlyfastenandwearthe
safetybeltbelongingtothatseat.
—Beforedriving,alwaysadjustthefrontpas-
sengerseatandheadrestraintproperly.
—Alwayskeepyourfeetonthefloorinfrontof
theseat.Neverrestthemontheseat,in-
strumentpanel,outofthewindow,etc.The
airbagsystemandsafetybeltwillnot be
abletoprotectyouproperlyandcanevenin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinacrash.
—Neverdrivewiththebackrestreclinedortilt-
edfarback!Thefartherthebackrestsare
tiltedback,thegreatertheriskofinjurydue
toincorrectpositioningofthesafetybelt
andimproperseatingposition.
—Childrenmustalwaysrideinchildsafety
seats>page288.Specialprecautionsapply
wheninstallinga childsafetyseatonthe
frontpassengerseat>page266.
Properseatingpositionsforpassengersin
rearseats
Rearseatpassengersmustsituprightwithboth
feetonthefloorconsistentwiththeirphysical
sizeandbeproperlyrestrainedwhenevertheve-
hicleisinuse.

Toreducetheriskofinjurycausedbyanincorrect
seatingpositionintheeventofasuddenbraking
maneuveroranaccident,yourpassengersonthe
rearbenchseatmustalways observethefollow-
ing:
>Iftherearepassengersontheouterrearseats,
adjusttheheadrestraintssotheupperedgeis>

80A012721BG
Drivingsafety

asevenaspossiblewiththe topofyourhead.If
thatisnotpossible,trytoadjusttheheadre-
straintso thatit isasclosetothispositionas
possible.Ifthereisapassengerinthecenter
rearseat,slidetheheadrestraintupward
=>page57.
>Makesurethattheseatbackissecurelylatched
intheuprightposition>page63.
>Keepbothfeetflatinthefootwellinfrontof
therearseat.
>Fastenandwearsafetybeltsproperly
=>page261.
>Makesurethatchildrenarealwaysproperlyre-
strainedinachildrestraintthatisappropriate
fortheirsizeandage>page288.

ZAWARNING
Passengerswhoareimproperly seatedonthe
rearseatcanbeseriouslyinjuredinacrash.
—Eachpassengermustalwayssitonaseatof
theirownandproperlyfastenandwearthe
safetybeltbelongingtothatseat.
—Safetybeltsonlyoffermaximumprotection
whentheseatbackissecurelylatchedinthe
uprightpositionandthesafetybeltsare
properlypositionedonthebody.Bynotsit-
tingupright,arearseatpassengerincreases
theriskofpersonalinjuryfromimproperly
positionedsafetybelts!
—Alwaysadjusttheheadrestraintproperlyso

thatitcangivemaximumprotection.

Properadjustmentofheadrestraints
Correctlyadjustedheadrestraintsareanimpor-
tantpartofyourvehicle'soccupantrestraintsys-
tem andcanhelptoreducetheriskofinjuriesin
accidentsituations.

B4G-0454



Fig.219Headrestraint:viewedfromthefront
Theheadrestraintsmustbecorrectlyadjustedto
achievethebestprotection.
>Adjust theheadrestraintssotheupperedgeis
asevenas possiblewiththetopofyourhead.If
thatisnotpossible,trytoadjusttheheadre-
straintso thatitisasclosetothispositionas
possible.Position*theheadrestraintasclose
aspossibletothe backofyourhead.
>Ifthereisapassengerinthecenterrearseat,
slidetheheadrestraintupward.
Adjustingheadrestraints>page57.

Z\WARNING
Allseatsareequippedwithheadrestraints.
Drivingwithoutheadrestraintsorwithhead
restraintsthatarenotproperlyadjustedin-
creasestheriskof serious orfatalneckinjury
dramatically.Tohelpreducetheriskofinjury:
—Alwaysdrivewiththeheadrestraintsin
placeandproperlyadjusted.
—Everypersoninthevehiclemusthavea
properlyadjustedheadrestraint.
—Alwaysmakesureeachpersoninthevehicle
properlyadjuststheirheadrestraint.Adjust
theheadrestraintssotheupperedgeisas
evenaspossiblewiththe topofyourhead.
Ifthatisnotpossible,trytoadjustthehead
restraintsothatitisasclosetothisposition

aspossible.

255

Drivingsafety


—Neverattempttoadjustheadrestraintwhile
driving.Ifyouhavedrivenoffandmustad-
justthedriverheadrestforanyreason,first
stopthevehiclesafelybeforeattemptingto
adjusttheheadrestraint.
—Childrenmustalways beproperlyrestrained
inachildrestraintthatisappropriatefor
theirageandsize>page288.
Examplesofimproperseatingpositions
Theoccupantrestraintsystemcanonlyreduce
theriskofinjuryifvehicleoccupantsareproperly
seated.


Improperseatingpositionscancauseseriousin-
juryordeath.Safetybeltscanonlyworkwhen
theyareproperlypositionedonthebody.Im-
properseatingpositionsreducetheeffectiveness
of safety
beltsandwillevenincreasetheriskof
injuryanddeathbymovingthesafetybelttocrit-
icalareasofthebody.Improperseatingpositions
alsoincreasetheriskofseriousinjuryanddeath
whenanairbagdeploysandstrikesanoccupant
whoisnotintheproperseatingposition.Adriver
isresponsibleforthesafetyofallvehicleoccu-
pantsandespeciallyfor children.Therefore:
>Neverallowanyonetoassumeanincorrect
seatingpositionwhenthevehicleisbeingused
>.
Thefollowingbulletinslistonlysomesamplepo-
sitionsthatwillincreasetheriskofseriousinjury
anddeath.Ourhopeisthattheseexampleswill
makeyoumoreawareofseatingpositionsthat
aredangerous.
Therefore,wheneverthevehicleismoving:
—neverstandupinthevehicle
—neverstandontheseats
—neverkneelontheseats
—neverridewiththeseatbackreclined
—neverliedownontheseats
—neverleanupagainsttheinstrumentpanel
—neversitontheedgeoftheseat
—neversitsideways
—neverleanoutthewindow
—neverputyourfeetout thewindow
256
—neverputyourfeetontheinstrumentpanel
—neverrestyourfeetontheseatcushionorback
oftheseat
—neverrideinthefootwell
—neverrideinthecargoarea

ZA\WARNING
Improperseatingpositionsincreasetherisk
ofseriouspersonalinjuryanddeathwhenever
avehicleisbeingused.
—Alwaysmakesurethatallvehicleoccupants
stayinaproperseatingpositionandare
properlyrestrainedwhenever thevehicleis
beingused.

Pedalarea
The pedalsmustalwaysbefree tomoveand
mustneverbeinterferedwithby afloormator
anyotherobject.
Makesurethatallpedalsmovefreelywithoutin-
terferenceandthatnothingpreventsthemfrom
returningtotheiroriginalpositions.
Onlyusefloormatsthatleavethepedalareafree
andcan besecuredwithfloormatfasteners.
If abrakecircuitfails,increasedbrakepedaltrav-
elisrequiredtobringthevehicletoafullstop.

ZAWARNING
Pedalsthatcannotmovefreelycancauseloss
ofvehiclecontrolandincreasetheriskofseri-
ousinjury.
—Neverplaceanyobjectsinthedriver'sfoot-
well.Anobjectcouldgetintothepedalarea
andinterferewithpedalfunction.Incaseof
suddenbrakingoranaccident,youwould
notbeabletobrakeoraccelerate!
—Alwaysmakesurethatnothingcanfallor
moveintothedriver'sfootwell.

Safetybelts

Safetybelts
Generalinformation
DEERLLL8aes
Wearingsafetybeltscorrectlysaveslives!
Thischapterexplainswhysafetybeltsareneces-
sary,howtheyworkandhowtoadjustandwear
themcorrectly.
>Readalltheinformationthatfollowsandheed
alloftheinstructionsandWARNINGS.

ZA\WARNING
Notwearingsafetybeltsorwearingthemim-
properlyincreasestheriskof seriouspersonal
injuryanddeath.
—Safetybeltsarethesinglemosteffective
meansavailabletoreducetheriskofserious
injuryanddeathinautomobileaccidents.
Foryourprotectionandthat ofyourpassen-
gers,alwayscorrectlywearsafetybelts
whenthevehicleismoving.
—Pregnantwomen,injured,orphysicallyim-
pairedpersonsmustalsousesafetybelts.
Likeallvehicleoccupants,theyaremore
likelytobeseriouslyinjurediftheydonot
wearSafetybelts.Thebestwaytoprotecta
fetusistoprotectthe mother-throughout
theentirepregnancy.
Numberofseats
YourAudihasatotaloffiveseatingpositions:
twointhefrontandthreeintherear.Eachseat-
ingpositionhasasafetybelt.


Z\WARNING
Notwearingsafetybeltsorwearingthemim-
properlyincreasestheriskof seriouspersonal
injuryanddeath.
—Neverstrapmorethanoneperson,including
smallchildren,intoanybelt.Itisespecially
dangeroustoplaceasafetybeltovera child
sittingonyourlap.
—Neverletmorepeoplerideinthevehicle
thantherearesafetybeltsavailable.

258

—Besureeveryoneridinginthevehicleis
properlyrestrainedwithaseparatesafety
beltorchildrestraint.
Safetybeltwarninglight
Yourvehiclehasawarningsystemforthedriver
andfrontseatpassengertoremindyouabout
theimportanceofbuckling-up.



B42-0526


Fig.220Safetybeltwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter -enlarged
Beforedrivingoff,always:
>Fastenyoursafetybeltandmakesureyouare
wearingitproperly.
>Makesurethatyourpassengersalsobuckleup
and
properlyweartheirsafetybelts.
>Protectchildrenwitha childrestraintsystem
appropriateforthesizeandage.
Thewarninglightintheinstrumentcluster
lightsupwhentheignitionisswitchedonasa re-
mindertofastenthesafetybelts.Inaddition,
youwillhearawarningtoneforacertainperiod
oftime.
Fastenyoursafetybeltandmakesurethatyour
passengersalsoproperlyputontheirsafety
belts.

ZAWARNING
—Safetybeltsarethesinglemosteffective
meansavailabletoreducetheriskofserious
injuryanddeathinautomobileaccidents.
Foryourprotectionandthat ofyourpassen-
gers,alwayscorrectlywearsafetybelts
whenthevehicleismoving.
—Failuretopayattentiontothewarninglight
thatcomesoncouldlead topersonalinjury.

80A012721BG
Safetybelts



injuryanddeath.Safetybeltscanworkonly
whenusedcorrectly.
—Alwaysfastenyoursafetybeltscorrectlybe-
foredrivingoffandmakesureallpassen-
gersarecorrectlyrestrained.
—Formaximumprotection,safetybeltsmust
always bepositionedproperlyonthebody.
—Neverstrapmorethanoneperson,including
smallchildren,intoanybelt.
—Neverplaceasafetybeltoverachildsitting
onyourlap.
—Alwayskeepfeetinthefootwellinfrontof
theseatwhilethevehicleisbeingdriven.
—Neverletanypersonridewiththeirfeeton
theinstrumentpanelorstickingout the
windoworontheseat.
—Neverremoveasafetybeltwhilethevehicle
ismoving.Doingsowillincreaseyourriskof
beinginjuredorkilled.
—Neverwearbeltstwisted.
—Neverwearbeltsoverrigidorbreakableob-
jectsinoronyourclothing,suchaseye
glasses,pens,keys,etc.,asthesemaycause
injury.
—Neverallowsafetybeltstobecomedam-
agedbybeingcaughtindoororseathard-
ware.
—Donotweartheshoulderpartofthebelt
underyourarmorotherwiseoutofposition.
—Severallayersofheavyclothingmayinter-
ferewithcorrectpositioningofbeltsandre-
ducetheoveralleffectiveness ofthe system.
—Alwayskeepbeltbucklesfreeofanything
thatmaypreventthe bucklefromlatching
securely.
—Neverusecomfortclipsordevicesthatcre-
ateslackintheshoulderbelt.However,spe-
cialclipsmayberequiredfortheproper use
ofsomechildrestraintsystems.
—Tornorfrayedsafetybeltscantear,and
damagedbelthardwarecanbreakinanacci-
dent.Inspectbeltsregularly.Ifwebbing,
bindings,buckles,orretractorsaredam-
aged,havebeltsreplacedby anauthorized
Audidealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Safetybeltsthathavebeenwornandloaded
inanaccidentmustbereplacedwiththe

correctreplacementsafetybeltby anau-
thorizedAudidealer.Replacementmaybe
necessaryevenifdamagecannotbeclearly
seen.Anchoragesthatwereloadedmustal-
sobeinspected.
—Neverremove,modify,disassemble,ortry
torepairthesafetybeltsyourself.
—Alwayskeepthebeltsclean.Dirty beltsmay
notworkproperlyandcan impairthefunc-
tionoftheinertiareel>tableInterior
cleaningonpage345.


Safetybelts
Fasteningsafetybelts
Safetyfirst-everybodybuckleup!
+>q = =a


Fig.226Beltbuckleandtongueonthedriver'sseat
Toprovidemaximumprotection,safetybelts
mustalways bepositionedcorrectlyonthe wear-
er'sbody.
>Adjust thefrontseatandheadrestraintproper-
ly=page55,Frontseats.
»Makesuretheseatbackoftherearseatbenchis
inanuprightpositionandsecurelylatchedin
placebeforeusingthebelt>/\.
> Pullthesafetybeltevenlyacrossthechestand
pelvis>fig.226,>A\.
>Insertthetongueintothecorrectbuckleof
yourseatuntilyouhearitlatchsecurely.
> Pullonthebelt tomakesurethatitissecurely
latchedinthebuckle.
Automaticsafetybeltretractors
Everysafetybeltisequippedwithanautomatic
beltretractorontheshoulderbelt.Thisfeature
locksthebeltwhenthebeltispulledoutfast,
duringhardbrakingandinanaccident.Thebelt>
261

Airbagsystem

Airbagsystem
Importantinformation
Importanceofwearingsafetybeltsand
sittingproperly
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.For
airbagstodotheirjob,occupantsmustalways
properlyweartheirsafetybeltsandbeina prop-
erseatingposition.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyofyourpassen-
gers,beforedrivingoff,always:
>Adjustthedriver'sseatandsteeringwheel
properly>page253,
>Adjustthefrontpassenger'sseatproperly
=>page254,
>Wearsafetybeltsproperly>page260,
>Alwaysproperlyuse theproperchildrestraint
toprotectchildren>page288.
Inacollision,airbagsmustinflatewithinthe
blinkofaneyeandwithconsiderableforce.The
supplementalairbagscancauseinjuriesifthe
driverorthefrontseatpassengerisnotseated
properly.Thereforeinordertohelptheairbagto
doitsjob,itisimportant,bothasadriverandas
apassengertositproperlyatalltimes.
By keepingroombetweenyourbodyandthe
steeringwheelandthefrontofthepassenger
compartment,theairbagcaninflatefullyand
completelyandprovidesupplementalprotection
incertainfrontalcollisions>page253,Correct
passengerseatingpositions.Fordetailsonthe
operationoftheseatadjustmentcontrols
=>page55.
It'sespeciallyimportantthatchildrenareproper-
lyrestrained>page288.
Thereisalotthatthedriverandthepassengers
canandmustdotohelptheindividualsafetyfea-
turesinstalledinyourAudiworktogetherasa
system.
Properseatingpositionisimportantso thatthe
frontairbagonthedriver sidecandoitsjob.If
youhaveaphysicalimpairmentorconditionthat
preventsyoufromsittingproperlyonthedriver
seatwiththesafetybeltproperlyfastenedand
266
reachingthepedals,orifyouhaveconcernswith
regardtothefunctionoroperationoftheAd-
vancedAirbagSystem,pleasecontactyourau-
thorizedAudidealerorqualifiedworkshop,or
callAudi CustomerRelationsat1-800-822-2834
forpossiblemodificationstoyourvehicle.
Whentheairbagsystemdeploys,agas generator
willfilltheairbags,breakopenthepaddedcov-
ers,andinflatebetweenthesteeringwheeland
thedriverandbetweentheinstrumentpaneland
thefrontpassenger.Theairbagswilldeflateim-
mediatelyafterdeploymentsothatthefrontoc-
cupantscan seethroughthewindshieldagain
withoutinterruption.
Allofthistakesplaceintheblinkofaneye,so
fastthatmanypeopledon'tevenrealizethatthe
airbagshavedeployed.Theairbagsalsoinflate
withagreatdeal offorceandnothingshouldbe
intheirwaywhentheydeploy.Frontairbagsin
combinationwithproperlywornsafetybeltsslow
downandlimittheoccupant'sforwardmove-
ment.Togethertheyhelptopreventthedriver
andfrontseatpassengerfromhittingparts of
theinsideofthevehiclewhilereducingtheforces
actingontheoccupantduringthecrash.Inthis
waytheyhelptoreducetheriskofinjurytothe
headandupperbodyinthecrash.Airbagsdonot
protectthearmsorthelowerpartsofthebody.
Bothfrontairbagswillnotinflateinallfrontal
collisions.Thetriggeringoftheairbagsystemde-
pendsonthevehicledecelerationratecausedby
thecollisionandregisteredbytheelectroniccon-
trolunit.Ifthisrateisbelowthereferencevalue
programmedintothecontrolunit,theairbags
willnot betriggered,eventhoughthecarmaybe
badlydamagedasaresultofthecollision.Vehi-
cledamage,repaircostsoreventhelackofvehi-
cledamageisnotnecessarilyanindicationof
whetheranairbagshouldinflateornot.
Sincethecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderably
betweenonecollisionandanother,itisnotpossi-
bletodefinearangeofvehiclespeedsthatwill
cover everypossiblekindandangleofimpact
thatwillalwaystriggertheairbags.Important
factorsinclude,forexample,thenature(hardor
soft)oftheobjectwhichthecarhits,theangleof
impact,vehiclespeed,etc.Thefrontairbagswill>