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- the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is func t ioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air-
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side a irbag system supplements
the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's and fron t passenger 's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col-
lision. The airbag deploys on ly in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acceleration reg istered
by the contro l unit is high enough. If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control un it, the s ide a irbags w ill not be tr ig-
gered, even though the car may be badly dam-
aged as a resu lt of t he collision . It is not possib le
to define an airbag trigge ring range that w ill cov-
e r every possible angle of impact, since the cir-
cumstances will vary considerably between one
collision and another. Important factors include,
for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the im-
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 146, Important safety in-
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas-
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not
a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu-
pant restrain t system in your veh icle. Always re-
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you a re wearing your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea-
son why you s hou ld always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law req uires you to do
so ¢
page 120, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup-
plemental s ide a irbag system is designed to re-
d uce t he likelihood of serious injur ies, other inju-
Airb a g sys tem
ries, for example, swelling, bru ising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags will de-
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci-
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protect io n .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
only once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offer protec-
t ion in t hose accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when t hey have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit ion is t urned off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the fron t ai rbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be triggered
together.
A
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition¢
page 146.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢
page 17
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should.
145
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