
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

Airbagsystem
Importantsafetyinstructionsontheside
airbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowandactaccordinglytohelpthesafetybelts
andairbagsdotheirjobtoprovidesupplemental
protection.
ZA\WARNING
Aninflatingsideairbagcancauseseriousor
fatalinjury.Improperlywearingsafetybelts
andimproperseatingpositionsincreasethe
riskofseriouspersonalinjuryanddeath
wheneveravehicleisbeingused.
—Inordertoreducetheriskofinjurywhenthe
supplementalsideairbaginflates:
—Alwayssitinanuprightpositionandnever
leanagainsttheareawherethesupple-
mentalsideairbagislocated.
—Neverleta childor anyoneelseresttheir
headagainstthesidetrimpanelinthe
areawherethe supplementalsideairbag
inflates.
—Alwaysmakesurethatsafetybeltsare
worncorrectly,
—Donotletanyonesittinginthefrontseat
puttheirhandoranyotherpartsoftheir
bodyoutofthewindow.
—
Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference.
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
have notbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsde-
ploy.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversorto
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
—Objectsbetweenyou andtheairbagcanin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinanaccidentbyin-
terferingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsor
208
bybeingpushedintoyouastheairbagin-
flates.
—Neverplaceorattachaccessoriesorother
objects(suchascupholders,telephone
brackets,orevenlarge,bulkyobjects)on
thedoors,overorneartheareamarked
“AIRBAG”ontheseatbackrests.
—Suchobjectsandaccessoriescanbecome
dangerousprojectilesandcauseinjury
whenthesupplementalsideairbagde-
ploys.
—Nevercarryanyobjectsorpetsinthede-
ploymentspacebetweenthemandtheair-
bagsor allowchildrenorotherpassengers
totravelinthisposition.
Alwaysusethebuilt-incoathooksonlyfor
lightweightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavy
orsharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthat
mayinterferewithsideairbagdeployment
andcancausepersonalinjuryinanaccident.
Alwayspreventthesideairbagsfrombeing
damagedbyheavyobjectsknockingagainst
orhittingthesidesoftheseatbacks.
Theairbagsystemcanonlybetriggered
once.Iftheairbaghasbeentriggered,the
systemmustbereplacedbyanauthorized
Audidealership.
Damage (cracks,deepscratchesetc.)tothe
originalseatcoversor totheseaminthe
areaofthesideairbagmodulemustalways
berepairedimmediatelybyanauthorized
Audidealer.
Ifchildrenareseatedimproperly,theirrisk
ofinjuryincreasesinthecaseofanaccident
=page212,Childsafety.
Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.
Inasidecollision,sideairbagswillnotfunc-
tionproperlyifsensorscannotcorrectly
measureincreasingairpressureinsidethe
doorswhenairescapesthroughlarger,un-
closed
openingsinthedoorpanel.
—Neverdrivewithinteriordoortrimpanels
removed.

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.

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
—Onlyusefactory-installedsunshadesor,if
shadesinstalledafterthevehicleleavesthe
factory,useonlygenuineAudisunshades.
—Neverswingthesunvisorsovertotheside
windowsifthingssuchaspens,garagedoor
openers,hands-freespeakers,etc.areat-
tachedtothesunvisors.Theycouldcome
looseandcauseseriousinjuryifthesidecur-
tainairbaginflates.
—Adeployingairbaginflatesinafractionofa
secondandwithgreatforce.
—Neverattachobjectstothecoverorinthe
deploymentzoneofasidecurtainairbag.
— Theairbagdeploymentzonesmustbekept
clearatalltimes.Makesuretherearenoob-
jects,pets,orotherpersonsinthespacebe-
tweenanyvehicleoccupantand anyairbag
atanytime.
—Donotattachanyaccessoriestothedoors.
ZAWARNING
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.If
theairbaghasbeentriggered,thesystem
mustbereplacedbyanauthorizedAudi
dealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Alwayshaveworkinvolvingthesidecurtain
airbagsystem,removalandinstallationof
theairbagcomponents,orotherrepairsper-
formedbyaqualifieddealership.Otherwise
theairbagsystemmaynotworkcorrectly.
—Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.
211

Childsafety
Childsafety
Importantinformation
Introduction
Therearseatisgenerally the safestplaceina
collision.
Thephysicalprinciplesofwhathappenswhen
yourvehicleisinacrashapplyalsotochildren
=page182,Whathappenstooccupants not
wearingsafetybelts?.Butunlikeadultsand
teenagers,theirmusclesandbonesarenotfully
developed.Inmanyrespectschildrenareat
greaterriskofseriousinjuryincrashesthan
adults.
Becausechildren'sbodiesarenotfullydeveloped,
theyrequirerestraintsystemsespeciallyde-
signedfortheirsize,weight,and bodystructure.
ManycountriesandallstatesoftheUnited
StatesandprovincesofCanadahavelawsrequir-
ingthe useofapprovedchildrestraintsystems
forinfantsandsmallchildren.
Inafrontalcrashataspeedof20-35mph
(30-56km/h)theforcesactingona13lbs (6kg)
infantwillbemorethan20timestheweightof
thechild.Thismeanstheweightofthechild
wouldsuddenlybemorethan260lbs(120kg).
Undertheseconditions,onlyanappropriatechild
restraintproperlyusedcanreducetheriskofseri-
ousinjury.Childrestraints,likeadultsafetybelts,
mustbe usedproperlytobeeffective.Usedim-
properly,theycanincreasetheriskof seriousin-
juryinanaccident.
Allchildren,especiallythose12yearsand young-
ermustalwaysrideinthebackseatproperlyre-
strainedfortheirageandsize.Ifyoumustinstall
achildrestraintonthefrontpassengerseatin
exceptionalcircumstances,besuretoreadand
heedtheimportantinformationandwarnings
=page189.Infantsandotherchildrenwhoare
properlyrestrainedinanappropriatechildre-
straintthatisfortheirsizeandagecanbenefit
fromtheprotectionthatsupplementalsideair-
bagsprovideinsomekindsofcrashes.
Formoreinformationpleaseseeinformationpro-
videdbythe:
212
—NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration
(NHTSA),currentlyat:http://www.safercar.gov
(fortheUSA)
—TransportCanadaInformationCentre,currently
at:http://www.tc.gc.ca(forCanada)
Consultthechildsafetyseatmanufacturer'sin-
structionsinordertobesuretheseatisrightfor
yourchild'ssize>page216,Importantsafety
instructionsforusingchildsafetyseats.Please
besuretoreadandheedalloftheimportantin-
formationandWARNINGSaboutchildsafety,Ad-
vancedAirbags,andtheinstallationofchildre-
straintsinthischapter.
ThereisalotyouneedtoknowabouttheAd-
vancedAirbagsinyourvehicleandhowtheywork
wheninfantsandchildreninchildrestraintsare
onthefrontpassengerseat.Becauseofthelarge
amountofimportantinformation,wecannotre-
peatitallhere.Weurgeyoutoreadthedetailed
informationinthisowner'smanualaboutairbags
andtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehicle
andtheveryimportantinformationabouttrans-
portingchildrenonthefrontpassengerseat.
PleasebesuretoheedtheWARNINGS-theyare
extremelyimportantforyoursafetyandthesafe-
tyofyourpassengers,especiallyinfantsand
smallchildren.
ZAWARNING
—Accidentstatisticshaveshownthatchildren
aregenerallysaferintherearseatareathan
inthefrontseatingposition.Alwaysrestrain
anychildage12andunderintherear.
—Allvehicleoccupantsandespeciallychildren
mustberestrainedproperlywheneverriding
inavehicle.Anunrestrainedorimproperly
restrainedchildcouldbeinjuredbystriking
theinteriororbybeingejectedfromtheve-
hicleduringasuddenmaneuverorimpact.
Anunrestrainedorimproperlyrestrained
childisalsoatgreaterriskofinjuryordeath
throughcontactwithaninflatingairbag.
—Asuitablechildrestraintproperlyinstalled
andusedatoneoftherearseatingpositions
providesthehighestdegreeofprotection
forinfantsandsmallchildreninmostacci-
dentsituations.

8S1012721BA
Childsafety
ZA\WARNING
Childrenonthefrontseatofanycarevenwith
AdvancedAirbagscanbeseriouslyinjuredor
evenkilledwhenanairbaginflates.Achildin
arearward-facingchildsafetyseatinstalled
onthefrontpassengerseatwillbeseriously
injuredandcanbekilledifthefrontairbagin-
flates.
—Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildsafety
seatorinfantcarrierwithgreatforceand
willsmashthechildsafetyseatandchild
againstthebackrest,centerarmrest,or
door.
—Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseats
ontherearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatin
exceptionalcircumstancesandthePASSEN-
GERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnotcomeon
andstayon,immediatelyinstalltherear-
facingchildsafetyseatinarearseatingpo-
sitionandhave theairbagsysteminspected
immediatelybyyourAudidealer.
Z\WARNING
—Forward-facingchildseatsinstalledonthe
frontpassengerseatmayinterferewiththe
deploymentoftheairbagandcauseserious
personalinjurytothechild.
—Ifexceptionalcircumstancesrequirethe use
ofaforward-facingchildrestraintonthe
frontpassenger'sseat,thechild'ssafetyand
well-beingrequirethefollowingspecialpre-
cautionstobetaken:
—Alwaysmakesurethattheforward-facing
seathasbeendesignedandcertifiedbyits
manufacturerforuseonafrontpassenger
seatwithafrontandsideairbag.
—Alwayscarefullyfollow themanufacturer's
instructionsprovidedwiththechildseator
infantcarrier.
—Neverinstalla childrestraintwithouta
properlyattachedtoptetherstrapifthe
childrestraintmanufacturer'sinstructions
requirethetoptetherstraptobeused.
—Neverputtheforward-facingchildre-
straintupagainstorveryneartheinstru-
mentpanel.
—Alwaysmovethefrontpassengerseatto
thehighestpositionintheupanddown
adjustmentrangeandmoveitbacktothe
rearmostpositionintheseat'sforeandaft
adjustmentrange,asfarawayfromthe
airbagaspossible,beforeinstallingthe
forward-facingchildrestraint.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltup-
peranchorageisbehindthechildrestraint
andnotnexttoorinfrontofthechildre-
straintso thatthesafetybeltwillbeprop-
erlypositioned.
—Alwaysmakesurethatnothingprevents
thefrontpassenger'sseatfrombeing
movedtotherearmostpositioninitsfore
andaftadjustmentrange.
—Neverplaceobjectsontheseat(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchild
seats).Thesemayinfluencetheelectrical
capacitancemeasuredbythecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystemandcanalso
flyaroundinanaccidentandcauseserious
personalinjury.
—Neverplaceoruseanyelectricaldevice
(suchasalaptop,CDplayer,electronic
gamesdevice,powerinverterorseatheat-
erforchildseats)onthefrontpassenger
seatifthedeviceisconnectedtothe12-
voltsocketorthecigarettelightersocket.
—Ifaseatheaterhasbeenretrofittedor
otherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat,neverinstallanychildrestraintsys-
temonthisseat.
—Makesurethattherearenowetobjects
(suchasawettowel)andnowateroroth-
erliquidsonthefrontpassengerseat
cushion.
—AlwaysmakesurethatthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF%;lightcomesonandstays
onallthetimewhenevertheignitionis
switchedon.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;light
doesnotcomeonandstayon,immediate-
lyinstalltheforward-facingchildseatina
213

Childsafety
rearseatingpositionandhavetheairbag
systeminspectedbyyourauthorizedAudi
dealer.
—Alwaysbucklethechildseatfirmlyinplace
evenifa childisnotsittinginit.Aloose
childseatcanflyaroundduringasudden
stoporinacollision.
—AlwaysreadandheedallWARNINGS
wheneverusinga childrestraintinavehi-
cle>page180,Safetybelts,>page188,
Airbagsystemand=page212,Important
information.
@)Tips
Alwaysreplacechildrestraintsthatwerein-
stalledinavehicleduringacrash.Damageto
a childrestraintthatisnotvisiblecouldcause
ittofail inanothercollisionsituation.
ONETeteReeerenealCle)
Yourvehicleisequippedwithafront“Advanced
AirbagSystem”incompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard(FMVSS)
208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicleSafety
Standard(CMVSS)208asapplicableatthetime
yourvehiclewasmanufactured.
TheAdvancedAirbagsysteminyourvehiclehas
beencertifiedtomeetthe“low-risk”require-
mentsfor3-and6-yearoldchildrenonthepas-
sengersideandsmalladultsonthedriverside.
Thelowriskdeploymentcriteriaareintendedto
reducetheriskofinjurythroughinteractionwith
theairbagthatcanoccur,forexample,bybeing
tooclosetothesteeringwheelandinstrument
panelwhentheairbaginflates.Inaddition,the
systemhasbeencertifiedtocomplywiththe
“suppression”requirementsoftheSafetyStand-
ard,toturnoffthefrontairbagforinfantsupto
12monthswhoarerestrainedonthefrontpas-
sengerseatinchildrestraintsthatarelistedin
theStandard.
EventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwithanAd-
vancedAirbagsystem,allchildren,especially
those12yearsandyounger,shouldalwaysridein
thebackseatproperlyrestrainedfortheirage
andsize.Theairbagonthepassengersidemakes
214
thefrontseatapotentiallydangerousplacefora
child
toride.Thefrontseatisnot thesafestplace
forachildinaforward-facingchildsafetyseat.It
canbeaverydangerousplaceforaninfantora
largerchildinarearward-facingseat.
Thevehicle'sAdvancedAirbagSystemhasaca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsysteminthefront
passengerseatcushionthatcandetectthepres-
enceofababyorachildinachildrestraintsys-
temonthisseat.
Thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystemregis-
tersthechangesthatresultinanelectricalfield
whenachild,achildrestraint,andababyblanket
areonthefrontpassengerseat.The changein
themeasuredcapacitanceduetothepresenceof
achild,a childrestraint,andababyblanketon
thefrontpassengerseatisrelatedtothechildre-
straintsystemrestingontheseat.Themeasured
capacitanceofachildrestraintsystemvariesde-
pendingonthetypeofsystemandspecificmake
andmodel.
Theelectricalcapacitanceofthevarioustypes,
makes,andmodelsofchildrestraintsspecified
bytheU.S.NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAd-
ministration(NHTSA)intherelevant safety
standardarestoredintheAdvancedAirbagSys-
temcontrolunittogetherwiththecapacitances
typicalofinfantsanda1-yearoldchild.Whena
child
restraintisusedonthefrontpassengerseat
withatypical1year-oldinfant,theAdvancedAir-
bagSystemcomparesthecapacitancemeasured
bythecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
withthedatastoredintheelectroniccontrol
unit.
CeCMeeewealiasle)
system
Regardlessofthechildrestraintthatyouuse,
makesurethatithasbeencertifiedtomeetSafe-
tyStandardsandhasbeencertifiedbyitsmanu-
facturerforusewithanairbag.Alwaysbesure
thatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalledat
oneoftherearseatingpositions.Ifinexception-
alcircumstancesyoumustuseitonthefront
passengerseat,carefullyreadalloftheinforma-
tiononchildsafetyandAdvancedAirbagsand>