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8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
causeinjuryinacrash,especiallywhenthe
airbagsinflate.
—Neverreclinethefrontpassenger'sseatto
transportobjects.Itemscanalsomoveinto
theareaofthesideairbagorthefrontair-
bagduringbrakingorinasuddenmaneuver.
Objectsnear theairbagscanbecomeprojec-
tilesandcauseinjury,particularlywhenthe
seatisreclined.
—Neverplaceortransportobjectsonthefront
passengerseat.Objectsonthefrontpassen-
gerseatcouldcause thecapacitivesensorin
theseattosignaltoairbagsystemthatthe
seatisoccupiedbyapersonwhenitinfactis
not,orthatthepersonontheseatisheavier
thanheorsheactuallyis.Thechangein
electriccapacitancebecauseofsuchobjects
cancausethepassengerfrontairbagtobe
turnedonwhenitshouldbeoff,orcan
causetheairbagtoworkinawaythatisdif-
ferentfromthewayitwouldhaveworked
withoutobjectsontheseat.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupiedbyapersonwhenitis
not,ortosignalthatitisoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
sittingontheseat.Thepresenceofanob-
jectcouldcausethepassengerfrontairbag
tobeturnedonwhenitshouldbeoff,or
couldcausetheairbagtoworkinawaythat
isdifferentfromthewayitwouldhave
workedwithouttheobjectontheseat.
—Nevertiltthefrontpassengerseat backrest
forwardwhenthevehicleismoving.Anin-
flatingairbagwillforcethebackrestback-
wardandcaninjurerearseatoccupants.
gettingoutofthevehicleoropeningwin-
dowsordoors.
—Ifyouareinacollisioninwhichairbagsde-
ploy,washyourhandsandfacewithmild
soapandwaterbeforeeating.
—Becarefulnottogetthe dustintoyoureyes,
orintoanycuts orscratches.
—Iftheresidueshould getintoyoureyes,
flushthemwithwater.
ZA\WARNING
Thefinedustcreatedwhenairbagsdeploycan
cause
breathingproblemsforpeoplewitha
historyofasthmaorotherbreathingcondi-
tions.
—Toreducetheriskofbreathingproblems,
thosewithasthmaorotherrespiratorycon-
ditionsshouldgetfreshairrightawayby
Monitoringthe
AdvancedAirbagSystem
Airbagmonitoringindicatorlight
Twoseparateindicatorsmonitorthefunctionof
theAdvancedAirbagSystem:thekalightand
thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;ON@light.
TheAdvancedAirbagSystemaswellastheside
airbagsandsidecurtainairbagswithejection
mitigationfeatures(includingtheelectroniccon-
trolunit,sensorsandsystemwiring)areall
monitoredcontinuouslytomakesurethatthey
arefunctioningproperlywhenevertheignitionis
on.Everytimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightBjwiltcomeonfora
fewseconds(functioncheck).
The systemmustbeinspectedwhenthe
indicatorlightBa:
—doesnotcomeonwhentheignitionisswitched
on,
—doesnotgooutafewsecondsafteryouhave
switched
ontheignition,or
—comesonwhiledriving.
Ifanairbagsystemmalfunctionisdetected,the
indicatorlightwillcomeontoserveasaconstant
remindertohavethesysteminspectedimmedi-
ately.
If amalfunctionoccurs thatturnsthefrontair-
bagonthepassengersideoff,thePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF4%;lightwillcomeonandstayon
whenever theignitionison.
199
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Airbagsystem
ANWARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page18
comes
whenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;ON®light
Fig.155Sectionfromtheheadliner:PASSENGERAIRBAG
OFF3%;ON@light
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;ON®lightis
locatedintheheadliner>fig.155.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightwillcome
onandstayontotellyouwhenthefrontAd-
vancedAirbagonthepassengersidehasbeen
turnedoffby theelectroniccontrolunit.Ifthe
bulbforthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#%;ON@
lightburnsout,theairbagindicatorlightEawill
comeontosignalamalfunctionintheAdvanced
AirbagSystem.Althoughtheburned-outbulb
willnotchangethewaythefrontpassenger's
frontalairbagworks,itwillnolongerbepossible
touse thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;ON@
lighttomakesurethattheairbagon/offstatusis
correctfortheoccupantonthefrontpassenger
seat.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedimmedi-
atelybyyourauthorizedAudidealer.
The PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF2;ON@light
willblinkforabout5secondswhen:
—thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem,
whichswitchesthefrontseatpassenger'sfron-
talAdvancedAirbagonandoff,detectsa
200
changeinthestatusofthefrontpassenger
seat.
AssoonasthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF¥;ON
®lightstopsblinking,alwaysmakesurethatthe
airbagstatus(onoroff)asshownbythelightis
properfortheage,sizeandelectricalcapacitance
ofthepersonoccupying thefrontpassengerseat.
Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltforthe
frontpassengerseatisproperlyfastened.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;/PASSENGER
AIRBAGON@lightwillshowthestatusofthe
frontseatpassenger'sfrontalAdvancedAirbag.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light:
—willcomeonifthefrontpassengerseatisnot
occupied;
—willcomeoniftheelectricalcapacitancemeas-
uredby thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatequals the
combinedcapacitanceofaninfantuptoabout
oneyearofageandoneoftherearward-facing
orforward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFed-
eralMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208with
whichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehi-
cle wascertified;Foralistingofthechildre-
straintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehicle's
compliancewiththeU.S.SafetyStandard
=>page214.
—willgooutifthefrontpassengerseatisoccu-
piedbyanadultasregisteredby thecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystem.
—ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightmust
comeonandstayoniftheignitionisonand...
—acarbedhasbeeninstalledonthefront pas-
sengerseat,or
—arearward-facingchildrestrainthasbeenin-
stalledonthefrontpassengerseat,or
—aforward-facingchildrestrainthasbeeninstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseat,
—andiftheelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatisequaltoorlessthan
thecombinedcapacitanceofatypical1year-
old infantandoneoftherearward-facingor
forward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFederal
MotorVehicleSafetyStandard208withwhich
theAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehiclewas
certified.
Page 203 of 312

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
Ifthefrontpassengerseatisnotoccupied,the
frontairbagwillnotdeploy,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF3;lightwillstayon.
Neverinstallarearward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,thesafest placefora
childinanykindofchildrestraintisatoneofthe
seatingpositionsontherearseat>page189,
Childrestraintsonthefrontseat-someimpor-
tantthingstoknowand>page212,Childsafe-
ty.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF&;light
comeson...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF7;lightcomes
onwhenoneoftheconditionslistedaboveis
met, besure tocheckthelightregularlytomake
certainthatthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3¥;
lightstaysoncontinuouslywhenevertheignition
ison.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
doesnotappearonanddoesnotstayonallthe
time,stopassoonasitissafe todosoand
—reactivatethesystembyturningtheignitionoff
formorethan4secondsandthenturningiton
again;
—removeandreinstallthechild restraint.Make
sure thatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalled
andthatthesafetybeltforthefrontpassenger
seathasbeencorrectlyroutedthroughthe
childrestraintasdescribedinthechildrestraint
manufacturer'sinstructions;
—makesurethattheconvertiblelockingretractor
onthesafetybeltforthefrontpassengerseat
hasbeenactivatedandthatthesafetybelthas
beenpulledtight.
—makesurethatnoelectricaldevice(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchildseats)is
placedorusedonthefrontpassengerseatif
thedeviceisconnectedtothe12-voltsocketor
thecigarettelightersocket;
—makesurethatnoseatheater hasbeenretrofit-
tedorotherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat;
—makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
safetybeltbucklesandthattheyarenotob-
structed;
—makesurethattherearenowetobjects(such
asawettowel)andnowaterorotherliquidson
thefrontpassengerseatcushion.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;lightstill
doesnotcomeon...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightstill
doesnotcomeonanddoesnotstayoncontinu-
ously(whentheignitionisswitchedon),
—takethechildrestraintoffthefrontpassenger
seatandinstallitproperlyatoneoftherear
seatpositions.Havetheairbagsysteminspect-
ed byyourAudidealerimmediately.
—movethechildtoarearseatpositionandmake
surethatthechildisproperlyrestrainedina
childrestraintthatisappropriateforitssize
andage.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
shouldNOTcomeon...
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;lightshould
NOTcomeonwhentheignitionison andanadult
issittinginaproperseatingpositiononthefront
passengerseat.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
#;lightcomesonandstaysonwhiledriving,un-
derthesecircumstances,makesurethat:
—theadultonthefrontpassengerseatisproper-
lyseatedonthecenteroftheseatcushionwith
hisorherbackupagainstthebackrestandthe
backrestisnotreclined,
—theadultisnottakingweightofftheseat by
holdingontothepassengerassisthandle
abovethefrontpassengerdoororsupporting
theirweightonthearmrest,
—thesafetybeltisbeingproperlywornandthat
thereisnotalotofslackinthesafetybeltweb-
bing,
—therearenoaftermarketseatcoversorcush-
ionsorotherthings(such as blankets)onthe
frontpassengerseat thatmightcause theca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsystemtomiscal-
culateelectricalcapacitance.
201
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Airbagsystem
tuilSelaeatiamaaela|
monitoringtheAdvanced
nson
irbagSystem
Z\WARNING
—IfthestatusoftheAdvancedAirbagSystem
haschangedwhilethevehicleismoving,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#7;ON®light
blinksforabout5secondstocatchthedriv-
er'sattention.Ifthishappens,alwaysstop
assoonasitissafe todosoandcheckthe
stepsdescribedabove.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;light
doesnotgooffwhenanadultwhoisnot
verysmallissittingonthefrontpassenger
seataftertakingthestepsdescribedabove,
makesuretheadultisproperlyseatedand
restrainedatoneoftherearseatingposi-
tions.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourauthorizedAudidealerbeforetrans-
portinganyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.
ZAWARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page18
comes
whenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
ZAWARNING
Ifthefrontairbaginflates,a childwithouta
childrestraint,orinarearward-facingchild
safetyseat,orinaforward-facingchildre-
straintthathas notbeenproperlyinstalled
willbeseriouslyinjuredandcanbekilled.
—Eventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwith
anAdvancedAirbagSystem,makecertain
thatallchildren,especially12yearsand
younger,alwaysrideonthebackseatprop-
erlyrestrainedfortheirageandsize.
—Alwaysinstallforwardorrear-facingchild
seatsontherearseat-evenwithanAd-
vancedAirbagSystem.
202
—Ifyoumustinstallarearward-facingchild
seatonthefrontpassengerseatbecauseof
exceptionalcircumstancesandthePASSEN-
GERAIRBAGOFF3;lightdoesnotappear
andstayon,immediatelyinstalltherear-
facingchildseatinarearseatingposition
andhavetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourAudidealer.
—If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmust
installaforward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,alwaysmovethe
seatintoitsrearmostpositionintheseat's
foreandaftadjustmentrange,asfaraway
fromtheairbagaspossible.Thebackrest
mustbeadjustedtoanuprightposition.
MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG
OFF%;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenever theignitionisswitchedon.
ZAWARNING
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooutwhenanadultissittingon
thefrontpassengerseataftertakingthe
stepsdescribed above,makesuretheadult
isproperlyseatedandrestrainedatoneof
therearseatingpositions.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
Audidealer before transportinganyoneon
thefrontpassengerseat.
(i)Tips
Ifthecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
determinesthatthefrontpassengerseatis
empty,thefrontalairbagonthepassenger
sidewillbeturnedoff,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF%;lightwillstayon.
Repair,careanddisposaloftheairbags
Partsoftheairbagsystemareinstalledatmany
differentplacesonyourAudi.Installing,remov-
ing,servicingorrepairingapartinanareaofthe
vehiclecandamageapartofanairbagsystem
andpreventthatsystemfromworkingproperly
inacollision.
Therearesomeimportantthingsyouhaveto
knowtomakesurethattheeffectiveness ofthe>
Page 205 of 312

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
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,front seatsorelectricalsystem(in-
cludingtheinstallationofaudioequipment,
cellulartelephonesandCBradios,etc.)
mustbeperformedbyaqualifiedtechnician
whohasthetraining andspecialequipment
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
thevehiclebatterywithapyrotechniccircuit
interrupter.
—Workonthepyrotechniccircuitinterrupter
mustonlybeperformedbyaqualified
technicianswhohavetheexperience,in-
formationandspecialtoolsnecessaryto
performtheworksafely.
—Ifthevehicleorthecircuitinterrupteris
scrapped,allapplicablesafetyprecautions
mustbefollowed.
OtherthingsthatcanaffectAdvanced
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.>
203
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Airbagsystem
ZA\WARNING
Changingthevehicle'ssuspensionincluding
useof unapprovedtire-rimcombinationscan
changeAdvancedAirbagperformanceandin-
creasetheriskofseriouspersonalinjuryina
crash.
—Neverinstallsuspensioncomponentsthat
donothavethesameperformancecharac-
teristicsasthecomponentsoriginallyinstal-
ledonyourvehicle.
—Neverusetire-rimcombinationsthathave
notbeenapprovedbyAudi.
Kneeairbags
Descriptionofkneeairbags
Thekneeairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemen-
talprotectiontoproperlyrestrained frontseat
occupants.
BFV-0186
Fig.156Driver'skneeairbag
Thedriverkneeairbagisintheinstrumentpanel
underneaththesteeringwheel>fig.156,the
airbagforthepassengerisataboutthesame
heightintheinstrumentpanelunderneaththe
glovecompartment.
Thekneeairbagoffersadditionalprotectionto
thedriver'sandpassenger'skneesandupperand
lowerthigh areasandsupplementstheprotec-
tionprovidedbythesafetybelts.
Ifthefrontairbagsdeploy,thekneeairbagsalso
deployinfrontalcollisionswhenthedeployment
thresholdstoredinthecontrolunitismet
=page197,Moreimportantthingstoknow
aboutfrontairbags.
204
Inadditiontotheirnormalsafetyfunction,safe-
tybeltshelpkeepthedriverorfrontpassengerin
positioninafrontalcollisionso thattheairbags
canprovidesupplementalprotection.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisiswhyyoushouldal-
wayswearyoursafetybelt,notjustbecausethe
law
requiresyoutodoso>page180,General
notes.
Remembertoo,airbagswilldeployonlyonceand
onlyincertainkindsofaccidents-yoursafety
beltsarealwaystheretoofferprotectioninthose
accidentsinwhichairbagsarenotsupposedto
deployorwhenthey havealreadydeployed,for
examplewhenyourvehiclestrikesorisstruckby
anotherafterthefirstcollision.
Thisisjustoneofthereasonswhyanairbagis
notasubstituteforthesafetybelt.Theairbag
systemworksmosteffectivelywhenusedwith
thesafetybelts.Therefore,alwayswearyour
safetybeltscorrectly.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalkneeairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
ducethelikelihoodof seriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruisingand minor
abrasionsandfrictionburnscanalsooccurwhen
anairbaginflates.
Thekneeairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmodule
—Twoinflatableairbags(airbagandgasgenera-
tor),oneforthedriverandoneforthefront
passenger
—Theairbagwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter
Thekneeairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisswitchedoff
—infrontalcollisionswhenthedeceleration
measuredbythecontrolunitistoolow
—insidecollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
Page 207 of 312

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
—inrollovers
—intheeventofasystemmalfunction(warning/
indicatorlightison)>page18.
Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemcanonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page197.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page18
comes
whenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
Howkneeairbagswork
Theriskofinjurytothelegareacanbereduced
byfullyinflatedkneeairbags.
S 6
= o
Fig.157Inflatedairbagsprotectinginafrontalcollision
Thekneeairbagsystemhasbeendesignedso
thattheairbagsforthedriverandfrontpassen-
gerdeployincertainbut notallfrontalcollisions.
Ifthefrontairbagsdeploy,thekneeairbagsalso
deployinfrontalcollisionswhenthedeployment
thresholdstoredinthecontrolunitismet.
Whenthesystemdeploys,theairbagsfill witha
propellantgas,andinflatebetweenthelower
partoftheinstrumentpanelandthedriverand
thelowerpartoftheinstrumentpanelandthe
frontpassenger>page197,fig.154.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion”theimpact andinthiswaythey can
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytothelowerex-
tremities.
Allofthistakesplaceintheblinkofaneye,so
fastthatmanypeopledon'tevenrealizethatthe
airbagshavedeployed.Theairbagsalsoinflate
withagreatdeal offorceanditisimportantfor
occupantsafetythatnothingshouldbeintheir
waywhentheydeploy.
Fullyinflatedairbagsincombinationwithproper-
lywornsafetybeltsslowdownandlimittheoc-
cupant'sforwardmovementandhelptoreduce
theriskofinjury.
Importantsafetyinstructionsontheknee
airbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
wearsafetybeltscorrectlyandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowanddotohelpthesafetybeltsandairbags
toprovidesupplementalprotection.
ZAWARNING
Aninflatingkneeairbagcancauseseriousin-
jury.Wearingsafetybeltsincorrectlyandim-
properseatingpositions increasetheriskof
seriouspersonalinjuryanddeathwhenevera
vehicleisbeingused.
—Thekneeairbagsystemcannotprotectyou
properlyifyouareseatedtooclosetoanyof
theairbaglocations.Whenadjustingtheir
seatpositions,it isimportantthatboththe
driverandthefrontpassengerkeeptheir
upperbodiesandkneesatthefollowing
minimumsafedistances:
—atleast10in(25cm)betweenthechest
andthesteeringwheel/instrumentpanel.
—atleast4in(10cm)betweentheknees
andthelowerpartoftheinstrumentpan-
el.
—Theriskofpersonalinjuryincreasesifyou
leanforwardortotheside,oriftheseatis
improperlypositionedandyouarenot wear-
ingyoursafetybelt.Theriskincreaseseven
moreshould theairbagdeploy.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthekneeairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference.Objectsbe-
tweenyouandtheairbagcanincreasethe
205
Page 208 of 312

Airbagsystem
riskofinjuryinanaccidentbyinterfering
withthewaytheairbagdeploysorbybeing
pushedintoyouastheairbagdeploys.
—Neverletanybody,especiallychildrenor
animalsrideinthefootwellinfrontofthe
passengerseat.Iftheairbagdeploys,this
canresultinseriousorfatalinjuries.
—Nevercarryobjectsofanykindinthefoot-
wellareainfrontofthedriver'sorpas-
senger'sseat.Bulkyobjects(shopping
bags,forexample)caninterferewithor
preventproperdeploymentoftheairbag.
Smallobjectscanbethrownthroughthe
vehicleiftheairbagdeploysandinjureyou
oryourpassengers.
—Makesuretherearenocracks,deepscratch-
es orotherdamageintheareaoftheinstru-
mentpanelwherethekneeairbagsarelo-
cated.
—Ifchildrenareincorrectlyseated,theirrisk
ofinjuryincreasesinacollision>page212,
Childsafety.
Sideairbags
Descriptionofsideairbags
Theairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemental
protectiontoproperlyrestrained frontseatoccu-
pants.
1D6 S =
> c
oO
Thesideairbagsarelocatedinthesidesofthe
frontseatbackrests>fig.158facingthedoors.
Theyareidentifiedbytheword“AIRBAG”.
Thesideairbagsinstalledforthefrontseating
positionshavebeendesignedandcertifiedto
helpreducetheriskofinjurythatcanbecaused
byairbagswhentheyinflate,particularlywhen
206
theoccupantsittingnexttoit isnot seatedprop-
erly.Thesideairbagforthefrontpassengerseat
canbeusedwithproperlyinstalledchildre-
straints.Pleasebesuretoreadtheimportantin-
formationandwarningswheneverusingachild
restraintinavehicle:Safetybelts>page180,
Airbagsystem>page188,Childsafety
=>page212.
Thesideairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—thetwosideairbags locatedinthesidesofthe
frontbackrests
—theairbagwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter.
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainthatitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesideairbagsystemsupplementsthesafety
beltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofinjuryto
thedriver'sandfrontpassenger'suppertorsoon
thesideofthevehiclethatisstruckinasidecol-
lision.Theairbagdeploysinsideimpactsandon-
lywhenthevehicleaccelerationregisteredby the
controlunitishighenough.Ifthisrateisbelow
thereferencevalueprogrammedintothecontrol
unit,thesideairbagswillnotbetriggered,even
thoughthecarmaybebadlydamagedasaresult
ofthecollision.Itisnotpossibletodefineanair-
bagtriggeringrangethatwillcovereverypossi-
bleangleofimpact,sincethecircumstanceswill
varyconsiderablybetweenonecollisionandan-
other.Importantfactorsinclude,forexample,
thenature(hardorsoft)oftheimpactingobject,
theangleofimpact,vehiclespeed,etc.
=page208,Importantsafetyinstructionson
thesideairbagsystem.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction, safety
belts
worktohelpkeepthedriverorfrontpas-
sengerinpositionintheeventofasidecollision
sothatthesideairbagscanprovideprotection.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Always>