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Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents - your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup-
plemental knee a irbag system is designed to re-
duce the likelihood of serious inj uries, other inju-
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, minor ab ra-
sions and fr iction burns can also occur when an
airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on)
<::.>page 13 .
A
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can on ly
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
<=>
page 110.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on when
the vehicle is being used, have the system
inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer .
Airbag
system
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags .
Fig. 120 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen-
ger deploy in certain but not all fronta l collisions .
If t he front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in fronta l collisions when the dep loymen t
threshold stored in the control un it is met .
When th e system deploys fill the airbags with a
propellant gas, and inflat e between the lower
part of the instr ument panel and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
<=> page 110, fig . 117.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex-
tremities .
All of this ta kes place in the blink of an eye, so
fa st that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inf late
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper-
ly worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc-
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .
117
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