Owners Manual

The seat covers must feature a special tear
seam for the side impact air bags. The side
impact air bag may otherwise not deploy
correctly and may fail to provide the intended
degree of protection in the event of a collision.
Suitable seat covers can be obtained, e.g. at
a qualified specialist workshop.
G
WARNING
The pressure sensors for side impact air bag
control are located in the doors. Do not
modify any components of the doors or door
trim panels including, for example, the
addition of door speakers.
Improper repair work on the doors,
modification to the doors or the addition of
components to the doors creates a risk of
rendering the side impact air bags inoperative
or causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the doors must therefore only be
performed by qualified technicians. Please
contact a qualified specialist workshop.
G
WARNING
Only use seat covers which have been tested
and approved for your vehicle type by the
distributor named on the inside of the front
cover. Using other seat covers may interfere
with or prevent the deployment of the front
side impact air bags. Please contact a
qualified specialist workshop for availability.
When deployed, the side impact air bags offer
additional protection for the thorax of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs. However, they
do not protect the:
R
head
R
neck
R
arms
Side impact air bags : deploy next to the
outer seat cushions.
Side impact air bags : are deployed:
R
on the side on which the impact occurs
R
at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, e.g. in a side impact
R
whether or not the seat belt is fastened
R
independently of the front air bags
R
independently of the Emergency
Tensioning Devices
The side impact air bags are generally not
deployed in the event of a rollover, unless the
system detects high vehicle deceleration or
acceleration in a lateral direction and
determines that they can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt.
The side impact air bags are not deployed in
side impacts which do not exceed the
system's deployment threshold.
Window curtain air bags
G
WARNING
Observe "Important safety notes"
(Y page 39).
The window curtain air bags enhance
protection for the head (but not the chest or
arms) of the vehicle occupants on the side of
the vehicle on which the impact occurs.
The window curtain air bags are installed in
the side of the roof frame above the front
doors.
42
Occupant safety
Safety