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.
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
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>
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
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
8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
rememberthatthesideairbagsystemcanonly
helptoprotectyouifyouarewearingyoursafety
beltandwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherrea-
sonwhyyoushouldalwayswearyoursafety
belts,notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodo
so>page180,Generalnotes.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalsideairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
ducethelikelihoodofseriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruising,friction
burnsandminorabrasionscanalsobeassociated
withdeployedsideairbags.Remembertoo,side
airbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyincertain
kindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsarealways
theretoofferprotection.
Vehicledamage,repaircostsoreventhelackof
vehicledamagearenotnecessarilyanindication
ofover-sensitiveorfailedairbagactivation.In
somecollisions,bothfrontandsideairbagsmay
inflate.Remembertoo,thatairbagswilldeploy
onlyonceandonlyincertainkindsofcollisions-
yoursafetybeltsarealwaystheretoofferprotec-
tioninthoseaccidentsinwhichairbagsarenot
supposedtodeployorwhentheyhavealready
deployed.
Thesideairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisswitchedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredby thesensoristoolow
—infront-endcollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
—inrollovers.
Insometypesofaccidentsthefrontairbags,side
curtainairbags*andsideairbagsmaybetrig-
geredtogether.
ZXWARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page208.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page 18
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
Howsupplementalsideairbagswork
Sideairbagsdeployinstantlyandcanhelpre-
ducetheriskofuppertorsoinjuriesforoccu-
pantswhoareproperlyrestrained.
oO cS
3S > c
oO
Fig.159Inflatedsideairbagonleftsideofvehicle
Whenthesystemistriggered,theairbagisfilled
withpropellantgasandbreaksthroughaseamin
theseatsurfaceareamarked“AIRBAG”.Itex-
pandsbetweenthesidetrimpanelandthepas-
senger.Inordertohelpprovidethisadditional
protection,thesideairbagmustinflatewithina
fractionofasecondatvery highspeedandwith
greatforce.Thesupplementalsideairbagcould
injureyouifyourseatingpositionisnotproperor
uprightorifitemsarelocatedintheareawhere
thesupplementalsideairbagexpands.Thisap-
pliesespeciallytochildren>page212,Child
safety.Supplementalsideairbagsinflatebe-
tweentheoccupantandthedoorpanelonthe
sideofthevehiclethatisstruckincertainside
collision>fig.159.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion” theimpactandinthiswaytheycan
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytotheupperpart
of
thebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisnormal anddoesnotmeanthereisafire
inthevehicle.
207
8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
—Neverdrivewhenpartshavebeenremoved
fromtheinsidedoorpanelandtheopen-
ingstheyleavehave notbeenproperly
closed.
—Neverdrivewhenloudspeakersinthe
doorshavebeenremovedunlessthe
speakerholeshavebeenproperlyclosed.
—Alwaysmakecertainthatopeningsare
coveredorfilledifadditionalspeakersor
otherequipmentisinstalledintheinside
doorpanels.
—Alwayshaveworkonthedoorsdonebyan
authorizedAudidealerorqualifiedwork-
shop.
Sidecurtainairbags
Descriptionof side curtainairbags
Theside curtainairbagsystemcanprovidesup-
plementalprotectiontoproperlyrestrainedoc-
cupants.
= 3 s
z©
Fig.160Sidecurtainairbags,driver'sside:sidecurtainair-
baglocation
Thesidecurtainairbagsarelocatedonbothsides
oftheinteriorabovethefrontandrearsidewin-
dows>fig.160.Theyareidentifiedbytheword
“AIRBAG”onthewindshieldframe andthecen-
terroofpillar.
Thesidecurtainairbags containfeaturesthat
provideejectionmitigationtohelppreventvehi-
cleoccupantsorparts oftheirbodiesfrombeing
completelyorpartiallyejectedfromthevehicle
interiorincertainsideimpactsandvehicleroll-
overs.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystemsupplementsthe
safetybeltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofin-
juryforoccupants'headsanduppertorso.The
sidecurtainairbaginflatesinsideimpactsand
onlywhenthevehicleaccelerationregisteredby
thecontrolunitishighenough.Ifthisrateisbe-
lowthereferencevalueprogrammedintothe
controlunit,thesidecurtainairbagwillnotbe
triggered,eventhoughthecarmaybebadly
damagedasaresultofthecollision.Itisnotpos-
sibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrangethat
willcovereverypossibleangleofimpact,since
thecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybetween
onecollisionandanother.Importantfactorsin-
clude,forexample,thenature(hard orsoft)of
theimpactingobject,theangleofimpact,vehicle
speed,etc.>page210,Howsidecurtainairbags
work.
Aside
fromtheirnormalsafetyfunction,safety
beltsworktohelpkeepthedriverorfrontpas-
sengerinpositionintheeventofacollisionso
thatthesidecurtainairbagscanprovideprotec-
tion.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherreason
whyyoushouldalwayswearyoursafetybelts,
notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodoso
=>page180,Generalnotes.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhiletheside
curtainairbagsystemisdesignedtohelpreduce
thelikelihoodof seriousinjuries,otherinjuries,
forexample,swelling,bruising,frictionburns
andminorabrasionscanalsobeassociatedwith
theseairbagsupondeployment.Remembertoo,
theseairbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyin
certainkindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsare
alwaystheretoofferprotection.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystembasically
consistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—Thesidecurtainairbagsabovethefrontand
rearsidewindowswithejectionmitigationfea-
tures
209
Airbagsystem
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouswitchontheignition,the
airbagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonfora
fewseconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesidecurtainairbagisnotactivated:
—iftheignitionisswitchedoff,
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredby thesensoristoolow,
—inrear-endcollisions.
ZXWARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page40,
Frontseats.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page18
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
Howsidecurtainairbagswork
Sidecurtainairbagscanworktogetherwithside
airbagstohelpreducetheriskofheadandupper
torsoinjuriesforoccupantswhoareproperlyre-
strained.
2 S 3 =
= c
oa
Fig.161Illustrationofprinciple:Inflatedsidecurtainair-
bagsontheleftside
Thesidecurtainairbagsinflatebetweentheoc-
cupantandthewindowsonthesideofthevehi-
clethatisstruckinasidecollision>fig.161.
210
Whenthesystemistriggered,thesidecurtain
airbagisfilledwithpropellantgasandbreaks
throughaseamabovethefrontandrearside
windowsidentifiedby theAIRBAGlabel.Inorder
tohelpprovidethisadditionalprotection,the
sidecurtainairbagmustinflatewithintheblink
ofaneyeatveryhighspeedandwithgreatforce.
The
sidecurtainairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsidecurtainairbaginflates.Thisapplies
especiallytochildren>page212.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,sidecurtain
airbagscan“cushion”theimpactandinthisway
they canhelptoreducetheriskofinjurytothe
headandtheupperpartofthebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisquitenormalanddoesnotmeanthereisa
fireinthevehicle.
acetamideMelmale)
curtainairbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyouandyourpassengersmust
knowanddotohelpthesafetybeltsandairbags
dotheirjobtoprovidesupplementalprotection.
ZAWARNING
Improperlywearingsafetybeltsandimproper
seatingpositionsincreasetheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeathwheneveravehicle
isbeingused.
—Neverletoccupantsplaceanyparts oftheir
bodiesintheareafromwhichthesidecur-
tainairbaginflate.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesidecurtainair-
bags
caninflatewithoutinterference.
—Usethebuilt-incoathooksonlyforlight-
weightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavyor
sharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthatmay
interferewithairbagdeploymentandcan
causepersonalinjuryinacollision.
—Neverusehangerstohangclothesonthe
hooks.