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26 Safety
Airbag
Airbag system components
• Airbag in steering wheel
• Airbag in instrument panel in front of
passenger seat
• Side airbags in front seat backrests
• Inflatable curtains along length of headlin-
ing (from front to rear roof pillars)
• Safety belt pretensioners for front seats.
The airbag system supplements the protec-
tion provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of occupants taller than
55 in. (140 cm).
When the system is activated at the moment
of impact, the airbag inflates and then
deflates through holes in the back. The
whole operation takes roughly 0.1 second,
quicker than the blink of an eye.
The steering wheel and passenger airbags
are so-called smart airbags. The driver and
passenger airbag system compensates for
safety belt usage, the force of the crash and
the position of the seats at the moment of
impact.
• Stage I is activated if the force of the
impact is low or if the seat is close to the
steering wheel or fascia.
• Stage II is activated in all other cases.
Note:
The sensor reacts differently depending on
whether or not the front safety belts on the
driver’s and passenger sides are used. Sit-
uations can therefore arise where only one
of the airbags inflates.
If the force of the impact is small, the airbag
needs only to inflate to Stage I to provide
optimum protection. If the seat is positioned
far forward (the person occupying the seat
is fairly short), only Stage I is activated to
prevent injury caused by the airbag being
inflated with full force.
If only Stage I is activated at the moment of
impact, Stage II will be activated later. This
occurs when the airbag is already fully
inflated and thus does not affect the person
occupying the seat. Stage II is activated
here to render the gas generator harmless
(its activation is not noticeable to the occu-
pant).
WARNING
To reduce risk of death or serious injury:
• Always wear your safety belt.
• Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to operate the pedals and reach
the steering wheel and controls
comfortably.
• Passengers 12 and under or shorter
than 55 inches (140 cm) must always
travel in the rear seat as the car is fitted
with a passenger airbag.
• Never fit a child seat in front of the
passenger airbag.