Audi A3 Sedan 2015 Owner's Manual page 166

164 Airbag system
- in rear-end collisions .
~
WARNING
- Safety belts and the a.irbag system wi ll
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
q page 53, Front seats.
- If the airbag indicator light q page 21
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Aud i dealer. It is pos-
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
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. 131 Illustrat ion of principle: Inf lated side curta in
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
qfig. 131 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or-
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
great force. The side curtain airbag could in-
jure you if your seat ing position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies especially to chi ldr en
q page 166 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur-
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in-
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de-
ploys. This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al-
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A
WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im-
proper seating posit ions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when-
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain airbag inf lat e.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inf late without interference.
- Use the bu ilt- in coat hooks only for light-
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in a colli -
sion.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on
the hooks.
- Only use fa ctory -installed sun shades or,
if shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, use only genuine Audi
sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the
side windows if things such as pens, ga-
rage door openers, hands-free speakers,
-