wheel AUDI A3 2012 Owner´s Manual

conditioner automatically se lects the settings
assigned to that key. This way every driver will maintain his/her own persona l settings and
does not have to reset them manually.
(D Tips
If a d ifferent driver uses your key and
changes the air conditioner settings, the
latest adjustments w ill erase and rep lace
the settings you have stored.
mP Rear window defogger
T he rear window defogger clears the rear win ­
dow of conden sation .
Fig. 98 Swi tch for rea r wi ndow defogger w ith a ir -con ·
d it io nin g
.. Press the QiP switc h to switch the rear win-
dow defogger on and off.
The defogger works on ly with the engine run ­
n ing. When the defogger is switched on, an
indicator light in the switc h comes on.
The rear w indow defogger switches
off au to­
matica lly afte r abo ut 20 m inutes.
@ For the sake of the environment
T ur n the defogger off when the rea r win­
dow is clear. When you save elec tricity, you
save fuel.
Additional heater
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
.. Switc h the Additional heate r to AUTO .
Vehicles w it h diese l eng ine s are equipped
with an add it ional heate r to warm the interior
of the vehicle mo re q uick ly. The additional
W arm and cold 85
heater switches itse lf on and off automatically
when the o utside temperature is below 50 °F
(10 °C) and the engine is running, depending
o n the coolant temperature , interior tempera ­
ture and the selected temperature.
Electrically heated
front seats
Applies to vehicles: with electrically heated front seats
With the ignition on , the seat cushion and
backrest of the front seats can be heated.
F ig . 99 Ce nter co nsole: t hu m bwhee ls for front seat
h eat ing
Use the t humbwheels in the center conso le
c;:> fig . 99 to turn on and adjust front seat
heating. An infin ite range of positions are pos ­
sible .
.. Ro ll t he thumbw heel
(D (dr iver's seat) or@
(front passenger's seat) from pos ition
( 0 )
upward in order to activa te the heati ng e le ­
ments .
.. Select the desired temperat ure setting from
positions 1 t hrough 6.
When the hea ting element is activated, the
numbers on the thumbwheel will illuminate .
& WARNING
Individuals wit h reduced sensitiv ity to pai n
or temperature cou ld deve lop burns when
using the seat heating funct ion. To reduce
the r isk of injury, these ind ividuals should
not use seat heating .

88 On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted .
Fig. 101 Lever under the steering column
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly.
• Push the lever
c:> fig . 101 down as far as it
will go
c:> & .
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired po-
s it ion.
• Push the lever back up as far as it will go.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­ tween your chest and the center of the steer­
i ng wheel. If you cannot si t more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you
reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering whee l.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c:> page 63, Power seat ad­
justment.
The stee ring wheel can be adjusted even when
the ignition is turned off.
8_ WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury .
- Adjust the steering whee l co lumn on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
- Always make sure that the ad justment
lever is securely pushed up so that the
-
position of the steering wheel cannot be
changed unintentionally when the vehi­
cle is mov ing.
- Adj ust the driver's seat or steering whee l
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel
c:> page 104,
fig. 117.
If you cannot maintain this
minim um distance, the airbag system
cannot protect you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from sitt ing 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check wit h your au­
thorized A udi dealer to see if adaptive
equipment is available .
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the s upple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in
an accident. Always make sure that the
steer ing whee l is po inted towards your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock
positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's a irbag inflates .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steer ing wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Ho ld­
ing the steering whee l the wrong way
can cause se rious inj uries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in ­
f lates .

Ignition lock and ignition switch
Ignition lock
The engine can be started or turned off with
the ignition key.
Fig. 102 I gni tion lock positio ns
Ignition off@
In position ¢ fig. 102@both the ignition and
engine are off, and the steering is locked.
To
lock the steering after you have removed
the ignition key, turn the steering wheel in ei­
ther direction until you hear it lock into place.
You shou ld always lock the steering whenever
you leave your vehicle. This makes a vehicle
theft even more difficul t
q ,&.
Ignition on CD
If it is difficult to turn the key after you have
inserted it into the ignition lock, turn the
steering wheel back and forth. This will take
the load off the steering lock mechan ism and
you will be able to turn the key freely and
start the engine. On vehicles with a diesel en­
g ine*, the system can preheat in this pos ition .
Starting the engine @
In this position the engine starts. While the
engine is starting, the power supply to the
headlights and other electrical consumers is
temporarily interrupted to conserve battery power. After the engine has started, release
the key and it will return to position @.
Before the starter can be operated again the
key must be turned back to position @. The
non-repeat lock prevents you from damag ing
the starter when the engine is running.
On the road 89
A WARNING
-Never remove the key from the ignition
lock wh ile the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel will lock caus ing loss of
control.
- If you have to leave your vehicle - even
for just a minute -always remove the ig­
nition key and take it with you. This is es­
pecia lly important if you are going to
leave children behind in the vehicle. The
children could start the engine or use
other vehicle controls. Unsupervised use
of vehicle controls (for example, power
windows) can cause serious personal in­
juries.
(D Tips
If the vehicle battery has been disconnect­
ed and then reconnected, then you must leave the key in position @for about 5
seconds before you can start the engine.
Ignition key safety lock
Applies to vehicles: wit h automatic transmission
The ignition key can only be removed when
the selector lever is in the "P" (Park) position.
Place the selector lever in the "P" position be­
fore switching off the engine .
After switching off the ign ition, the ignition
key can on ly be removed from the ignition
lock when the selector lever is in the "P"
(Park) position. After you have removed the
key, the se lector lever is locked and cannot be
moved.

92 On the road
On ly afte r th e ve hic le has come to com­
plete stop, shou ld you f irm ly set t he park­
ing b rake and either move the gea rshift
lever into 1st. gear (manual transm iss ion)
or move the selector lever into "P" (Auto­
mat ic transm ission).
Parking
To prevent a parked vehicle from rolling
away, there are a few things you should do.
When you park your ve hicle, do the following:
• Stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.
• Set the parking brake firmly.
• Move the selector lever into the
P position
( automatic transmi ssion ) or move the gear­
shift lever into 1st. gear
( manual t ransmi s­
s ion )<=:> .&,. .
• Switch off the eng ine and remove the igni-
t ion key from the ignit ion lock.
What else you shou ld do when p ark ing
your vehicl e on an incline or decline
Turn the stee ring wheel so that if the vehicle
should start to ro ll, it will roll into the curb.
If you are parking on a
decl ine (the front of
your ve hicle facing downhill), turn the front
wheels to the right so that they point
toward
the curb .
If you are parking on an incline (the font of
your ve hicle facing up hill), turn the front
wheels to the left so that they po int
away
from the curb.
Move the selector lever into the P pos ition
( automatic transmiss ion ) or move the gear­
sh ift lever into 1st . gear
(manua l tran smis­
sion) .
A WARNING
This is how yo u can red uce the risk of i n­
jury whe n leaving your veh icle.
- N ever park the v ehicle whe re it can come
in co ntac t wi th dry grass, sp illed f uel or
any ot her flammable m ater ials.
-
- Never a llow anyone -espec ially sma ll
children -to remain in the veh icle when
it is locked. Locked doors make it more
difficult for rescue rs to access t he pas­
senger compartment in t he event of an
emergency . Danger to life!
- Never leave children unsuperv ised in the
veh icle. Children could release t he pa rk­
i n g b rake or move the gearsh ift leve r out
of gear. The vehicle cou ld start to ro ll
a way an d ca use an acc ident.
- No matte r what the season is, the tem ­
pe rat ure in a par ked veh icle can reach
d angerous leve ls .
Starting on hills
App lies to vehicles : wi th hill ho ld assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on
hills .
Requirement: The dr iver's door m ust be
cl osed, the seat bel t m ust be buckled and the
engine m ust be running.
The system is activated w hen the brake peda l
is dep ressed
for a few se cond s.
After releasing the brake pedal, the brake
power is held for a
brief moment to p revent
the ve hicl e from rolling back when starting. At
t hi s time, you ca n easi ly beg in to move your
vehicle.
A WARNING
= -
- If you di d no t begin moving immed iate ly
after releasing the brake pedal , under
certain ci rcumstances, the vehicle would
begin to ro ll backward. Depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake.
- Sh ould the engine sta ll, depress the
brake peda l immediately or engage the
hand brake .
- In order to prevent the vehicle from roll­
i n g back unintentionally when starting in
stop-and-go traffic, keep the brake pedal
depressed fo r a few seconds before driv-
ing off.
Ii),

100 Transmi ssion
& WARNING
Hill Descent Assist cannot overcome phys i­
cal lim itations, so it may not be possible to
ma intain a constant vehicle speed under
all circumstances. Always be ready to ap­
ply the b rakes.
tiptronic operation
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
Tiptronic allows the driver to shift gears man­
ually .
Fig. 112 Center console: Manua l shift ing (tiptronic)
Fig. 113 Disp lay: Manual shifting (t iptro nic)
Switching to manual
~
"' d. .. m
• Push the selector leve r to the right from D .
As the transm ission has switched,
6 5 4 3 2
1 appea rs in the display, with t he gear that
is engaged highlighted.
Upshifting
• Tap the selector lever forwa rd (in the t ip­
t ron ic sett ing)
Q fig. 112 G).
Down shifting
• Tap the selector lever backward (in the t ip­
tronic sett ing)
0 -
Switching to manual can be carried out with
the vehicle stationary as we ll as moving.
When accelera ting, the transmission sh ifts in­
to the next gear shortly before the maximum
permissible engine speed is reached .
If you have selected a lower gear than the cur­
ren t one, the t ransmission w ill on ly shift down
when the eng ine ca nnot be overspeeded.
If kick-down is actuated, the transmission
shifts into a lower gear independently of
speed and eng ine rpm.
Steering wheel with Tiptronic ® controls
Applies to vehicles: with 5 tronic® and with T iptronic con­
trols on the steering wheel
The selector paddles allow the driver to keep
both hands on the steering wheel when shift­
ing gears .
Fig . 1 14 Sport steering whee l w ith selector paddles
Shifting up
• Pull the right paddle, marked 0 ¢ fig. 114
briefly towards you.
Shifting down
• Pull the left padd le, marked 0 ¢ fig. 114
briefly towards you .
The selector paddles on the steering wheel
are activated when the selector lever on the
center console is in
D , S , or in the manual po­
s ition (Tiptronic mode).
You can also shift gears in the Tiptronic mode
us ing the selector lever on the center console . ..,.

@ Tips
With the gear selector lever in either "D"
or "S" the transmiss ion will sw itch back to
the automatic mode if you do not use the paddles within approx. 30 seconds.
Kick-down feature
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
The kick-down feature allows maximum ac­
celeration .
If you depress the accelerator pedal fully be­
yond the full-thrott le position, the transmis­
sion automatically downshifts one gear, de­ pending on vehicle speed and engine rpm. The
upsh ift into the next higher gear takes place
as soon as the max imum specified engine
speed is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin
if the kick-down is used on a smooth s lip­
pery road -ris k of skid ding!
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with Launch Control and S tronic® and
Gasoline engine only
The Launch Control Program permits maxi­
mum acceleration .
In order to use launch Control, the ASR (Anti­
Slip Regulation) must be disabled. When ASR is disabled, the ESP warning/ind icator
light
G1 in the instrument cluste r illuminates .
So that la unch Control ca n be used, the en­
g ine must be at ope rating temperature a nd
the steer ing wheel mus t not be tu rned.
... With the eng ine run ning, briefly press the
ES P bu tton. The message "ASR off" appea rs
in the instrument cluster d isp lay.
... Sh ift th e gea r lever to "5" or the tip tronic ®
pos it ion.
... Step on t he b rake peda l w it h your left foot
and keep the brake peda l fully depressed for
at least one second.
... With your right foot, step on the accelera­
tor to the w ide-open throttle position o r
Transm iss ion 10 1
Kickdown. The engine speed sett les at about
3 ,200 rpm.
... Take your left foot
off the b rake .
A WARNING
-Always adapt your dr iving to the traffic
f low.
- On ly use launch Control when road and
traffic cond itions allow it and other dr iv­
ers will not be endangered or annoyed by
your driving and th e acce le rat ion of the
veh icle.
- Ma ke sure that ESP remains enab led.
W ith the ESP disabled, the vehicle could
brake away, part icu la rly on a s lick and
slippe ry r oad - ri sk of s kidding!
- Once acceleration is finished, switch ASR
on again by br iefly pushing t he ESP but­
ton.
Back-up program
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
-
In the event of a system malfunction, there is
an back-up program.
In the event of system malfunction, the auto­
matic transmission switches to the fa il-safe
mode . All of the selecto r lever posi tion d is­
plays for the au toma tic tra nsmission a re high­
li gh ted wi th a ligh t background in t he i nstr u­
ment cluster d isp lay . In some cases yo u can ­
not drive in the reve rse gear any more .
If the t ransmission swit ches to fail-safe
mode, yo u should ta ke the ve hicl e to an a u­
thorized Aud i dea le rship as soon as possib le
to have the condition corrected.
Clutch is overheating
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic®
• Clutch is overheating! Please stop vehi­
cle!
If the symbols are i llum ina ted, the clutch is
ove rheati ng and could be dama ged if you con­
tin ue to drive . Stop the vehicle and a llow the
transmission to cool with the se lector lever in
the
P position w hile the engine runs at idle . If Iii-

104 Driving Safel y
• Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restra int
correct ly to protect children<=>
page 143 ,
Child Safe ty .
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same<=>
page 61 ,
General recomm endations .
• Fasten your safety bel t an d wear it properly.
Also ins truc t you r passengers to f aste n t heir
sa fety belts properly<=>
page 113 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s directly rela ted to the condi ­
t ion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver 's abili ty to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsib le fo r the s afety of the
ve hicl e an d all of i ts occupants . If you r ability
to d rive is impai red, safety r is k s for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road <=>
&_.
Therefore:
• Do no t let yo urself be dist racted by passen ­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER drive when yo ur dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol , drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws , rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS adjust you r speed to road , traff ic
and weathe r con dit ions .
• Take frequent b reaks on long t rips. Do not
dr ive for more than two hours a t a str etch .
• Do NOT drive whe n you are t ired , under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
t ant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fi g. 1 17 Correc t seat ing posit ion
For yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust t he driver's seat to the
fo llow ing pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keepi ng your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ &_ .
• Adjust the a ngle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full conta ct w ith it when you d rive.
• Adjust t he steer ing whee l so that there is a
d is tance of at least 1 0 inches (2 5 cm) be ­
t ween the steer ing whee l and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 117. I f not possible, see your a u­
thorized A udi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that t he steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover poi nts at your
ch est and not a t your face .
• Grasp the top of the s teer ing wh ee l with
your elb ow(s) slightly ben t.
• Adjust t he head rest ra in t so t he up per edge
is as even as poss ible wi th th e top of y our
head . If that is not possi ble, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le .
• Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
<=>page 116.

~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 62, Adjusting front
seats manually
or ¢ page 63, Adjusting the
power seat .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys .
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
Driving Safely 105
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 143. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 122.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
~ Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢page 107.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 116.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 61.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
-
•
•

occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
¢ fig. 123. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that 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. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers
r::;; fig. 124. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas ­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
Fig. 125 Drive r is correct ly restrained in a sudden brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts 115
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

122 Airbag sys te m
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 104,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 62,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 116,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children¢
page 143.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplementa l airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to sit properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag ca n inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental p rotec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions¢
page 104.
For detai ls on the operation o f the seat ad­
justment contro ls
¢ page 63.
It 's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 143.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Audi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the drive r side ca n do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con­
d ition that p revents you from sitt ing proper ly on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the Advanced Airbag System,
please contact your author ized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop, or ca ll Audi Cus ­
tomer CAR E at 1-800-822-2834 for possible
modifications to your vehicle .
When the airbag system deploys, a gas gener­ ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad ­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The a ir­
bags will defla te immed iately after dep loy­
me nt so that the front occupants can see
t h rough the windshie ld again witho ut inter ­
ruption.
All of th is takes place in the b lin k of an eye , so
f ast that many peop le don't even realize that
the ai rbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a g reat deal of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
Front a irbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting pa rts of the inside of the
vehicle while reducing the forces act ing on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of t he
body.
Both front airbags w ill not inflate in all fronta l
co llisions . The triggering of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece leration rate
caused by the co llision and registered by the
electron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit , the airbags will not be triggered ,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a resu lt of the co llision . Ve hicle damage, re­
pair costs o r even the lack of ve hicle damage
is not necessari ly an indica tion of whether an
airbag shou ld inflate or not .
S ince the circumstances wi ll vary considerably
betwee n one co llision and ano ther, it is not .,.