sensor AUDI S3 2011 User Guide

(]] Tips
• The w indshield wipers are switched off when the ign ition is tu rned
off . Activate the windshield wipers after the ignition is switched back
on by mov ing the w indshield wipe r leve r to any pos ition.
• Worn or dirty windshield w iper blades cause smearing, which can
affect the operat io n of the l ight/rain sensor*. Check t he condi tion of
your windshield wiper b lades regularly.
• The rain sensor is part of the inte rval wiping system . Turning off
the ignition will also deactivate the rain sensor. To reactivate the
sensor, switch off the inte rval wiping funct ion, the n switch it back on
again .
• Applies to veh icles with light/ra in sensor: When the w ipers are
switched on manually and in rain conditions, the automatic head­
lights* turn on~
page 56, "Switching the headlights on and off ·f!: "
or off during the day when the wipers are no longer operating. The
au tomatic headlights* func tion is available in t his case only when the
light switch is in the "AUTO" position~
page 56, fig. 49.
• Make su re the washe r fl ui d reservoir in the eng ine compartment is
topped off before going on a long trip. Look up::::)
page 243 for
check ing and fill ing t he washer conta iner.
• The wipers only operate with the hood completely closed. •
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Clear vision
Rear window wiper cs;J
The wiper lever is also used to operate the rear windo w
w iper and the automatic wiper/ washer function .
Fig . 63 Wi per lev er:
a ct iva ting the rear
w indow wi per an d
w ashe r
The rear window w iper and t he au tomatic wiper/washer func­
tions are activated as follows:
Intermittent wiping
- P ush the wipe r lever forward towards the dashboard and
to the
first position ©~ fig. 63 . T he rear window wiper
w ill wipe the win dow approx. every four seco nds.
Automatic wiper/washer function
- Push the wiper lever forward to the second stop, position
0 , and ho ld it there for as long as you want the rear
wiper/washer to operate.
- Release the lever aga in. T he wiper w ill keep run ning for
app rox . four seco nds .
Switching intermittent wiper action off
- Pull the lever a ll the way back to the original posi tion.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Controls
This overview will help you to familiarize yourself with the
air conditioning controls.
F ig . 1 01 Air co nditi onin g co ntro ls
Th e d isp lay shows the temperature selected a nd the blowe r setting .
You can set the temperatu re for the driver's side us ing the left rota ry
switch @and the tempe rature for the passenger's s ide with the right
switch @.
Functions are turned on and off by touching the buttons . The diode in
t he b uttons illumina tes when the f unction is active .
The grille between the buttons
G / G and !AUTO I must remain
unobstructed ; there are measurement sensors beh ind it.
• Do not seal off the grille.
• Do not clean the gr ille with a vacuum cleaner, otherwise the
senso rs could be damaged .
Contro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Warm and cold
But- Function
ton(s )
@ Switching t he cooling system on/off
!AUTO] Automatic operation
G G B lower speed setting
( in the
center)
Manual recirculation mode
Automatic rec irculat ion mode
Defrost
Air directed to the w indows
Air from the outlets
Air directed to the footwe ll
Rear window defogger
Page
=;, page 97
:> page 98
=;,page 100
=;, page99
=> page 99
=>page 98
=> page 100
=> page 100
=> page 100
=> page 102
The buttons for setting the air f low direction~,~ and~ can also be
pushed in combination .•
A pp lies to ve hicl es: wit h auto matic a ir cond it ioner
Switching the air conditioner on /off [AC]
- P ress the [AC] button to switch the air cond itioner on or
off.
When the air condi tioner is switched on, the indicator light in the
bu tton is l it .
Whe n the air conditioner is swi tched off, the cooling system is
switched off -the heating and ventilation system is regu lated auto­
matically. Sw itching off the coo ling syst em (compressor) saves fuel. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Manual air recirculation mode c::%)
The recirculation mode preve nts polluted outside air
from entering the vehicle interior.
Switching on air recirculation
- Press the button l~l =:> page 97, fig. 101 =:> & .
Switching off air recirculation
- Press th e button l~ l aga in , or
- Press the
[ A UTO I button, or
- Press the
I®] button .
I n air recirculation mode, air is drawn from the ve hicle interior and
rec ircul ated. We recom mend that you use the man ual air r ecircula­
tion mode under the following conditions:
W hen d riving throug h a t unnel o r in a traffic jam so t hat ex haust
fumes cannot enter the ve hicle inter ior .
& WARNING
Do not use thi s setting for e xtended periods of time. The windows
c ould fog up sin ce no fre sh air can enter the vehi cle. If the
windows fog up, press the air recirculation button again immedi·
atel y to switch off the air recirculation function or selec t defro st. •
Automatic air recirculation I~ ]
If outside air is polluted, an air quality sensor in the
vehicle will aut omatically switch on the air recirculation .
Switching on air recirculation
-Press l~]=:> page97, fig.101.
Controls and equip ·
ment Safety first
Warm and cold
Switching off air recirculation
- Press@again, or
- press
I A UT O], or
- press
I®] .
The au tomatic a ir recircu lation mode should no rma lly be left
sw itched on at all times.
Th e sys tem is ready to operate approximately 30 seconds a fter yo u
t u rn on t he ignit ion or start the ve hicle . Fres h air ente rs the vehicle
only during this in it ia lizat ion period .
T he air q ual ity senso r fo r de tect ing d ie se l and gasoline exhaust fumes
switches automat ically to air recirculation mode if the o uts ide a ir is
heavily po lluted. The supp ly of outside air is closed o ff.
As soon as the poll ution level d rops, fresh air is automat ically
supplied to the vehicle interior again.
Th e air re ci rculat ion ope ra tes fo r a m ax im um o f 12 mi nutes . If the
windows start to fog up w hile the air recirculation is on, press I@ ]
U nder certain operating condit ions (for examp le, if(@ ] or Ice:,] are
pressed) the a ir recircu lation a utomatically sw itches off. If the air
conditioner is switched off, or if the temperature is below 18 °F (-
8 °(), the a ir recirculation wi ll ope rate only for 12 seconds .•
Switching between Fahrenheit and
Centigrade
Y ou can change the tempera ture display from °F (Fahren­
heit) to °C (Centigrade ) and vi ce ve rsa .
- Hold th e [¢.:>] butto n down =:> page 97, fig. 101.
- Tu rn the rotary switch ( driver's side)@for
3 seconds +.•
Vehicle care Technical data

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t _y _b_ e_lt _ s __ _
[I) Tips
• T he shoulder belt part shou ld route approximate ly over the
middle of your shoulder -under no circumstances shou ld it route over
you r neck a nd throat area~ & in "Safety belt position" on
page 140 .
• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
nes.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death . Safety belts can only work when they are correctly
positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
ris k of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body . Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and str ikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­ pants and especially for chi ldren. T herefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi-
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ & .
The fo llowing lists on ly some examples of imprope rly worn safety
belts th at will increase the risk of ser ious injury and death . O ur hope
is that these examples w ill make you more aware of seat ing pos itions
t ha t are dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving :
• never wear the sho ulder belt unde r yo ur arm
• neve r let the shoulder be lt pass ove r you r neck
• neve r wear the safety belt loosely
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
never place the lap belt portion of the safety belt across your
abdomen ~& -
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belt s in cre ase th e risk of seriou s per sona l
injur y and death whene ver a vehicle is being used.
• Alway s make sur e that all vehicle occupants are correctly
re st ra ined and st ay in a c orrect se ating po sition whene ve r the
vehi cle i s bei ng used .
• Always re a d and heed all WARNINGS and other important
informat ion ~
page 13 8. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts are eq uipped with safety belt p retensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in fron t, side and rear-end collisions of
great sever ity. Thi s tightens t he be lt and takes up belt slack~ & in
"Service and disposal of sa fety belt p retens ioner". Tak ing up the slack
helps to reduce forward occupan t movement during a collis ion .
0 Note
Never le t the bel t remain over a rear seatback that has been folded
forward.
[I) Tips
The safety belt pretensioners can only be act ivated once .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

111 ....... _A_ ir_ b_ a-=g =-- s~y _s _t _e_ m _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rea r
se ating po sition and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certifi ed by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward -facing child restraint up against or very
near the in strument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost posit ion in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
re straint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
Th e fron t passenger sea t in your veh icle ha s a lot of very im port ant
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it . These parts include the
we ight- sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, bracke ts, and more. The func ­
t ion of t he sys tem in the front passenger sea t is checked by the elec­
t ron ic control unit w hen the igni tion is on. The contro l unit mo nitors
the Advanced Airbag System and tu rns the airbag indica to r li ght on
when a malfunction in t he system components is detecte d. The func ­
t ion of the a irbag indicator lig ht is descr ibed in greate r de tail be low.
Beca use the front passenge r seat contains important parts o f the
Adv anced Airba g Sy stem , you m ust ta ke c are to preve nt it fro m being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced A
irbag for
t he fro nt passenge r se at from do ing its job in a cr ash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of t he veh icle that measure vehicle
a cc ele ra tion/de ce le ra tion to prov ide i nform ation to the Adv ance d
Airbag System about the severi ty of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic contro l uni t, w ith integr ate d cr ash sensor s fo r fron t
and side impacts. T he control unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbags based on the info rm at ion rece ive d fr om t he c rash se nso rs.
The contro l unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt prete nsione rs
shoul d be activa ted .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
s t eeri ng wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the inst rument
p an el f or the front p assenge r.
• A weight-sensin g mat under the upho lstery padd ing of the front
passe nge r seat c ushion t hat measu res the tota l we ight on the sea t.
T he informat io n registered is sent cont inuously to the elect ronic
con trol uni t to reg ula te deploymen t of t he fr ont Adv anced A irbag o n
the passenger side.
• An airbag mo nitoring syste m and indi cator light in the inst ru m ent
cl uster ~
page 156.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light com es on an d stays on in t he
center of the instr ument pane l=>
page 157, fig . 139 a nd tells you
w hen the fron t Advan ced A irbag on t he passe nger side has been
turned off.
• A senso r below t he saf ety belt la tc h for the front s eat p ass enge r
to meas ure the tens ion on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt a nd the we igh t regis tere d by the weig ht-sensing mat help t he
cont rol un it "dec ide" w hethe r th e front airbag fo r th e front
p assenge r sea t should be turned o ff or not~
page 147 , "Ch ild
restraints on the front seat -some important th ings to know" . ._

----------------------------------------------~A....::..:.... ir:....: b.::..:;; a..::g ~ s~y -=s:....: t:...: e:...: m...:....:.. __ _
• A se nsor in the safety belt latch for the d river a nd fo r th e front
sea t passenge r that senses w heth er that sa fe ty bel t is la tched or no t
and tra nsmits this information to t he e lectron ic co ntrol un it.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Imprope r repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advan ced Airbag System from func­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly .
• Never carry th ings on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight regi stered by the weight­
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged, preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never use cushions , pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
c hild restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning prope rly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something else to properly pos ition
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child re straint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspe cted by your authorized Audi
dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanced A irbag System and the side airbags sup plement
t he p ro tect io n offered by the front three-po int safety belts w ith
pretens io ners and load limiters and t he adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of injury in a w ide range of acci den t and cras h
sit uat ions. Be sure to read the important informat ion about safety
and hee d the WAR NINGS in this ch ap ter.
Deployme nt of the Adva nced A irbag System and the act ivation of t he
safety belt pretens ione rs depen d on the dece le ration measure d by
the crash sensors a nd reg istered by the e lectro nic contro l un it . Crash
sever ity depends on speed and decele ration as well as the mass and
st iff ness of t he ve hicle or object invo lved in the cras h.
Whe n the electronic contro l unit registers a low sever ity crash and
t he safety be lt is being used , the air ba g w ill not dep loy . If the safety
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the s ide airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other br eathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a colli sion in which airbags deploy, wa sh 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 .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light f!G
Two separate indicat ors m onit or the func tion of the
Advanc ed A irb ag Sys tem: the airbag mo nit ori ng in dic ato r
li g ht and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (incl uding the electronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wiring) is mo nito red cont inuous ly to make
sure that it is f unctioning p roper ly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you t
urn on the ignit ion, the a irbag monitoring indicator light
:A
w ill come o n fo r a few secon ds (self diagnos tic s).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds aft er you have switc hed on the igni­
tion, or
• comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fir st start flashing to c atch t he d river's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
inspec ted immedia tely .
If a ma lfunct io n occ urs that t urns the fron t air bag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght will come on and stay on
w henever the igni tion is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection 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 inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer .•

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ lJ'II
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 139 Section from
the center console:
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center console
=> fig. 139.
Th e
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 control unit. Each time you turn on the
ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will flash fo r a few
seconds and:
• will 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
passenge r seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registe red by the weight-sens ing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ign ition 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
passengerseat,or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registe red on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrained in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with w hich the Adva nced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wi ll not
dep loy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never
install a rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest pla ce fo r a child in any kind of chi ld restraint is at one of the
seating positions on the rear seat=>
page 147, "Child restraints on
t he front seat -some impo rtan t things to know" and=>
page 167,
"Child Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
condit ions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regu larly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime, stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint. Make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed and that the safety belt fo r the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenge r seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled t ight. The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the senso r be low the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job=>
page 177.
• make sure that things that may increase the weight o f the chi ld
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety be lt latch on the front passenger seatback and forth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child safety seat to the
front p assenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always make sure that the side a irbag can inflate without
interference :
- Never in stall seat covers or replacement uphol stery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use addit ional se at cushions that cover the areas
where the side ai rbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an author ized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only on ce. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the techni cal information, t raining
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deploy ed only once. After an airbag
has been dep loyed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved e specially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or a irbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops onl y.
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .a
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the ve hicle's suspension system can change the way that
t he A dvan ced Airbag Sys tem pe rfo rms in a crash . For examp le, using
tire -rim combinations not approved by Audi, lower ing t he veh icle,
c hang ing the st iffness o f th e suspens ion, including the sp rings,
suspension str uts , shoc k absorbers etc . ca n change the forces tha t
are meas ured by the a irbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes ca n, for examp le, increase the force levels measured by the senso
rs and make the airbag system deploy in
c ra shes in w hich i t wo uld not deploy if the ch an g es h ad not b een
made . Other ki nds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured
by the sensors an d prevent the airbag from dep loying when it should .
Th e sensors in t he safety bel t buckle for the drive r and fro nt
passenger seat tell the e lectronic control mo dule if the sa fety belt is
la tch ed o r not. If the safety belt is being u sed, t he fron t airbag w ill
dep loy at a sl ightly h igher rate of vehicle deceleration than if the
s afety belt is not be ing use d. T herefo re, in a pa rticular collis io n, it is
possible that an a irbag w ill not deploy at a seati ng position where the
sa fety belt is being used but w ill inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not be ing used . It is importa nt that nothi ng inte rfere
w ith the safety belt buck les so that t he sensors can send the co rrect
info rmation abou t safety b elt use to t he electron ic co ntro l unit .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension including use of unapproved
tire-rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Item s stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from work ing properly.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed . ..,

<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and p retensioners might be classified as
Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswas te/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules and safety
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform this service for you .•
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 140 Side airbag
loc ation in the driver's
seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
=> fig. 140 and the rear backrest* facing the doors. They are identi­
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
• the electronic control module and externa l side impact sensors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
• two rear side airbags (as an ordered option)
• the airbag warning light in the instrument clus ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it
is funct ion ing properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light w ill come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics).
Th e side airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to
reduce the risk of injury to the dr iver's, front and rear* passenger's
upper torso and head on the sid e of the vehicle that is struck in a side
collision . The airbag deploys only in side impacts and only when the
vehicle accelerat ion registered by the contro l unit is high enoug h. If
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the contro l
unit , the side airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the collision . It is not possible to
def ine an a irbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle
of impact, since the circu mstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.=>
page 163, "Important safety instructions on
the sid e airbag system".
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can prov ide p rotection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is
part of the overall occupant restraint system in your veh icle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you are wearing yo ur safety belt and wearing i t properly. This is
another reason why you shou ld always wear your safety belts, not just
because the law requires yo u to do so=>
page 135, "Genera l notes" .
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
also be assoc iated with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer protection.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data