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Side airbags
Description
of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection
to pro
p
erly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 118 Side airbag
locat
ion
in
the drive r's
seat
The side airbags are located in
the
sides of the front seat backrests
~
fig. 118 facing
the
doors. They are
identified
by the word
"AIRBAG".
The side
airbag system
basically
consist
s
of
:
•
the electronic control module and external side impact sensors
•
the two
side airbags located in
the
sides of the front backrests
•
the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster
.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
to
make certain
that
it is functioning
properly at all times
.
Each time you turn on the igni
-
tion, 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 and front passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side colli-
sion
.
The airbag deploys only
in
side
impacts
and only when
the
vehic le acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If
this rate is below the reference value programmed
into
the control
unit, the side airbags will not be
triggered,
even
though
the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cover every possible
angle of impact, since the circumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and another
.
Important factors include, for
example, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc
.
~ page 157, "Important safety
instructions on the side airbag system"
.
Aside from
t
heir normal safety function, safety belts work to help
keep the driver or front passenger
in
position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not
a subs
t
itute for your safety belt. Rather, it
is part of the overall occupant restraint system in your vehicle
.
Always remember that the side airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt and wearing
it
prop
-
erly.
This
is another reason why you should always wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
~
page 127,
"General notes"
.
It is important to remember that while the supplemental side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swel ling, bruis ing
,
and minor abrasions can
also be associated with deployed side airbags
.
Remember too, side
airbags will deploy only once and only in certain kinds of accidents
-
your safety belts are always
there
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 acti-
vat
ion
.
In some collisions, both front and side airbags may inflate
.
Remember
too,
that airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of col lisions
-
your safety belts are always
there
to
offer protection in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already deployed
.
T
h
e s
id
e a
irba
g sy
s
tem wi
ll
n
ot
de
pl
oy
:
•
whe
n
the ignition is turned off
•
in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is
t
oo low
~
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