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164
Airbag
syst em
in a side collision. The side curtain airbag in-
f lates in side impacts and on ly when the vehi-
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enough. If this rate is below the refer-
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re-
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de-
fine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact , since the cir-
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. c:> page 164, How side cur-
tain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe-
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a colli-
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro-
vide protection .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc-
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al-
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wea ring
your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly. This
is ano t her reason why you shou ld always wear
your safety be lt s, not jus t beca use the law re-
qu ires you to do so c;, page 13 7, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while t he
side curtain a irbag syst em is designed t o he lp
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags. Remember too, these airbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
of acc idents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and externa l
side impact sensors
- The side curtai n airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is mo nitored elec t ronically
to make certain it is func t ioning properly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if t he ignition is tur ned off,
- in side collisions whe n the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions,
- in rollove rs.
A
WARNING
-
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protect ion when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c:> page 58, Seats and storage .
- If t he airbag ind icator light
c:>
page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have t he system inspecte d immedia t ely
by your author ized Audi dealer . It is pos -
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will 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. 1 60
Illustrat ion of principle: Inflated side curtain
airbags on th e left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
lill>-
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