Side Curtain Airbags - Audi R8 2017 Owner's Manual

Airbag syste m
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers or
other equ ipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup-
plemental protection to properly restrained oc-
cupants .
Fig. 152 Side curt ain airb ags, driver's side: side curtain air-
bag locat ion
The s ide curta in a irbags are loca t ed on both s ides
of the interior above the front and rear side win-
dows
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fig . 152 .
They are ident ified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen-
ter roof pillar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi-
cle occupants or par ts of their bodies from being
comp letely or partially ejected from the vehicle
interio r in certain side impacts and vehicle roll-
overs.
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 un it is high enough. If this rate is be-
202
low the reference value programmed into the
contro l 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 w ill vary considerably betwee n
one coll ision a nd another . Important factors in-
clude, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he angle of impact, veh icle
speed, etc.
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page 203, How side curtain air-
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep t he dr iver or front pas-
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec-
t ion.
The airbag system is no t a subs t it ut e for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occ u-
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re-
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety be lt
and wearing it properly. This is another reaso n
why you should always wear your safety belts ,
not just because the law requ ires you to do so
c:> p age
174,
General notes.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example, swell ing, bruisi ng, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these a irbags upon deployment. Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
ce rt ain kinds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The e lectronic control module and externa l side
im pact sensors
- The side curta in airbag s above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea-
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The airbag system is monitored e lectron ically to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
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