sensor AUDI A6 2018 Owner's Manual

Ass is tance sy stem s
-If vehicles are a pproach ing or being left
behind very quickly. The display may not
turn on in time.
- In poor weather conditions such as heavy
rain, snow or heavy mist.
- On very wide lanes, in tight curves, or if
there is a rise in the road surface. Vehicles
in the adjacent lane may not be detected because they are outside of the sensor
range.
- Audi side assist cannot detect all vehicles
under all conditions, which can increase the
risk of accidents .
- Please note that side assist only displays ap­
proaching vehicles or vehicles in your bl ind
spot if your vehicle is traveling at least
1 9 mph (30 km/h).
- In certai n situations, the system may not
work or its function may be limited. For ex­ amp le:
- The display may not turn on at the rig ht
time if vehicles are approaching or passing
very quick ly.
- In poor weather conditions, such as heavy
rain, snow or fog.
- In very wide lanes, in tight curves or when
there are slopes in the roadway, vehicles
in the neighboring lanes may not be de­
tected because they are outside of the
sensor range.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. Th is can impa ir the system. Have
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility check their function .
(D Tips
-If the window g lass in the driver's door or
front passenger's door has been tinted, the display in the exterio r mirror may be incor­
r ect.
- Fo r an explanation on conformity with the
FCC regulations in the Uni ted States and the
Industry Ca nada regu lations, see
¢page 2 50.
100
Switching on and off
App lies to : vehicles wi th Audi side ass ist
Fig. 107 Driver 's door : s ide ass ist button
.,. Press the button to sw itch the system on and
off ¢.&. in General information on page 99 .
The LED in the button turns on when side assist
is switched on.
Adjusting the display brightness
App lies to: vehicles wit h Audi side ass ist
The display brightness can be adjusted in the In­
fotainment system .
.,. Select: the I CARI function button > (Car)* Sys­
tems contro l button > Driv er a ssistan ce> Audi
s ide assi st .
The display brightness adjusts automatically to
the brightness of the surroundings, both in the
i nformation and in the warning stage . In very
dark o r very bright surround ings, the automatic
adjustment will set the display to the minimum
o r max imum level. In su ch cases, yo u may notice
no c hange when adjusting the br igh tness, or the
change may only be noticeab le once the sur ­
round ings change.
Adjus t the br igh tness to a level whe re the display
i n the information stage will not disrupt yo ur
view ahea d. If you change the br igh tness, the dis ­
play in the exterior mirror wi ll br iefly show the
brightness level in the information stage. The
brightness of the warning stage is linked to the
br ightness in the information stage and is adjust-
ed along with the information stage .
..,

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(D Tips
-Side assist is not active w hile you are mak­
i ng the ad justment.
- Your settings are automatically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key being
used.
Messages
App lies to: ve hicles with Audi side assist
If side assist switches off by i tself, the LED in the
button turns off and a message will appear in the
i nstr ument cluster d isplay:
Audi side a ssist: Currently una vailable . N o
senso r vision
The radar sensor v is ion is impaired . Do not cover
the area in front of the sensors with bike wheels, stickers, dirt or other objects . Clean the area in
front of the senso rs , if
necessa ry ~ page 99 ,
fig . 106.
Audi side as sist: Currently un avail able
Side assist cannot be switched on at th is time be ­
cause there is a malfunction (for example , the
battery charge level may be too low) .
Audi side as sist : System fault!
The sys tem cannot guarantee that it will detect
veh icles correctly and it has switched off. The
sensors have been moved or are faulty . H ave the
system checked by an authorized Audi dealer or
author ized Audi Se rvice Facility soon .
Audi side assist: Unav ailable when towing
Side assist sw itches off automatically when a fac­
tory-ins talled trailer hi tch is connected to the
e lectrical connector on the trailer . There is no
gua rantee the system will sw itch off when using
a retrofi tte d trai ler hitch. Do not use s ide ass ist
when towing a t railer.
A ssi st a nce systems
Night vision assist with
pedestrian and wild
animal detection
Description
Applies to : vehicles wit h night vision assist
The night vision assist con detect, highlight and,
if n ecessary, warn about p ed estrians and large
wild animals.
Night vision assist wit h pedest rian and wi ld ani ­
mal detection assists you at night by using an in­
frared camera to monitor the a rea in front of
your vehicle, within the limits of the system. It can d isplay objects up to a distance of approxi­
mately 1000 feet (300 m). The thermal image
detected by the camera is shown in the inst ru­
ment cluster d isp lay. Wa rm areas appear lighter
and co ld areas appear da rker.
Highlighting detected pedestrians and wild
animals
Appl ies to: vehicles with night vision assist
Fig. 1 08 In strum ent cluster: ye llow highlig h ted pedes ­
tria ns
Fi g. 10 9 Ins trumen t cl uster : sy mb ol when t he in frar ed im ­
age is not v is ib le
Wi thin the limi ts of the sys tem, the night v is io n
ass ist can detec t pedestr ians and wild animals
.,_
101

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Parking systems
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles with pa rk in g system p lus/rearview cam ­
era/peripheral camera
Depending on your vehicle 's equipment, various
pa rking aids wi ll help you when parking and ma­
ne uvering.
The
p arki ng sys tem plu s assists you when park­
ing by aud ibly and visua lly indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the ve hicle
¢page 108.
The re arv ie w ca mer a shows the area beh ind the
veh icle in the Infotainment system d isplay. The
lines in the rearview came ra image help you to
pa rk or maneuver
¢ page 109.
The peripher al c amer as assist you with parking
and maneuvering . You are aided by var ious cam­
eras depend ing on the vehicle equipment leve l
¢page 112. The pa rking system pl us functions
are also availab le
¢ pag e 108.
& WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it direct ly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attent ion. The driver is always
responsible when enter ing or leav ing a park­
ing space and during similar maneuvers .
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
-
-Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich people and objects cannot be detect­
ed . Be especially caut ious of small children
and animals .
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator gr ille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody . The park­
ing system may be impa ired as a result.
Have a n author ized A udi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility check their func ­
tion .
- Make s ure the senso rs a re not obstructed by
stickers, deposits o r other materia ls. If they
are, the sensor function could be impaired.
For additiona l information on cleaning, see
¢ page 221. Parking
syste m s
@ Note
-Some objects are not detected or disp layed
by the system under certain circumstances:
- objects such as barrier cha ins, tra iler draw
ba rs, vertical po les o r fences
- objects above the sensors such as wall ex ­
tensions
- objects with certain surfaces or structures
such as cha in l ink fences or powder snow
- If you continue driving closer to a low ob­
ject, it may disappear from the sensor range . Note that you will no longer be
wa rned about t his obstacle.
- Keep enough distance from the curb to re­
duce the risk of damage to the rims .
(D Tips
-The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover­
age area in some situat ions, such as:
- certain road surfaces or when there is tall grass
- externa l ultrasonic sources such as from
cleaning vehicles
- in heavy rain, snow, o r th ick vehicle ex ­
h aust
- We recommend tha t you practice par king in
a traff ic-free location or parking lot to be ­
come fami liar with the system . W hen doing
this, there shou ld be good light and weath ­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of the
signa ls as well as the
d isplay ¢ page 117.
-Please refer to the instructions for towing a
trai ler located in
¢ page 117 .
-What appea rs in the infotainment display is
somewhat time -delayed .
- Th e sensors m ust be kep t clean and free of
snow and ice for the parking aid to operate .
107

Parking systems
Parking system plus
Description
Applies to: ve hicles with park ing system p lus
Parking system plus provides audio and v isual
signals when parking .
C>
Fig. 114 Disp la y fi eld
Sensors are located in the front and rear bump­
ers. If these detect an obstacle , audible and visu­
al signals warn you.
Make sure the sensors are not covered by stick­
ers, depos its or any other obstructions as it may
impair the sensor function. For information on
cleaning, see
¢ page 221.
The display field begins approximately at:
® 4 ft (1.20 m)
® 3 ft (0.90 m)
© 5.2 ft (1.60 m)
@ 3 ft (0.90 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signals. A con­
tinuous tone sounds when the obstacle is less
than approximately 1 foot (0.30 meters) away.
Do not continue driving forward or in reverse
¢ & in General information on page 10 7, ¢ ([) in
General information on page 107!
If the distance to an obstacle remains constant,
the volume of the distance warning gradually
drops after about four seconds (th is does not ap­
p ly in the continuous tone range) .
108
Switching on/off
Applies to : vehicles with parking system plus
Fig. 115 Center console : par kin g aid b utto n
Switching on
.. Shift into reverse, or
.. Press the PwA button in the center console
¢ fig. 115 . A short confirmation tone sounds
and the LED in the button turns on .
Switching off
.. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
.. Press the PwA button, or
.. Switch the ignition off.
Visual display
The segments in front of and behind the vehicle
help you to determine the distance between you
and an obstacle .
The red lines mark the expected direction of trav­
el according to the steering angle. A white seg­
ment indicates an identified obstacle that is out­
side of the vehicle's path . Red segments show
identified obstacles that are in your vehicle's
path. As your vehicle comes closer to the obsta­
cle, the segments move closer to the vehicle . The
collision area has been reached when the next to
last segment is displayed . Obstacles in the colli­
s io n area, including those outside of the vehicle 's
path , are shown in red. Do not continue driving
forward or in
reverse ¢ & in General information
on page 107 ,
¢(D in General information on
page
107!

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Adjusting the display and the warning tones
A ppl ies to : ve hicles w ith parkin g system plus/rearv iew cam­
era/peripheral ca mera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: the ICARI fu nction button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control b utton > Driver assistance > Park­
ing aid .
Display
On * -
an op tical d isp lay is shown for the par kin g
system plus, a rearv iew camera image is s hown
for the rearview camera *.
Off -when the p arking sys tem is sw itche d off,
on ly audib le sign als are give n.
Signal tones
Front volume -
volume for the front area
Rear volume -volume for the rear area
Front frequency -frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -frequen cy fo r the rea r area
Music volume during nav . prompts -the volume
of the a udio/video so urce is lowe red when t he
pa rking system is turned o n
The new value is g iven briefly during the adjust­
ment.
(D Tips
- The wa rning tones ca n also be ad justed d i­
r ectly by the vis ual d isp lay or the pictu re
from the camera. Simply p ress the
Settings
co ntro l bu tton.
- Changed set tings are ac tivated whe n the
parking system is swi tched o n aga in.
- The settings for volume and frequency are
a utomat ica lly saved and ass igned to the re­
mo te con trol key be ing used.
Error messages
A pp lies to: ve hicles with parking system plus/rearview cam­
era/per ipheral ca mera
There is an erro r in the system if the LED in the
Pw , button is b link ing and yo u hear a continuous
Parking systems
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
par king system or w hen the pa rking system is a l­
r eady activated. If the erro r is not cor rected be ­
fo re you switch off the ignition, the
LED in the Pw ,
button w ill blink the next time you switch on the
park ing system by shifting into reverse.
Parking system plus*
If a senso r is fa ulty, the~ symbo l will appear i n
front of/beh ind the vehicle in the Infotainment
display. If a rear sensor is faulty, on ly obstacles
t h at are i n areas @and @ are shown
<=> page 108, fig . 114 . If a front se nsor is faulty,
o n ly obs tacles tha t are in a reas © and @are
shown. The re is a lso a sys tem ma lf u nct ion if all
seg ments arou nd the veh icle are red or if no seg­
me nts are disp laye d.
Peripheral cameras*
The re is a system malfu nction if t he 00 • symbol
appea rs and the co rresponding d isp lay area is
s h own in bl ue. The camera is not wo rking in t his
are a.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to: vehicles wit h parking system pl us/rea rv iew cam ­
e ra/peri phe ra l cameras an d tra ile r hitc h
When the trailer socket is in use, the par king sys­
tem rear sensors are not act ivated when you sh ift
into reverse gear or when yo u press t he
p,,1A but­
ton. This res ults in the following rest rict ions.
Parking system plus*
The re is no distance warning for the rear. The
front senso rs remain activated. T he v isua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode.
Rearview camera*/peripheral cameras*
T he re is no distance warning for the rea r. The
front senso rs remain activated . The visua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode. The rearview came ra
i mage will not s how the orie ntation lines and t he
bl ue surfaces.
.,..
117

Airbag syste m
Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag S ystem con sists
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . The control unit also "de ­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detect io n system under­
neath t he front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The info rm ation registe red
is sent continuous ly to the e lectronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad ­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
Q page 154 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor ­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control un it to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags .
- The
PASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel
Q page 154, fig . 154 and tells you when
the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger
s ide has been turned off .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenge r that senses
whethe r th at safety belt is latched or not and
t ransm its this info rmat ion to the electronic
contro l unit.
150
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced A irbag System from function ing
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacit ive pas­
senger detect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capaci tive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect in format ion is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child res tra int system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows, blankets, or
sim ila r items on the front passenge r seat.
The additional laye rs prevent the capac it ive

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A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be seri ­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air-
-
Airbag system
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is not , or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING ...__ -
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
153

Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:~ (USA models) /!f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with eject ion
mitigation features (including the e lectroni c con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ion ing prope rly whenever the ignition is
on . Every time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
II (USA models) 1fll
(Canada models) will come on for a few seconds
(function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models) tfll
(Canada models):
-does not come on w hen the ignition is switched
on,
-does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
-comes on wh ile driving .
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
ind icator light wi ll come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the igni tion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
-If the airbag indicato r light ¢page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
154
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 154 Sect io n fro m t he inst rume nt panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel ¢
fig. 154.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic contro l unit . If the bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, the
airbag indicator light
II (USA models) a (Can­
ada models) will come on to signal a malfunction
i n the Advanced A irbag System. Although the
burned-out bulb will not change the way the
front passenger's frontal airbag works, it wi ll no
l onger be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht to make sure that the a irbag on/
off status is correct for the occupant on the front
passenger seat . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed immediately by your author ized Audi dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
-the ignition is switched on and
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
.,..

Airbag system
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE·
PLACEMENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al
-special handling may apply , see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo ­
rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts , shock
absorb ers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
158
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig . 155 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel ¢
fig. 155, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itional protect ion to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deployment
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J '<t
The side airbags are located in t he sides of the
front seat backrests
c:!;>fig . 157 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever us ing a child
rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts
¢page 134,
Airbag system <:!;>page 142, Chi ld safety
¢page 166.
Th e s ide airbag system ba sically con sis ts of :
-the electron ic control module and externa l side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument cl us-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is io n. T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the veh icle accelerat ion reg ­
istered by the contro l un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the c ircumsta nces will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he natu re (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he a ngle of impact, vehicle
Airbag syste m
speed, etc. ¢ page 16 2, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir norm al safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver o r front pas ­
senger in position in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
T he air bag system is
not a substitute fo r you r
sa fety be lt. Ra ther, i t is pa rt of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehi cle. Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
soc:!;> page 134, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
bur ns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled air bag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have al ready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end col lisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
..,
161