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Airbag system
201
Airbag system
• goes out and then comes on again after the ignition is switched
Description of airbag system
on,
• comes on or flickers while the car is moving.
General notes on airbag system
The airbag is an integral part of the car's passive safety
system.
WARNING
• The airbags are not a substitute for the seat belts; they are an
integral part of the car's overall passive safety system. The airbags
can only offer effective protection if the occupants are wearing
their seat belts. For this reason it is very important to wear the
seat belts at all times ⇒ page 194, “Why is it so important to use
seat belts?”.
In conjunction with the three-point seat belts, the airbag system
gives the front occupants additional protection for the head and
chest in the event of a severe frontal collision.
In a severe side collision the side airbags and the head-protection
airbags reduce the risk of injury to the occupants in the areas of the
body facing the impact ⇒
.
• The seat belts and airbags can only provide maximum protec-
tion if the occupants are seated correctly ⇒ page 73, “Seats and
storage”.
In addition to their normal function of protecting the occupants in a
collision, the seat belts also hold them in a position where the
airbags can inflate properly and provide maximum protection.
• If you do not wear a seat belt, if you lean forward, or are not
seated correctly while the vehicle is in motion, you are at greater
risk of injury should the airbag system be triggered in an accident.
The airbag system will only work with the ignition on. The airbag
system is monitored electronically; the airbag warning lamp indi-
cates whether the system is functioning properly.
• Components of the airbag system are located in various parts
of the vehicle. If repairs to other vehicle components make it
necessary to perform work on the airbag system or to remove or
install parts of the airbag system, this may cause damage to the
airbag system. As a result, the airbags may not inflate correctly or
may not be triggered at all in an accident situation. For this reason,
you should always have the work carried out by a qualified work-
shop.
The main parts of the airbag system are:
• the electronic monitoring system (control unit and sensors),
• the two front airbags,
• the front side airbags, the side airbags on the outer rear seats*
and the head-protection airbags,
• the airbag warning lamp in the instrument cluster.
• If a fault should occur in the airbag system, have the system
checked immediately by a qualified workshop. Otherwise the
system may fail to trigger in an accident.
There is a fault in the airbag system if the warning
lamp
• Do not attempt to modify components of the airbag system in
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
any way.
• does not go out about 4 seconds after the ignition is switched
• Never make any alterations to the front bumper or the body.
on,
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