sensor AUDI S8 2014 Owner's Manual

122 Parking system s
Parking systems
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus/rear view
camera/peripheral cameras
Depending on your vehicle's equ ipment, vari­
ous parking a ids wi ll help yo u when pa rk ing
and maneuve ring.
The
advanc ed park ing sy stem with r ear vi ew
cam era
ass ists you when parking by aud ibly
and v isua lly indicating objects detected
in
front of
and behind the veh icle. The rear view
camera shows the area behind the vehicle i n
the Infotainment disp lay. This disp lay assists
you when you are cross or parallel parking
co page 123.
The peripheral camera s assist yo u with pa rk­
ing and maneuvering . You are aided by various
cameras depending on the vehicle equipment
leve l
co page 127. In add it ion, you are assist­
ed by the functions from the sensors
co page 123, Sensors, co page 125, Visual
display.
A WARNING
- Always look fo r traff ic and check the area
around you r vehicle by looking at it di­
rect ly as we ll. The parking sys tem canno t
rep lace t he drive r's a ttent ion. The dr iver
is a lways respons ible for safety during
par king and for all other maneuvers.
- Please note tha t some sur faces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system .
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
wh ich peop le and objects cannot be de­
tected . Be especially cautious of children
and animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to t he radiato r grille, bumpe r,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park ing systems may become impaired
as a result. Have your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop check their
f unction.
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any othe r obstruc­
t ions as it may impair the senso r func- tion. Fo
r informat ion on cleaning, refe r
to
co page 216.
@ Note
- Some objects are not detected by the
system under certain ci rcumstances:
- Objects such as barrie r chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical poles or fe nces
- Objects above the sensors such as wall
extensions
- Objects w ith specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or pow­
de r snow.
- If you conti nue driving closer to a low- ly­
ing object, it may disappea r from the
sensor range. Note that you w ill no lon­
ger be warned about this obstacle.
0) Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
tho ugh there are no obstacles in the cov­
erage a rea in some situations, such as:
- certain road s urfaces or for long grass .
- ex terna l ult raso nic sources e.g. from
cleaning vehi cles.
- h eavy ra in, s now or thick ve hicle ex ­
ha ust.
- We recommend tha t yo u pr actice park­
ing in a t raff ic-free loca tion or par king
lot to become familiar w it h the system.
Whe n doi ng this, the re should be good
light and weathe r cond itions.
- Yo u can change the vo lume and pitch of
the s ignals as we ll as the disp lay
co page 132.
-Please refer to the instr uctions for tow­
ing a t railer
co page 132.
-W hat appea rs in the infotainment dis ­
play is somewhat time-delayed.

Advanced parking system with rear view
camera
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with advanced park ing system with
rear vi ew camera
Fig. 128 Illustrat ion : C ross pa rki ng
Fig. 129 Illust ration: paralle l park ing
(0
s ± ., CD
Vehicles w ith the park ing system advanced
are equ ipped w ith a rear view camera in addi­
tion to the acoustic and visua l park ing system.
You can use
cross parking for example, to
park in a parking space or in a garage
r::!:> fig . 128 . You can use parallel parking if you
wou ld like to park on the side of the road
r::!:> fig. 129 .
Parking systems 123
General information
Applies to vehicles: with advanced parking system with
rear view camera
Fig. 130 Area covered (!)and area not covered @by
t he rear view ca mera
A U Dl
Fig. 131 Rea r lid : Locat ion o f the rear vi ew ca mera
Sensors
Sensors are located in the front and rear
bumpers . If these detect an obstacle , visua l
and in some situations audible signals warn
you .
Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions as
it may impair the sensor function. For infor ­
mation on cleaning, ref er to r::!:>
page 216.
The display field begins approximately at:
side
front 3
ft (0.90 m)
center 4
ft (1.20
m)
s ide 2
ft (0.60 m)
rear
center 5.2
ft (1.60 m)
T
he closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signals . A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximately 1
ft (0.30 m) away.
Do not continue driving farther
r::!:> .&. in Gener­
al information on page 122,
c> (D in General
information on page
122!

long side of the blue surface so that there is
suff icient space from the obstacle. The sur ­
face must not be touch ing. You will also need
to start turning the steer ing whee l much ear­
lier. The blue curve
¢ fig . 13 7 must not to uch
the obstacle and should have sufficient room .
@ Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur­
faces will be displayed, depend ing on the
turn signa l bei ng used.
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with top view camera system
In addit ion to the functions from the sensors
¢ page 123, Sensors,¢ page 125 , Visual dis­
play,
this parking system conta ins peripheral
cameras. Depending on the ve hicle equip­
ment, you are assis ted by various views such
as peripheral view, corner views at the front
and rear of the veh icle, and views d irectly in
fro nt of o r behind the vehicle.
General information
App lies to vehicles: with top view camera system
Fig. 138 Loca tion of per ipheral came ras
Depending on the vehicle equ ipment, the pe­
riphera l cameras are fou nd i n the radiator
grille, in the luggage compartment lid and on both exterior mirrors ¢
fig. 138 . Make sure
that the lenses are no t covered by deposits or
any other obstructions as it may impair the
sys tem. For information on cleaning, refer to
¢ page 216.
P arking sys tems 127
In the to p view mode, b lack corners are
shown in the ve hicle silhouette . Objects in
these areas are outside of the camera 's field
of view and are not detected .
T he accuracy of the orientation lines and the
bl ue surfaces is reduced if the adaptive air
suspension * is faulty, if the vehicle is lifted or
if the
dynamic mode is activated ¢ page 110.
A WARNING
- Always read and follow the applicable
warn ings ¢
& in General information on
page 122.
- If the position or the installat io n angle
of a camera was changed , after a colli­
sion for example, do not continue to use
the system fo r safety reaso ns. Have i t
checked by you r author ized Audi dealer­
sh ip .
- Keep in mind tha t the image in the dis­
pl ay is distorte d if the exterior mirror
housing has bee n manually a dju sted .
- Use the
rear mode and the c orner view
( rear )
mode only when the luggage com­
partment lid is fu lly closed . Otherwise
the image in the disp lay will be d istort­
ed .
- T he vehicle surro undings are shown us ­
ing the came ra images. The veh icle im ­
age is shown by the system. Objects and
obstacles above the camera are not d is­
p layed.
- Camera lenses enlarge and distort the fie ld of vision . T he objects appear both
altered and inaccurate on the sc reen.
(D Note
- Always read and follow the ap plicable
warnings
¢(Din General information on
page 122.
- The Infotainment d isp lay shows the di ­
rection in which the rear of the vehicle is
traveling based on the steer ing whee l
ang le . The front of the vehicle front
swings out more than the rear of the ve­
hicle . Maintain plenty of d istance so that
IJJ,,

132 Parking systems
Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to vehicles: with advanced park ing system wit h
rea r view camera/top v iew camera syste m
The display and warning tones can be adjust­
ed in the Infotainment.
.. Se lect : ICAR !function button> Car systems
control button > Driver assist> Parking aid.
Display
On* -
optical display is shown for the parking
system plus, rear view camera image is shown
for parking system plus with rear view cam ­
era*.
Off -when the park ing system is switched off,
on ly audible signa ls are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume for the fro nt area
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequency -Frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -Frequency for the rear area
Music volume while parking -When the park­
ing system is turned on, the volume of the au­
d io/v ideo source is lowered .
The newly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator .
(D Tips
-The warning tones can a lso be adjusted
directly from the visual display or the
rear view camera* image . S imply press
the
Settings cont rol button .
- Changed settings are activated when the
parking system is switched on again.
- The settings are automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
that is in use .
Error messages
App lies to vehicles: with advanced park ing system with
rea r view camera/top v iew camera syste m
There is an error in the system if the LED in
the
P •1A b utton is blinking and you hear a con- t
in uous alarm for a few seconds after switch ­
ing on the parking system or when the park­
ing system is already activated. If the error is
not corrected before you switch off the ign i­
t ion, the LED in the
P' "A button will blink the
next t ime you sw itch on the parking system by
shifting into reverse .
If a sensor is faulty, the!¾ symbol will appear
in front of/behind the vehicle in the Infota in­
ment display . If a rear sensor is faulty, only
obstacles that are in the front detection a rea
are shown . If a front sensor is fau lty, on ly ob­
stacles that are in the rear area are shown.
Peripheral cameras*
There is also a system error if:
- the
'(l.Q ,, symbol appears i n the display and
the corresponding display area is shown in
blue. The camera is not work ing in this area.
- all segments around the vehicles are red or
if no segments are displayed.
Drive to your authorized A udi dealer or au­
thorized repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: with adva nced parking sys te m with
rear view camera/top view camera system
For vehicles us ing the trailer socket, the park­
ing system rear sensors do not turn on when
yo u shift into reverse gear or when you press
the
P 1JA button. This results in the following re­
strictions:
T he re is no distance warning for the rear. The
front sensors remain activated. The visua l dis­
play switches to the trailer towing mode . The
rear view camera image will not show the ori ­
entation lines and the blue surfaces.
(D Tips
Trailer hitches that are not installed at the
factory may ca use the parking system to
malfunction or they may restrict its func­
tion.

160 Airbag sys te m
- Always make su re the forward-facing
seat has been des igned and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front a nd side airbag .
- Never put the forward- facing child re­
straint up aga inst or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- 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 lli ng
the fo rward-facing chi ld restraint. The
b ackres t must be adjusted to an upr igh t
posit ion.
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light co m es on and s tays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing 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 mo nitors the Advanced Air­
bag Sys tem and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a ma lfunction in the system
components is detected . The function of the
ai rbag ind icator light is described in greater
detai l below. Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you must take care to
prevent it from be ing damaged . Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced A irbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a cra sh .
The front Advanced Airbag System
consists of the following:
- Crash senso rs in the front of the veh icle that
measu re ve hicle ac celera tion/de ce le ra ti on
to provide information to the Advanced Air­ bag System abo ut the severity of the crash . -
An elect ronic contro l unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
The control un it "decides" whether to fi re
the front a irbags based on the informat ion
received from the crash sensors. The contro l
un it also "decides" whether the safety belt
prete nsioners shou ld be act ivated .
- An Advanced A irbag w ith gas generator and
cont ro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ­
ing wheel hub .
- An Advanced A irbag w ith gas generator and
cont ro l valve inside the inst rument panel for
the front passenger .
- A we ight-sensing mat under the up ho lstery
padding of the front passenge r seat cushion
that measures the total weight o n the seat.
The info rma tion reg iste red is sent continu­
ously to the elec troni c control un it to regu­
la te deployment o f the front Advanced Air ­
bag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitor ing sys tem and indicator
light in t he instr ument cluster ¢
page 164.
-A sensor in each front se at regis ters the dis ­
t ance between the respec tive seat and the
steering whee l o r instrument panel. The in­
formation registered is sent continuo usly to
the electron ic contro l unit to regulate de­
ployment of the front Adv a need A irbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instr u­
ment panel ¢
page 164, fig. 168 and tells
you whe n the front Advanced Airbag on the
passe nger side has been turned off .
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passe nger to measure the tension
on t he safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt and the weight registered by t he
weight-sens ing mat he lp the control uni t
"de cide" whe ther the front airbag fo r the
front passenge r seat should be turned off or
not ~
page 155 , Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch fo r th e d riv ­
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or not and transmits this information to the
electronic control un it .

& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from working
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified 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 things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­
ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- 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 child restraint
-
Airbag system 161
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. The amount of infla­
tion of the front airbags can also be adapted
to the front seat position, depending on the
distance between the respective front seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel as registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se­
verity depends on speed and deceleration as
well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle
or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
Iii>'
•
•

164 Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Cl! (USA models)/!f (Canada models)
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 (including the
electronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitoring
indicator light
I (USA mode ls)/ fll (Canada
models) will come on for a few seconds (self
d iagnost ics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
I (USA models)/E,I
(Canada models):
-does not come on when the ignition 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 malfunct ion is dete cted,
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
airbag on the passenger side
off, the PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos- sible
that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 168 Sect io n from the instrument pane l: PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument panel
c::>fig . 168 .
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 switch on the ign it ion, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- w ill 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 child restraint has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
liJI,

-the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year -old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-fac ing or forward­
facing infant restraints listed in Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 155, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 177, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- react ivate the system by switching the igni­
t ion off and then switch ing it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed through the child rest raint as descri­
bed in the child restrai nt manufactu rer's i n­
str ucti ons;
- make sure that the conver tible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt 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
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 187.
- make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child seat are not be­
ing transported on the front passenger seat;
Airbag system 165
-make sure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seatback and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the
child seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so t ight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more
weight than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
ti nu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the ch ild to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when t he ignition is on and an
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile d riving, un­
der these circumstances , make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
prope rly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not re clin ed
¢ page 136, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking 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 being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat, ..,.
•
•

168 Airbag system
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, al l applicable laws and regula·
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dea ler is familiar with these require·
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the spring s, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit . Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible 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 being
used . It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per-formance 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 origi­ nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
--
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 169 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig . 169, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lowe r th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts. ..,.

of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
¢ page 177, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
---
Fig. 171 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢fig. 171 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
bytheword "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags
Airbag system 1 71
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
high enough.
If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision.
It is not possible to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances 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 173, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty 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 provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 145, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
IIJ>,