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Airbag
system
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in-
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso. The
side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and
only when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough . If this rate is be -
low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
triggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It
is not pos-
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in-
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢
page 170, How side curtain air-
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas-
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec-
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu -
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re-
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢
page 140, General information.
It
is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts are
always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
170
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea-
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is switched off,
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions .
.&_
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢
page 48,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re-
strained.
Fig. 164
Illustration of principle: Inflated side curtain air·
bags on the left side
..,_
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