airbag off AUDI A5 COUPE 2012 Owners Manual

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
reduced speed to a qualified workshop. Steer ­
ing can be more difficult or sensitive than usu­
a l. The steering wheel may also be at an ang le
when dr iving stra ight.
_&. WARNING
Have the dynamic steering system mal­
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authorized Audi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
@ Tips
- If the ,'2:"J indicator light flashes, dynam ic
steering is being re-initialized. The driver
i nformat ion system display shows the
words "Dynamic steering: initialization"
¢ page 34.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warn ing/indicator light (Electronic
Powe r Control) illuminates when you turn o n
the ignition as a function check.
(D Tips
If th is warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are dr iving, then the re is a mal­
function in the engine elect ron ics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
sible by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r o r
qua lified workshop .
J;. ID Electronic stabilization program
(ESP)
If the Jjj indicator lamp blinks while dr iv ing,
the ESP or ASR (Ant i- Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating .
If the
D] i ndicator lamp ill uminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESP off. I n this case, you
can switch the ignition off and then on to
switch the ESP on again . The system is func- tion
ing comp lete ly when the indicator lamp
switches off.
If t he I ind icator lamp illum inates, the ESP
was switched off w ith the
I~ O FF I button.
Stabili sation program and ABS fault ! See
owner' s manual
If the Ii] indicator lamp a nd the ti] ABS indi­
cator lamp illum inate and the driver message
appears, the ABS or electro nic different ia l lock
is malfunct io ni ng . This a lso inte rrupts the
E S P. The brakes s till function with their nor­
mal power, but ABS is not active.
D rive to your author ized A udi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected .
Fo r more information about the ESP
¢ page 204.
tli I !.Jr Safety systems
T he I (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) i n­
di ca tor light mon itors the safety systems e .g.
airbags, pretens ione rs and illuminates fo r a
f ew seconds each time you switch the ignit ion
on .
If the I (USA models) /. (Canada models)
indica to r ligh t does not go o ut, or if it ill umi ­
na tes while you are driving, o r if i t starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhe re
in the system. If the light does not i lluminate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
_&. WARNING
If you have a ma lfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dea ler
immediately . Othe rwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an ac ci­
d ent.

-Do not leave children inside the vehicle
unsupervised. In an emergency it would
be impossible to open the doors from
the outside without the key.
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside .
- If the power lock ing system should mal­
function, you can lock the driver's door
using the mechanical key
q page 44.
- If the power lock ing system should fail,
you can still open the fuel tank flap in an
emergency
c:> page 235 .
-You are well advised not to keep valua­
bles inside an unattended vehicle, visible
or not . Even a properly locked vehicle
cannot provide the security of a safe.
- If the LED in the upper edge of the driv­
er's door panel comes on for about 30
seconds after the vehicle is locked, there
i s a ma lfunction in the power locking or
the anti-theft warning system. Have the
malfunction corrected by an authorized
Audi dealership or qualified repair facili­
ty.
Setting power locking
The driver can determine the functions for
power locking in the radio or MMI*.
In the Central locking menu you can decide
which doors should be unlocked when open ­
ing the vehicle.
.,. Se lect :
I CAR I funct ion button > Central lock-
ing .
For example, if you switch the item Unlocking
single door On ,
the passenger 's doo r is no
longer included in the power Locking system,
and will not be unlocked by p ress ing the un­
l ock button on the master key remote control.
You can continue to unloc k all the doors and
the rear lid as before. Press the open ing but­
ton on the master key tw ice.
Opening and closing 41
In addition to this, the Auto locking can be
switched on and off.
When locki ng the vehicle, all doors and the
trunk lid are locked automatically.
If you switch
Trunk lid/tailgate On, then the
handle on the rear lid
c:> page 44 , fig. 42 is
locked . In this case the rear lid can be opened
with the button
cs on the master key
c:> page 41, fig. 36 or with the un locking
button in the dr iver 's door
c:> page 44,
fig .
41 .
When yo u se lect Confirmation tone On, a
confirmation tone sounds when yo u lock the
vehicle.
Unlocking and locking the vehicle with
the remote control
Fig. 36 Remote control: f unc tion buttons
Either the driver's door on ly or the entire vehi­
cle wi ll unlock when the unlock button @is
pressed once, depending on the settings in
the MMI
Central locking menu c:> page 41 .
.,. Press button ffi (@ ) to unlock the vehicle
c:> fig. 36.
.,. Press button ffi (@ ) to lock the vehicle ¢ A
in General description on page 40 .
.,. Press button cs( @) briefly to unlock the
rear lid .
.,. Press the button
cs for at least one second
to open the rear lid .
.,. Push the red
I PANIC I button ( @ ) to activate
the panic function. The horn sounds and the
turn signa ls flash . P ush the red
!PANIC I but ­
ton again to deactivate the panic function.
If th e vehicle is unlocked and no door, the rear
lid or the hood is opened within 60 seconds, .,._

convenience functions. It is possible that
you wi ll not be able to unlock your vehi­
cle using these convenience funct ions.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions ¢
page 296.
Operating locks with the mechanical key
In the event of a failure of the power locking
system, the driver 's door can locked and un­
locked with the mechanical key at the lock
cylinder .
Fig. 38 Key turns for ope ning and clo sin g
To unlock the vehicle
... Insert the mechanical key into the lock of
the driver 's door .
... Turn the mechanical key to pos ition @
¢fig . 38.
To lock the vehicle
... Move the selector lever to the P position
(automat ic transmission*) .
... Close all windows and doors properly .
"' -0 0 0
"' m
... Turn the mechanical key in the lock of the
driver's door to the lock positio n @ ¢ &
in
General description on page
40.
I f the power locking system fai ls, the re is
emergency locking fo r the passenger's door
¢page 44.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ¢.&. in
General description on page
40.
-
Opening and closing 43
@ Tips
-After the ignition is switched on, the
power locking system switch and the un­
locking button for the rear lid
a in the
door are enabled.
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
Fig . 39 D river's door: power locking switch
... Press the button @to lock the vehicle¢ & .
... Press the button@ to unlock the vehicle
¢fig. 39.
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking
switch, please note the following:
- If a door is open, the vehicle cannot be
locked using the power locking system
switch .
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the
outside (increased security, for ex ­
ample when you are stopped at a red light) .
- The diodes in the power locking switch illu­
minate when all the doors are closed and
locked.
- You can unlock and open the doors from the
inside by pulling on the door handle.
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically unlock.
A WARNING
-The power locking switch works with the
ignit ion off and automat ically locks the
entire vehicle when it is actuated.
- On a vehicle locked from the outside the
power locking system switch is inopera­
tive .

52 Clear vis ion
Adaptive light
App lies to vehicles: with adaptive lig ht
When driving around bends, the relevant area
of the road is better illuminated .
Fig. S1 Adaptive light whe n dr iving
The benefit of adaptive l ight is that the c urve
and the edge of the road are better illuminat­
ed
c:::> fig . 51. Dynamic adaptive light is con ­
trolled a utomatica lly, depending on vehicle
speed and steering wheel angle.
When driving around bends, the headlights
are contro lled according to steering wheel an ­
g le. So that there is no black hole ahead of the
vehicle, the two main beams pivot at different
angles.
(D Tips
The system works above a speed of about
6 mph (10 km/h).
Emergency flashers
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle ore in an
emergency situation.
F ig. S2 Eme rgency flasher switc h
.. Press the switch J}. c:::> fig . 52 to turn the
eme rgency flashers on or
off.
When the emergency flashers are on, all four
turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights
RII in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher sw itch
J}. blink likewise. The emergen­
cy flashers a lso work when the ignition is
tu rned
off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automat i­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed .
@ Tips
You should turn on the emergency f lashers
when:
- you are the last vehicle standing in a traf­
fic jam so that any other vehicles coming
can see you, or when
- your vehicle has broken down or you are
in an emergency situation, or when
- your vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle beh ind you.
Turn signals and high beam lever
The lever on the left side of the steering col­
umn is used to operate the turn signals and
the high beam as well as the headlight flash­
er .
t
'
Fi g. S3 Tu rn signal and high bea m lever
The turn signa l and hig h beam lever has the
f o llow ing funct ions:
Turn signals ¢ ¢
.. Lift the leve r up a ll the way c:::> fig . 53 (D to
use t he right turn s ignals, or push the lever
down a ll th e way @to use the left tur n sig-
na ls. ..,

Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
- your body is properly supported thus reduc­ ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 162.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion regard ing child safety provided in
¢ page 186, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion. Th is applies especially to the passen­
gers . If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position
is incorrect, this could result in persona l
injury or even death.
- It is important for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of a t
Seat s an d sto rage 61
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that t hey
can give you maximum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer­
ing wheel o r instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle cont rol and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust t he seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees s lightly bent
i:::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 61.
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
the head res traint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le
i:::> page 67.
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal funct ion . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate.

64 Seats and storage
Adjusting the curvature of the lumbar
s up port *
• Push the switch plate @forward or back ­
ward to increase or reduce the curvature .
Adjusting the height of the lumbar
s uppo rt*
• Push the switch plate @ up or down to po­
sition the curvature higher or lower.
Fore -and-aft adjustment
• Push the sw itch @ forward or backward
r=;, pag e 63, fig . 68.
Adjusting seat height
• Pull or push the switch @ up or down .
Front seat cush ion up / down
• Press the sw itch @ at the front up or down.
Rear s eat cushion up / down
• Press the sw itch @ at the rear up o r down .
Adjusting seatback angle
• Push the sw itch © forward or backward .
Head restr aint height adjustm ent*
• Press the switch © from up to down or the
other way .
Lengthen ing or short enin g upper thigh
s uppo rt *
• Lift the button @ under the seat cushion.
The front seat cushion moves forward under
spring force.
• Push the seat cush ion back whe n you have
finished using it .
_& WARNING
-Adjust the d river's seat only when the ve­
hicle is s tat ionary. You r isk an acc iden t
otherwise.
- T he power adjustment for the front seats
also wo rks w ith the ignition switched off
or with the igni tion key removed . For this
reason, children sho uld never be left un­
attended in t he veh icle -they could be in ­
jured! -
Exerc ise caution when adjusting the seat
he ight. Unsupervised or careless seat ad­
justment can pinch fingers or hands
causing injuries .
- W hile the vehicle is mov ing, the seat
backs of the front seats must not be in­
clined too far to the rear because the ef­
fectiveness of the safety be lts and the
airbag system is seve rely comp romised -
there is a risk of injury.
Easy entry function
App lies to vehicles: wit h power adjustable seats
The easy entry function makes it easier for
the rear passengers ta enter and leave the ve­
hicle.
Fig . 69 D river 's sea t: Co ntro ls for eas y entry ass ist
Folding down th e front seat back s
• Lift the latch ¢ fig. 69.
• Tilt the seatback forward.
Moving the front seats forward
• Press and hold the sw itch @ unti l the seat
has reached the desired position .
Moving front seats back
• Press and hold the sw itch @ until the seat
has reached the desired position . T he seat
s tops automatically when i t has reac hed its
s tarting posi tion again.
To make it eas ier to enter and leave the rear
seat, the seatbacks of the fro nt seats can be
folded fo rward and the head restraints are au­
tomat ica lly lowered . At the same time, the
front seats can be moved forward and back.

92 On the road
On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted .
Fig. 104 Lever under the s tee ring colum n
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly .
• Pull the lever
o fig . 104 -Arrow -o &_.
-
" a, a,
• Move the steering whee l to the desired po­
s it ion.
• Push the lever aga inst the steering column
u ntil it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­ tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing 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
o page 63.
The steering wheel can be adjusted even when
the ign ition is turned off. For vehicles wi th
seat memory, the individual positions for the
steering wheel can be stored a long with the
seat position .
A WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury .
-Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
-
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering whee l
so that there is a m inimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steer ing whee l
r::;,page 145, fig . 162 . If
you cannot maintain th is m inimum dis­
tance, the a irbag system cannot protect
you properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is ava ilable .
- If the steer ing whee l is aligned with your
face, the supplementa l dr iver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident. Always make sure that the
steer ing whee l is aligned with your
chest .
- Always hold the steering wheel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steeri ng wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub. Holding the steer ing wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock and ignition switch
Starting engine with the key
The igni tion is switched on and the engine
started with the ignition key .
Fig. 105 Ig nitio n key

-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.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un ­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- 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 186 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
<=:> page 162.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Driving Safely 147
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position<=:>
page 70.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:>page 157 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro ­
priate for their size and age
Q page 186.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restra ints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on im ­
portant por t of your vehicle 's occupant re­
straint system and con help to reduce the risk
of injuries in occident situations .
Fig. 163 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
"' ...
"' 0 ±
~
•
•

156 Safety belts
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 <=>
fig. 169. 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. 170 Drive r is co rrect ly res trained in a sudden brak­
ing maneuve r
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 substantial­ 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 veh icle 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!

162 Airbag sys tem
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, a lways:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 145,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 62,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 15 7,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children¢
page 186.
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 145,
Proper occupant seating positions .
For detai ls
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 63.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 186.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individua l
safety features ins talled in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide can do i ts
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the peda ls , spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834 .
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener­
ator will f ill the ai rbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inf late between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru ­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the w indshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is take s place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a g reat dea l of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
F ront a irbags in combination with properly
worn safety bel ts slow down and lim it the oc ­
c u pant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the drive r and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and uppe r body i n the c rash . A irbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags w ill not i nflate in all fronta l
collisions . The t rigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
c aused by the co llision and reg istered by the
elect ron ic cont ro l u nit. If t his rate is below
the re ference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not .
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and .,.