180 Airbag system
law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection ⇒ page 168, “Why seat
belts?”.
WARNING (continued)
•
Any work on the side airbag system including removing and installing
system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing seats) must
only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Together with other elements (such as cross bars in the seats, stable vehicle struc-
ture) the head airbags are the consequent further development of occupant
protection in the case of side collisions.
Function of the head airbags
Head airbags*
The risk of injury to the head and neck area is reduced in the event of
a side collision by fully inflated head airbags.
Description of the head airbags
The head airbag together with the side airbag offers enhanced occu-
pant protection in the event of a side collision.
Fig. 183 Inflated head airbag
Fig. 182 Installation position
of the head airbags
In the case of a side collision the head airbag is deployed together with the rele-
vant side airbag ⇒ fig. 183 and the belt tensioner on the side on which the accident
occurs.
The head airbags are positioned above the doors on both sides in the interior of the
If the system is deployed, the airbags are filled with propellant gas and extend over
car ⇒ fig. 182. The installation positions are each marked with the “AIRBAG” logo.
the entire area of the side window including the door pillar ⇒ fig. 183.
The head airbag together with the three-point seat belts and the side airbags, offers
additional protection for the head and neck area of the occupants in the event of a
side collision of major severity ⇒ page 181.
The protection offered by the head airbags is thus available simultaneously both to
the front occupants of the car seated on the side on which the accident occurs, as
well as to the rear occupants. Any impact of the head against parts of the interior or
objects outside of the car, is cushioned by the inflated head airbag. The reduction
in any impact to the head and the resultant minimizing of any movements of the
head additionally reduce the risk of injuries to the neck area. The head airbag also
offers additional protection in the case of an offset impact by covering the front
door pillar.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to
also hold the driver and the occupants in a correct seated position in the event of a
side collision so as to enable the head airbags to offer the maximum protection. You
should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by
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