Table of Contents
Advertisement
of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consist s of :
- The electronic control mod ule and externa l
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag ind icator light in the inst rument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ically
to make certa in it is funct ion ing properly at a ll
times. Each time you t urn on the ign ition, the
ai rbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the igniti on is turned off,
- in side collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end collisions,
- in rollovers.
_&.
WARNING
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only p rovide protection whe n occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
~
page 58, Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicato r light~
page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the sys t em inspected immediately
by your aut ho rized Aud i dea le r. It is pos-
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it sho uld .
A irba g sy stem
165
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 restrained.
Fig. 160 Il lus tr ation of principle: Inflat e d side curtain
airbags o n th e left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side coll is ion
~ fig. 160.
When the system is trigge red, the side curta in
airbag is filled with prope llant gas and breaks
t hrough a seam above the front and rear side
windows iden t ified by t he AIRBAG labe l. In or-
der to he lp prov ide this additional protection,
the side curtain ai rbag m ust inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain a irbag could in-
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items a re located in the area
where the supplemental
side curta in a irbag
inflates . This applies especially to ch ild ren
~ page 167 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur-
ta in a irbags can "cushion " the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in-
jury to the head and the uppe r part of the
body .
A f ine dust may deve lop when the airbag de-
ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.
Advertisement
Table of Contents
