Description and function of the airbags
The airbags can protect vehicle occupants during frontal and side collisions by reducing their movement in the
direction of the collision.
When an airbag is triggered, it is inflated by a gas generator. This causes the airbag covers to break, and the airbags
inflate forcefully to cover their deployment zones within milliseconds. Once a vehicle occupant wearing a seat belt
starts to sink into the inflated airbag, the gas inside the airbag starts to escape to cushion the occupant and slow
down their movement. This can reduce the risk of severe and fatal injuries. The triggering of the airbag will not
always prevent other injuries such as swelling, bruising and grazing. The deployment of the airbag can also produce
frictional heat.
Airbags provide no protection for the arms or lower body.
The most important factors for triggering the airbag are the type of accident, the angle of impact, the vehicle speed
and the type of object with which the vehicle collides. Therefore, visible damage to the vehicle does not always mean
that the airbag should have been triggered.
The triggering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by the collision and registered by
the electronic control unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control unit, the airbags will
not be triggered, even though the vehicle may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, repair
costs or even the lack of vehicle damage in an accident do not necessarily give an indication of whether an airbag
should inflate or not. It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds and reference values, since the
circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another. It is therefore impossible to cover every
possible kind and angle of impact that would trigger the airbags. Important factors in the triggering of the airbag
include the nature (hard or soft) of the object that the vehicle hits, the angle of impact, and the vehicle speed.
Airbags only serve as a supplement to the three-point seat belt in some accident situations when the vehicle braking
is sufficient to trigger the airbags. Airbags can only be triggered once and only in certain situations. The seat belts are
always there to provide protection in situations in which the airbags are not triggered or have already been triggered.
For example, if the vehicle collides with a further vehicle following the initial collision, or is hit by another vehicle.
The airbag system is part of the vehicle's overall passive safety concept. The airbag system can only work effectively
when the occupants are wearing their seat belts correctly and have assumed a proper sitting position
.
Components of the vehicle safety concept
The following vehicle safety equipment makes up the vehicle's safety concept to reduce the risk of severe and fatal
injuries. Some of this equipment may not be fitted in your particular vehicle. It may not be available at all in some
countries.
—Optimised seat belts for all seats.
—Belt tensioners for the driver and front passenger in conjunction with side airbags.
—Seat belt height adjusters for the front seats.
—Red warning lamp and, where applicable, belt status display.
—Front airbags for driver and front passenger.
—Side airbags for the driver, front passenger and, if applicable, for the rear outer seats.
—Curtain airbags on the left and right.
—Central airbag between driver and front passenger.
—Yellow airbag indicator lamp
.
—Yellow PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp
—Yellow PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp
—Control units and sensors.
in the roof console.
in the roof console.
—Height-adjustable head restraints optimised for rear impact.
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