instrument panel AUDI R8 SPYDER 2011 User Guide

118 Airbag sys te m
Since the cir cumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and anot her, it is not
possib le to def ine a range of vehicle speeds
that will cover every possible k ind and angle
of impact that will always trigger the airbags.
Important factors include, for example, the
nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car h its, the ang le of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rea r collisions, or in ro ll-overs .
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of co llisions.
Your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy, or when they have
a lready deployed; for example, when your ve­
hicle strikes or is struck by another vehic le af­
ter the first co llision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
a supplementary restraint and is not a substi­
tute for a safety belt . The airbag system
works most effect ively when used with the
safety belts. Therefore, always wear your safe­
ty belts properly
c;, page 109.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will dec rease the effec­
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
t he risk of personal injury in a co llision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (2S cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instrument pan­
el.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
ga te whethe r adaptive equipmen t may
be available to help you reach the pedals
and increase your seating distance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us inj uries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag. -
To reduce the risk of injury when an a ir­
bag inflates, always wear safety be lts
properly ¢
page 112, How are safety
belts worn correctly? .
-Never let children ride unrestrained or
improperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad­
just the front seats properly . If children
are not p roperly restrained, they may be
seve rely in ju red or killed when an a irbag
infla tes.
- Never ride with the back rest reclined.
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
c;, page 100, Prop er occupant seating
positions.
- Always sit up right with your back against
the backres t of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the sea t to
he lp preven t serio us in juries to the legs
and h ips if the airbag infla tes .
- Never re cline the front passenger's sea t
to tr anspor t ob jec ts. Items c an al so
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver . Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in ju ry when an airbag inflates.
A WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must
be replaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
proved by Aud i and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and d iagnost ic equipment to properly re­
p lace any airbag in your vehicle and as­
sure sy stem effe ctive ness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled air­
bags to be installed in you r vehicle.

Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important informat ion
and heed the WARNINGS for important de­
tai ls about chi ldren and Advanced Airbags
i=> page 138.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
a ll chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, are properly restrained for their age and s ize. The airbag on the passenger side
makes the front seat a potentially dangerous
p lace for a child to ride . The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward-facing
chi ld safety seat. It can be a very dangerous
p lace for an infant or a c hild in a rearward-fac ­
ing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
h as been cert ified to comp ly with the require­
men ts of Uni ted States Federa l Mo to r Veh icle
Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the fron t air bag on the
passenger side to be turne d off ("sup­
p ressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for­
ward -facing infant restraints listed i n Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat . For a listing of the child re­
straints that we re used to certify compliance
w ith the US Safety Sta ndard
c> page 140.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you tur n on the ignition, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seconds a nd:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied ,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild
restraint on the front passenger seat,
A irbag sys tem 119
- will go off if the front passenger seat is oc ­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat
c> page 128, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the contro l unit detects a tota l weight
on the front passenger seat that req uires the
front a irbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typical
1 year-o ld
c h il d but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the elect roni c con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit se nses an
impact that meets the cond it ions stored i n its
memory .
For example, th e airb ag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ie r than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of
the ch ild safety seats listed
c> page 140), or
- a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is
on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the instrument panel will come on and stay
o n.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illum inate and stay lit) ev en if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenge r who is
not si tt ing upr ight w ith their b ack against a
non -recli ned ba ck rest w ith their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the sea t is on t he front
passenger seat
c> page 100, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If t he fron t passenger airbag dep loys, the
Federa l Standar d requ ires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" dep loyment criteria to red uce
the risk of injury th ro ugh interaction with the
airbag. "Low risk" dep loyment occurs in those .,.. •
•

-Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier carefully.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sens ing mat and can
cause injury in a crash .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 122 Location of drive r airbag : in steerin g wheel
Fig. 123 Locat ion of front passenger 's a irbag: in the in­
s trum ent panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
Airbag system 121
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured . The safety belts
for the front seats have "pretensioners" that help to take slack out of the belt system. The
pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The a irbag for the driver is in the steer ing
wheel hub<=)
fig. 122 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
r:::> fig . 123. The general location of the airbags
is marked '' AIRBAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the air­
bags in your vehicle. We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
& WARNING
=
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplementa l protection .
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your
ve­
hicle is properly restrained .
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, es­
pecially infants and small children, will re­
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil­
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
-
-
that deployment under these special 11-

124 Airbag sys te m
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before insta lling
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit io n.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime w henever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The fron t passenger sea t in your vehicle h as a
lot of very important par ts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include t he
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brack­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control u nit when the ignit ion is on.
The control unit mon itors the Advanced Air­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
l ight on when a ma lfunction in t he system
components is detected. The func tion of the
a ir bag ind icator light is described in greater
detai l be low . Because the fro nt passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
prevent it from be ing damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airb ag System
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/decele ration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System abou t the seve rity of the crash.
- An e lectron ic co ntrol unit, with integ rated
c rash sensors for front and side impacts .
T he cont rol unit "dec ides " w het her to fire
the front airbags based on the information
received from the crash senso rs . The contro l
unit a lso "decides" whethe r the safety be lt
pretensioners should be activated . -
An Advanced Ai rbag w ith gas generator for
the driver inside the steering w heel hub.
- An Advanced A irbag w ith gas gene rato r in­
side the inst rument panel for the front pas­
senger.
- A we ight -sensing mat unde r th e upho lstery
pa dding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat .
The informat ion registered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­ late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitoring sys tem and indicator
light in t he instrument cluster
c:> page 128 .
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru­
ment panel
c::> page 128, fig. 125 and tells
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passe nger side has been tu rned off.
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to measure the t ension
on t he safety be lt. T he tension o n the safety
be lt a nd the weight regis tered by the
weigh t-sensing mat he lp the cont rol uni t
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenger seat should be turned off or
not
c:> page 119, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driv­ er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether t hat safety belt is latched or
not and transmits this information to the
electronic control un it .
_&. WARNING
D amage to the fron t passenger seat can
p revent t he fro nt airbag from wor king
proper ly.
- I mp roper repai r or d isassembly of the
front passenge r and dr ive r sea t w ill pre­
vent the Advanced Air bag System from
functioning p roperly.
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat m ust
be pe rformed by qualifie d and p roperly
trained workshop person nel.
- Never remove the front passenger o r
d river seat from t he vehicle .
-

electronic control unit (the PA SS ENGE R AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright posit ion,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi ­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blin k of an eye
¢ page 119.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front ai rbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest , door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant car­
rier wi th great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in ju ry in a c rash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
A irbag system 127
or by be ing p ushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle 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 air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in ­
jury if the a irbags inflate .
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth ­
er objects (such as cup holders, te le­
phone b rac kets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG " on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be­
tween those areas and yo urself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­ bags can become projec tiles and cause
in ju ry, partic ula rly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
T he fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of as thma or other breath­
ing cond itions.
- T o reduce t he risk of bre ath ing problems,
those wi th asthma o r other respiratory
conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the vehicle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating .
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
•
•

128 Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
I Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (includ ing the
electronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit ion is on. Each time you
turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring in­
dicator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a ir bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
-If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in­
flate when it should.
-
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your authorized Audi dea ler.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 125 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG O FF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument panel
<=> fig . 125.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit. Each
t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- w ill stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passen­
ger seat is equal to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac-
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor ..,.

Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occ upied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PA S­
SENGER A IR BAG OF F
light will stay on. Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat
c:> page 119, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c:> page 138, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c om es
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PA SS ENG ER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
ign it ion is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G
OFF
l ight does not appear on and stay on a ll
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then tu rning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
insta lled and that the safety be lt fo r the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer's in ­
structions;
- make su re that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen ­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
t h at the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
c:> page 146;
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenge r seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
c hild safety seat to t he fro nt passenger
seat, make s ure t hat i t is no t so tight that it
A irbag system 129
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght s till
d oes not come on
and does not stay on con ­
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child rest ra int off the front passen-
ge r seat and have the a irb ag sys tem inspect ­
ed by yo ur authorized Aud i dealer. Do not
transport children witho ut a c hil d safety
seat.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c:> page 100, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is be ing properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an inco rrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under t he upho ls tery of the sea t have been
removed from the front passenger sea t,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the sa fe ty belt latch for the fron t passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l igh t in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
•
•

The knee airbag offers additional protect ion
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas as a supplement to
the safety belts.
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collisions above acer­
tain severity ¢
page 126, More important
things to know about front airbags.
Besides their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in case of a frontal colli­
sion so that the airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for your
safety be lt . 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 wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
i s why you shou ld always wear you r safety
be lt, not jus t because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 110, Why safety belts?.
The safety belt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenge r have switches that tell the a ir­
bag control mod ule if the safety belt is being
used or not. If the safety be lt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
rate o f deceleration than if the belt is not be ­
ing used . Therefore, in a partic ular collision, it
is poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
n ot supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, fo r example when your veh i­
cle strikes o r is struck by anothe r after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reaso ns why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system wo rks most effective ly w hen used with
the safe ty belts. The refore, always we ar your
safety be lts correctly.
A irbag system 133
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, othe r
injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
airbags .
The knee airbag sy stem basic ally consi sts
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (a irbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag sy stem will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in front-end collisions when the de celeration
meas ured by the con tro l unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light illuminated) ¢
page 17.
_& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 126.
- If the a irbag ind icator light comes o n
when the vehicle is being used, h ave the
sys tem inspected immedi ately by your
author ized Audi dealer . The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac­
celeration in a side collis ion is high
enough to deploy the airbag. See also
¢page 17.
-
•
•

134 Airbag system
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area is reduced by
fully deployed knee airbags .
Fig. 127 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal coll i­
sion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger are deployed in certain but not all
frontal collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions above acer­
tain severity .
When the system is deployed, the airbags
start to fill with a propellant gas, and inflate
between the lower part of the instrument
panel and the driver and the lower part of the
instrument panel and the front passenger
¢ page 126, fig. 124.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremities.
All this takes place instantaneously, so fast
that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also in­
flate with a great deal of force and it is impor­
tant for occupant safety that nothing should be in their way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk. Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only
supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection.
A WARNING ~
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to
any of the airbag locations. When adjust­
ing their seat positions, it is important
that both the driver and the front pas­
senger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- 10 inches (25 cm) between the chest
and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument
panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are not wearing your safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­ ploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between yourself and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by
interfering with the way the airbag de­
ploys or by being pushed into you as the
airbag deploys.
- No persons (children) or animals
should ride in the footwell in front of

A WARNING ,~
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6- year-old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Child Safety 139
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and si ze. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride . The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat . It can be a very dan­
gerous place for an infant or a larger child in a
rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight -sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child
restraint manufacturers .
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old child, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the weight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the information stor­
ed in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety belt. ..,. •
•