Audi RS 7 Sportback 2016 Owner's Manual page 156

Airb a g syste m
- the e lectronic contro l modu le and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags * located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that 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 a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver 's, front and rear passenger 's upper tor-
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision. The airbag deploys only in side im-
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg-
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in-
to the control un it, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos-
sible to def ine an airbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possible ang le of impact , since
the circumstances will vary considerably betw een
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 155, Important safety in-
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas-
senger in pos ition in the event of a side collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
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 side airbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wearing your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea-
son why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lts , not just because the law requires you to do
so ¢ page 12 7, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup-
plemental side a irbag system is des igned to re-
154
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju-
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of acc idents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nly once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always t here to offer protec-
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is switched off
- in side collisions when 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 front ai rbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together .
A
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating pos ition ¢ page 155 .
- 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 t o, or will not inflate when it should.