Whether or not the airbag triggers is deter-
mined by 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 dam-
aged as a result of the collision. Vehicle dam-
age, 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 de-
fine a range of vehicle speeds and reference
values, since the circumstances will vary con-
siderably between one collision and another.
It is therefore impossible to cover every pos-
sible 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 situa-
tions when the vehicle deceleration is suffi-
cient to trigger the airbags. Airbags can only
be triggered once and only in certain situa-
tions. The seat belts are always there to pro-
vide protection in situations where airbags
are not normally triggered or where they
have already been triggered, for example if
the vehicle collides with another vehicle after
the first 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 cor-
rectly and have assumed a proper sitting po-
sition → page 34.
Components of the vehicle safety concept
The following vehicle safety equipment
makes up the vehicle's safety concept to re-
duce the risk of severe and fatal injuries.
Some of this equipment may not be fitted in
your particular vehicle. It may not be availa-
ble at all in some countries.
— Optimised seat belts for all seats.
— Belt tensioners for the driver and front
passenger and also on the rear outer seats
if in conjunction with side airbags.
— Belt tension limiter for the driver, front
passenger and, if applicable, for the rear
outer seats.
— Red warning lamp and, where applica-
ble, belt status display.
— Front airbags for driver and front passen-
ger.
— Side airbags for driver and front passen-
ger.
— Curtain airbags on the left and right.
— Central airbag between driver and front
passenger.
— Yellow airbag indicator lamp .
— Yellow indicator lamp PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG
in the roof console.
— Yellow indicator lamp PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG
in the roof console.
— Control units and sensors.
— Safety-optimised and height-adjustable
head restraints.
— Adjustable steering column.
— If applicable, anchor points for child seats
on the rear outer seats and on the front
passenger seat.
— If fitted, mounting points for the top teth-
er for child seats.
Situations when the front, side, curtain and
central airbags will not be triggered:
— When the ignition is switched off during
a collision.
— If the level of deceleration measured by
the control unit is too low during a colli-
sion at the front of the vehicle.
— During a slight side collision.
— During a rear-end collision.
— If the dynamics measured by the control
unit are too low in the event of a vehicle
rollover.
Airbag system
51
11A012720AB
