
8S1012721BA
Safedriving
Safedriving
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.
Theinformationinthissectionappliestoall
modelversionsofyourvehicle.Someofthefea-
turesdescribedinthissectionsmaybe standard
equipmentonsomemodels,ormaybeoptional
equipmentonothers.Ifyouarenotsure,ask
yourauthorizedAudidealer.
ZAWARNING
—Alwaysmakesurethatyoufollowthein-
structionsandheedtheWARNINGSinthis
Manual.Itisinyourinterestandinthein-
terestofyourpassengers.
—AlwayskeepthecompleteOwner'sLitera-
tureinyourAudiwhenyoulendorsellyour
vehicleso thatthisimportantinformation
willalways beavailabletothedriverand
passengers.
—AlwayskeeptheOwner'sliteraturehandyso
that
youcanfinditeasilyifyouhaveques-
tions.
Importantthingstodobeforedriving
Safetyiseverybody'sjob!Vehicleandoccupant
safetyalwaysdependsontheinformedandcare-
fuldriver.
Foryoursafetyandthesafety ofyourpassen-
gers,beforedrivingalways:
>Makesurethatalllightsandsignalsareoperat-
ingcorrectly.
>Makesurethatthetirepressureiscorrect.
>Makesurethatallwindowsarecleanandafford
goodvisibility totheoutside.
>Secureallluggageandotheritemscarefully
=>page44,>page43.
>Makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
pedals.
>Adjustfrontseatandmirrorscorrectlyforyour
height.
>Makesuretouse therightchildrestraintcor-
rectlytoprotectchildren>page212,Child
safety.
>Sitproperlyinyourseatandmakesurethat
yourpassengersdothesame©page40,Front
seats.
>Fastenyoursafetybeltandwearitproperly.Al-
soinstructyourpassengerstofastentheirsafe-
tybeltsproperly>page180.
Whatimpairsdrivingsafety?
Safedrivingisdirectlyrelatedtotheconditionof
thevehicle,thedriveraswellasthedriver’sabili-
ty toconcentrateontheroadwithoutbeingdis-
tracted.
Thedriverisresponsibleforthesafetyoftheve-
hicleandallofitsoccupants.Ifyourabilityto
driveisimpaired,safetyrisksforeverybodyinthe
vehicleincreaseand youalsobecomeahazardto
everyoneelseontheroad>/\.Therefore:
>Donotletyourselfbedistractedbypassengers
orbyusinga cellulartelephone.
>NEVERdrivewhenyourdrivingabilityisim-
paired(bymedications,alcohol,drugs,etc.).
>Observealltrafficlaws,rulesoftheroadand
speedlimitsandplaincommonsense.
>ALWAYSadjustyourspeedtoroad,trafficand
weatherconditions.
175
>

Safedriving
>Take frequentbreaksonlongtrips.Donotdrive
formorethantwohoursatastretch.
>DoNOTdrivewhenyouaretired,underpres-
sureor whenyouarestressed.
Z\WARNING
Impaireddrivingsafetyincreasestheriskof
seriouspersonalinjuryanddeathwhenevera
vehicleisbeingused.
>Graspthetopofthesteeringwheelwithyour
elbow(s)slightlybent.
>Fastenandwearsafetybeltscorrectly
>page184.
>Always keepbothfeetinthefootwell so that
youareincontrolofthevehicleatalltimes.
Fordetailedinformationonhowtoadjustthe
driver'sseat,see>page40,Frontseats.
Correctpassenger
seatingpositions
Properseatingpositionforthedriver
Theproperdriverseatingpositionisimportant
forsafe,relaxeddriving.
BFV-0183
Fig.141Correct seatingposition
Foryourownsafetyandtoreducetheriskofin-
juryinthe eventofanaccident,werecommend
thatyouadjustthedriver'sseattothefollowing
position:
>Adjustthedriver'sseat so thatyoucaneasily
pushthepedalsallthewaytothefloorwhile
keepingyourknee(s)slightlybent>A\.
>Adjusttheangleoftheseatbacksothatitisin
anuprightpositionsothatyour backcomesin
fullcontactwithitwhenyoudrive.
>Adjustthesteeringwheelsothatthereisadis-
tanceofatleast10in(25cm)betweenthe
steeringwheelandyourbreastbone>fig.141.
Ifnotpossible,seeyourauthorizedAudideal-
ershipaboutadaptiveequipment.
>Adjust thesteeringwheelso thatthesteering
wheelandairbagcoverpointsatyourchestand
notatyourface.
176
Z\WARNING
Driverswhoareunbelted,outofpositionor
tooclose totheairbagcanbeseriouslyinjured
by anairbagasitunfolds.To helpreduce the
riskofseriouspersonalinjury:
—Alwaysadjustthedriver'sseatandthe
steeringwheelsothatthereareatleast
10in(25cm)betweenyourbreastboneand
thesteeringwheel.
—Alwaysadjustthedriver'sseatandthe
steeringwheelsothatthereareatleast4in
(10cm)betweenthekneesandthe lower
partoftheinstrumentpanel.
—Alwaysholdthesteeringwheelontheout-
sideofthesteeringwheelrimwithyour
handsatthe9o'clockand3o'clockposi-
tionstohelpreducetheriskofpersonalin-
juryifthedriver'sairbaginflates.
—Neverholdthesteeringwheelatthe
12o'clockpositionorwithyourhandsat
otherpositionsinsidethesteeringwheel
rimoronthesteeringwheelhub.Holding
the
steeringwheelthewrongwaycancause
seriousinjuriestothehands,armsandhead
ifthedriver'sairbaginflates
—Pointingthesteeringwheeltowardyour
facedecreasestheabilityofthesupplemen-
taldriver'sairbagtoprotectyouinacolli-
sion.
—Alwayssitinanuprightpositionandnever
leanagainstor placeanypartofyourbody
tooclosetotheareawheretheairbagsare
located.
—Beforedriving,alwaysadjustthefront seats
properlyandmakesurethatallpassengers
areproperlyrestrained.

Safetybelts
Safetybelts
Generalnotes
Alwayswearsafetybelts!
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
Yourvehiclehastwoseatingpositionsinthe
frontandtwoheight-limitedseatingpositionsin
therear.Eachseatingpositionhasasafetybelt.
Therearseatareadoesnothaveenoughroomfor
passengersofallsizes.Forreasonsofsafety,no
persontallerthan4ft9in(57in/1.45m)should
everrideintherearseatarea.
ZAWARNING
Notwearingsafetybeltsorwearingthemim-
properlyincreasestheriskof seriouspersonal
injuryanddeath.
—Neverstrapmorethanoneperson,including
smallchildren,intoanybelt.Itisespecially
180
dangeroustoplaceasafetybeltoverachild
sittingonyourlap.
—Neverletmorepeoplerideinthevehicle
thantherearesafetybeltsavailable.
—Besureeveryoneridinginthevehicleis
properlyrestrainedwithaseparatesafety
beltorchildrestraint.
—Personstallerthan4ft9in(57in/1.45m)
aswellaschildreninboosterseatswhoare
tooclosetotherearwindowandroofcan
suffersevereheadandneckinjurieswhen
therearlidisclosedorinacrash.
— Theminimumclearancebetweenthepas-
senger’sheadsandtherearwindowmust
never-underanycircumstances-beless
than1in(2.5cm)whenthepassengerssit
fullyupright.
—Alwaysmakesurethatrearseatpassengers
cannot bestruck whentherearlidisclosed.
SiayaaEUMeLal
Yourvehiclehasawarningsystemforthedriver
andfrontseatpassengertoremindyouabout
theimportanceofbuckling-up.
BFV-0297
Fig.142Safetybeltwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter-enlarged
Beforedrivingoff,always:
>Fastenyoursafetybeltandmakesureyouwear
itproperly.
>Makesurethatyourpassengersalsobuckleup
and
properlyweartheirsafetybelts.
>Protectchildrenwitha childrestraintsystem
appropriateforthesizeandage.
Thewarninglightintheinstrumentcluster
lightsupwhentheignitionisswitchedonasa re-
mindertofastenthesafetybelts.Inaddition,>

8S1012721BA
Safetybelts
youwillhearawarningtoneforacertainperiod
oftime.
Fastenyoursafetybeltandmakesurethatyour
passengersalsoproperlyputontheirsafety
belts.
—Safetybeltsarethesinglemosteffective
meansavailabletoreducetheriskofserious
injuryanddeathinautomobileaccidents.
Foryourprotectionandthat ofyourpassen-
gers,alwayscorrectlywearsafetybelts
whenthevehicleismoving.
—Failuretopayattentiontothewarninglight
thatcomeon,couldlead topersonalinjury.
Whysafetybelts?
eelmeleelameLwmelmale)
Frontalcrashescreateverystrongforcesforpeo-
pleridinginvehicles.
B4H-0465,
B4H-0466
Fig.144Thevehiclecrashesintothewall
Thephysicalprinciplesaresimple.Boththevehi-
cleandthepassengerspossessenergywhichvar-
ieswithvehiclespeedandbodyweight.Engi-
neerscallthisenergy“kineticenergy.”
Thehigherthespeedofthevehicleandthe
greaterthevehicle'sweight,themoreenergy
thathastobe“absorbed”inthecrash.
Vehiclespeedisthemostsignificantfactor.Ifthe
speeddoublesfrom15to30mph(25to50
km/h), theenergyincreases4times!
Becausethepassengersofthisvehiclearenotus-
ingsafetybelts>fig.143,theywillkeepmoving
atthesamespeedthevehiclewasmovingjust
beforethecrash,untilsomethingstopsthem-
here,thewall>fig.144.
Thesameprinciplesapplytopeoplesittingina
vehiclethatisinvolvedinafrontalcollision.Even
atcityspeedsof20to30mph(30to50km/h),
theforces actingonthebodycanreachoneton
(2,000lbs,or1,000kg)ormore.Athigher
speeds,theseforcesareevengreater.
Peoplewhodonotusesafetybeltsarealsonot
attachedtotheirvehicle.Inafrontalcollision
theywillalsokeepmovingforwardatthespeed
theirvehiclewastravellingjustbeforethecrash.
Ofcourse,thelawsofphysicsdon'tjustapplyto
frontalcollisions,theydeterminewhathappens
inallkindsofaccidentsandcollisions.
181

Safetybelts
—Alwayskeepthebeltsclean.Dirtybeltsmay
notworkproperlyandcanimpairthefunc-
tionoftheinertiareel>tableInterior
cleaningonpage272.
Safetybelts
eetLiamhay
Safetyfirst-everybodybuckleup!
|
B4H-0462
Fig.148Beltbuckleandtongueonthedriver'sseat
Toprovidemaximumprotection,safetybelts
mustalways bepositionedcorrectlyonthewear-
er'sbody.
>Adjustthefrontseatproperly>page40,Front
seats.
>Makesuretheseatbackoftherearseatbenchis
inanuprightpositionandsecurelylatchedin
placebeforeusingthebelt>/\.
>Pullthesafetybeltevenlyacrossthechestand
pelvis>fig.148,>A\.
> Insertthetongueintothecorrectbuckle of
yourseatuntilyouhearitlatchsecurely.
>Pullonthebelttomakesurethatitissecurely
latchedinthebuckle.
Automaticsafetybeltretractors
Everysafetybeltisequippedwithanautomatic
beltretractorontheshoulderbelt.Thisfeature
locksthebeltwhenthebeltispulledoutfast,
duringhardbrakingandinanaccident.Thebelt
mayalsolockwhenyoudriveupordownasteep
hillorthroughasharpcurve.Duringnormaldriv-
ingthebeltletsyoumovefreely.
Safetybeltpretensioners
Safetybeltswithpretensionershelptotighten
thesafetybeltandremoveslackwhenthepre-
184
tensionersareactivated>page186.Thefunc-
tionofthepretensionerismonitoredbyawarn-
inglight>page18.
Convertiblelockingretractor
Everysafetybeltexcepttheoneonthedriver
seatisequippedwithaconvertiblelockingretrac-
torthatmustbeusedwhenthesafetybeltis
usedtoattachachildseat.Besuretoreadthe
importantinformationaboutthisfeature
=>page223.
Z\WARNING
Improperlypositionedsafetybeltscancause
seriousinjuryinanaccident>page185,
Safetybeltposition.
—Safetybelts offeroptimumprotectiononly
whentheseatbackisuprightandbeltsare
properlypositionedonthebody.
—Alwaysmakesurethattherearseatbackrest
issecurelylatchedwhenever therearsafety
beltisbeingused.Ifthebackrestisnotse-
curelylatched,thepassengerwillmovefor-
wardwiththebackrestduringsuddenbrak-
ing,inasuddenmaneuverandespeciallyin
acrash.
—Neverattachthesafetybelt tothe buckle
foranotherseat.Attachingthebelttothe
wrongbucklewillreducesafetybelteffec-
tivenessandcancauseseriouspersonalin-
jury.
—Apassengerwhoisnotproperlyrestrained
canbeseriouslyinjuredbythesafetybeltit-
selfwhenitmovesfromthestrongerparts
ofthebodyintocriticalareasliketheabdo-
men.
—Alwayslocktheconvertiblelockingretractor
whenyouaresecuringachildseatintheve-
hicle>page225.
G)Tips
Forinformationonsafetybeltpretensioners,
referto>page186.

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
ZA\WARNING
Achildinarearward-facingchildseatinstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseatwillbeseri-
ouslyinjuredandcanbekilledifthefrontair-
baginflates-evenwithanAdvancedAirbag
System.
—Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildseator
infantcarrierwithgreatforceandwill
smashthechildseatandchildagainstthe
backrest,center armrest,doororroof.
—Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildseatsonthe
rearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
seatonthefrontpassengerseatbecauseof
exceptionalcircumstancesandthePASSEN-
GERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnotcomeon
andstayon,immediatelyinstalltherear-
facingchildseatinarearseatingposition
andhavetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourAudidealer.
—Forward-facingchildseatsinstalledonthe
frontpassenger'sseatmayinterferewith
thedeploymentoftheairbagandcauseseri-
ouspersonalinjurytothechild.
so thatthesafetybeltwillbeproperlyposi-
tioned.
—MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG
OFF7%;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenevertheignitionisswitchedon.
Z\WARNING
If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmustin-
stallaforward-facingchildrestraintonthe
frontpassenger'sseat:
—Alwaysmakesuretheforward-facingseat
hasbeendesignedandcertifiedbyitsmanu-
facturerforuseonafrontseatwithapas-
sengerfrontandsideairbag.
—Neverputtheforward-facingchildrestraint
upagainstorverynear theinstrumentpan-
el.
—Alwaysmovethefrontpassengerseattothe
highestpositionintheupanddownadjust-
mentrangeandmoveitbacktotherear-
mostpositionintheseat'sforeandaftad-
justmentrange,asfarawayfromtheairbag
aspossible,beforeinstallingtheforward-
facingchildrestraint.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltupper
anchorageisbehindthechildrestraintand
notnexttoorinfrontofthechildrestraint
ZA\WARNING
To reducetheriskofseriousinjury,makesure
thatthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;light
willbedisplayedwheneverachildrestraintis
installedonthefrontpassengerseatandthe
ignitionisswitchedon.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotstayon,performthechecksdescri-
bed>page199,MonitoringtheAdvanced
AirbagSystem.
—Takethechildrestraint offthefrontpassen-
gerseatandinstallitproperlyatoneofthe
rearseatpositionsifthePASSENGERAIR
BAGOFF#¥%;lightdoesnotstayon.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
Audidealerimmediately.
—Alwayscarefullyfollowinstructionsfrom
childrestraintmanufacturerswheninstal-
lingchildrestraints.
ZA\WARNING
If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmustin-
stallaforwardorrearward-facingchildre-
straintonthefrontpassenger'sseat:
—Improperinstallationofchildrestraintscan
reducetheireffectiveness orevenprevent
themfromprovidinganyprotection.
—Animproperlyinstalledchildrestraintcan
interferewiththeairbagasitdeploysand
seriouslyinjureorevenkillthechild-even
withanAdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Alwayscarefullyfollowthemanufacturer's
instructionsprovidedwiththechildseator
carrier.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupiedbyapersonwhenitis
not,ortosignalthatitisoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
191

Airbagsystem
—achilduptoaboutoneyearofageisrestrained
onthefrontpassengerseatinoneoftherear-
facing orforward-facinginfantrestraintslisted
inFederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208
withwhichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyour
vehiclewascertified.Foralistingofthechild
restraintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehi-
cle'scompliancewiththeUSSafetyStandard
=>page214,
—Whenapersonisdetectedonthefrontpassen-
gerseat thathasanelectricalcapacitancethat
ismorethanthetotalelectricalcapacitanceof
achildthatisabout1yearoldrestrainedinone
oftherear-facingorforward-facinginfantre-
straints(listedinFederalMotorVehicleSafety
Standard208withwhichtheAdvancedAirbag
Systeminyourvehiclewascertified),thefront
airbagonthepassengersidemayormaynot
deploy.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;lightcomeson
whentheelectroniccontrolunitdetectsatotal
electricalcapacitanceonthefrontpassengerseat
thatrequiresthefrontairbagtobeturnedoff.If
thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnot
comeon,thefrontairbagonthepassengerside
has notbeenturnedoffby thecontrolunitand
candeployifthecontrolunitsenses animpact
thatmeetstheconditionsstoredinitsmemory.
Ifthetotalelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatismorethanthatofa
typical1year-old,butlessthantheweightofa
smalladult,thefrontairbagonthepassenger
sidemaydeploy(thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
#;lightdoesnotcomeon).
Forexample,theairbagmaydeployif:
—asmallchildthatisheavierthanatypical1
year-oldchildisonthefrontpassengerseat(re-
gardlessofwhetherthechildisinoneofthe
childseatslisted>page214),
—achildwhohasoutgrownchildrestraintsison
thefrontpassengerseat.
Ifthefrontpassengerairbagisturnedoff,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightinthehead-
linerwillcomeonandstayon.
Ifthefrontpassengerairbagdeploys,theFederal
Standardrequirestheairbagtomeetthe“Low
194
risk”deploymentcriteriatohelpreducetherisk
ofinjurythroughinteractionwiththeairbag.
“Lowrisk”deploymentoccursinthosecrashes
that takeplaceatlowerdecelerationsasdefined
intheelectroniccontrolunit>page199.
Alwaysremember:Eventhoughyourvehicleis
equippedwithAdvancedAirbags,thesafest place
forchildrenisproperlyrestrainedontheback
seat.Pleasebesuretoreadtheimportantinfor-
mation
inthesectionsthatfollowandbesureto
heedalloftheWARNINGS.
Z\WARNING
To reducetheriskofinjurywhenanairbagin-
flates,alwayswearsafetybeltsproperly.
—Ifyouareunrestrained,leaningforward,sit-
tingsidewaysoroutofpositioninanyway,
yourriskofinjuryismuchhigher.
—Youwillalsoreceiveseriousinjuriesand
couldevenbekilledifyouareupagainstthe
airbagortooclosetoitwhenitinflates-
evenwithanAdvancedAirbag>page188.
ZAWARNING
Achildinarearward-facingchildseatinstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseatwillbeseri-
ouslyinjuredandcanbekilledifthefrontair-
baginflates-evenwithanAdvancedAirbag
System.
—AlthoughtheAdvancedAirbagSystemin
yourvehicleisdesignedtoturnoffthefront
airbagwhenarearward-facingchildre-
strainthasbeeninstalledonthefront pas-
sengerseat,nobodycanabsolutelyguaran-
teethatdeploymentisimpossibleinallcon-
ceivablesituationsthatmayhappenduring
theusefullife ofyourvehicle.
— Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildseator
infantcarrierwithgreatforceandwill
smashthechildseatandchildagainstthe
backrest,center armrest,door,orroof.
—Alwaysinstallrearward-facingchildre-
straintsontherearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
seatonthefrontpassengerseatbecauseof
exceptionalcircumstancesandthePASSEN-
GERAIRBAGOFF4;lightdoesnotcomeon

8S1012721BA
Airbagsystem
andstayon,immediatelyinstalltherear-
facingchildseatinarearseatingposition
andhavetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourAudidealer.
ZA\WARNING
If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmustin-
stallaforward-facingchildrestraintonthe
frontpassenger'sseat:
—Alwaysmakesuretheforward-facingseat
hasbeendesignedandcertifiedbyitsmanu-
facturerforuseonafrontseatwithapas-
sengerfrontandsideairbag.
—Neverputtheforward-facingchildrestraint
upagainstorverynear theinstrumentpan-
el.
—Alwaysmovethefrontpassengerseattothe
highestpositionintheup anddownadjust-
mentrangeandmoveitbacktotherear-
mostpositionintheseat'sforeandaftad-
justmentrange,asfarawayfromtheairbag
aspossible,beforeinstallingtheforward-
facingchildrestraint.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltupper
anchorageisbehindthechildrestraintand
notnexttoorinfrontofthechildrestraint
sothatthesafetybeltwillbeproperlyposi-
tioned.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupied byapersonwhen itis
not,ortosignalthatitisoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
sittingontheseat.Thepresenceofaddi-
tionalobjectscouldcausethepassenger
frontairbagtobeturnedonwhenitshould
beoff,orcouldcause theairbagtoworkina
waythatisdifferentfromthewayitwould
haveworkedwithouttheobjectontheseat.
—MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG
OFF%;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenever theignitionisswitchedon.
AdvancedAirbagSystemcomponents
Thefrontpassengerseatinyourvehiclehasalot
ofveryimportantparts oftheAdvancedAirbag
Systeminit.Theseparts includethecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystem,wiring,brackets,
andmore.Thecontrolunitmonitorsthesystem
onthefrontpassengerseatwhentheignitionis
switchedonandturnstheairbagindicatorlight
onwhenamalfunctionintheoneofthesystem
componentsisdetected>page200.Becausethe
frontpassengerseatcontainsimportantpartsof
theAdvancedAirbagSystem,youmusttakecare
to
preventitfrombeingdamaged.Damageto
theseatmaypreventtheAdvancedAirbagSys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatfromdoingits
job inacrash.
ThefrontAdvancedAirbagSystemconsists
ofthefollowing:
—Crashsensorsinthefrontofthevehiclethat
measurevehicleacceleration/decelerationto
provideinformationtotheAdvancedAirbag
Systemabouttheseverityofthecrash.
—Anelectroniccontrolunit,withintegrated
crashsensorsforfrontandsideimpacts.The
controlunit“decides”whethertofirethefront
airbagsbasedontheinformationreceivedfrom
thecrashsensors.Thecontrolunitalso“de-
cides”whetherthesafetybeltpretensioners
shouldbeactivated.
—AnAdvancedAirbagwithgasgeneratorforthe
driver insidethesteeringwheelhub.
—AnAdvancedAirbagwithgasgeneratorinside
theinstrumentpanelforthefrontpassenger.
— Acapacitivepassengerdetectionsystemunder-
neaththefrontpassengerseatcover.Thissys-
temmeasurestheelectricalcapacitanceofthe
personintheseat.Theinformationregistered
issentcontinuouslytotheelectroniccontrol
unit toregulatedeploymentofthefrontAd-
vancedAirbagonthepassengerside.
—Anairbagmonitoringsystemandindicator
lightkaintheinstrumentcluster.
—Asensorineachfrontseatregistersthedis-
tancebetweentherespectiveseatandthe
steeringwheelorinstrumentpanel.Theinfor-
mationregisteredissent continuouslytothe
195