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Airb a g syste m
- the electronic control module 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 inst rument clus-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electron ically to
make certa in that it is f unction ing 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 airbag system supplements the safety
belts 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 on ly when the vehicle accelerat ion reg-
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in-
to the contro l unit , the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the coll ision. It is not pos-
sible to def ine an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in-
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
t he impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 163, Important safety in-
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir norma l safety function, safety
belt s work to help keep the dr iver or front pas-
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the side airbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not
a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rat her, it is part of the overall occu-
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re-
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea-
son why you shou ld always wear you r safety
belts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup-
plemental side air bag system is designed to re-
162
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju-
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember t oo, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of accidents - your safety belts are always
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . I n
some collis ions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that airbags w ill deploy
only once and on ly in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety belts are always there 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 ion is swit ched off
- in side collisions when the accelerat ion meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together.
A
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 163.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢
page 18
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 inf late when it is not sup-
posed t o, or will not infla t e when it should.
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