2008 AUDI A4 AVANT child restraint

-Airbag system
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& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts.
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System will deploy in accordance with
the
"low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position.
• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size.
•
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan­
dard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehicle deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
not a substitute for your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the overall
occupant restraint system in your vehicle . Always remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why
you and your passengers must always be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the "low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example, by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed in the
Standard~ page 272 .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restrained on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
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a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
veh ic le 's compliance wi th the US Safety
Standa rd => page 212,
• weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the contro l unit is
de tected on the fro nt passenger sea t.
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing mo re t han the total weight of a c hild that is about 1 yea r old
restra ined in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
restraints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
wh ic h the Adva nced Airba g System in your ve hicle was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight c omes on whe n the e le ctr oni c
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
r equi res t he front a irbag to be tu rned o ff . I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has no t been tu rned off by t he con tro l uni t and can dep loy if the
co ntrol unit se nses an i mpact that meets t he conditio ns store d in its
memo ry .
I f t he total we ig ht on the front passe nge r seat is more than t hat of
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
fr ont airbag on the passe nger s ide may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small c hild t hat is heavier than a typ ical 1 yea r-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regard less of whether the child is in one
o f t he child sa fe ty sea ts
liste d=> page 212),
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenge r seat .
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the ce nter of the i nstrument pa nel wi ll come on and stay
on.
T he front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t does not illum inate a nd stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• a passenger who is not s itting upright with their back against a
no n-rec li n ed bac kres t wi th th eir fee t on th e ve hicle flo or in fro nt of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requi res
the airbag to meet t he "low r isk" deploy ment cr iteria to help reduce
the risk of injury th roug h interaction with the airbag. "Low risk"
dep loyment occu rs in those cras hes t hat take place a t lo wer decel ­
erations as defined in the electronic control
unit=> page 198.
Always remember: Even though yo ur vehicle is equ ipped w ith
Advanced Airbags, the safest p lace for children is properly
res tra ined on the back sea t. Please be s ure to rea d th e impo rtant
i nformat io n i n t he sections tha t follow a nd be sure to heed a ll of the
WA RNIN GS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury is mu ch higher .
• You will al so receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced
Airbag => page 187.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Although the Advan ced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat , nobody
can ab solutely guarantee that deployment is impo ssible in all
c onceivable situat ions that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle. _,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system 111111
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• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o m easure the tens io n on t he sa fety be lt. T he tension on the safe ty
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
contr ol unit "decide" whe the r the front ai rbag for the fron t
passenger seat should be turned off or
not=> page 189, "Child
r est ra ints on the front seat - some important th ings to know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and for the front
seat passenge r that senses whether t hat safety bel t is la tched or no t
and transmits this information to the e lectronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front pas senger seat can pre vent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual ­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front pa ssenger or driver seat from the
vehi cle .
• Ne ver remo ve the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight -sen sing mat in the passenger seat i s pun ctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight -sensing mat and send the wrong informat ion to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be
d amaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued )
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically appro ved by Audi on the front seat s.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
• Never use cushions, pillows , blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padd ing will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Ad vanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you mu st use a child re straint on the front pas senger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instru ctions require the use
of a towel , foam cu shion or something el se to properly position
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint i s
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immed iately install child re straint in a re ar seat ing position
and have the airbag sy stem inspected by your Audi dealer . •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side airbags supplement
the prote ction off ered by the fro nt three -p oi nt safe ty belts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restra ints
to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the important informat ion about
safety and heed the WARNI NGS in this chapter.
Dep loyment of the Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd th e activation of
the safety belt pretensioners depends on the dece leration
measu red by the crash senso rs and registered by the electro nic _.,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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control unit . Crash severity depends on speed and deceleration as
well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved in the crash .
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and
the safety belt is being used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety belt is not being used, the first stage deploys, followed by the
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence .
If the electronic contro l unit registers a crash of medium severity,
t he fi rst stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety be lt is be ing used or not. In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit , both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of sa fety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than th e
amount programmed in the electronic contro l un it . The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll also be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federa l Motor Vehic le
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned
of f=> page 189 , "Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of inju ry when an airbag infl ates , always wear
s afety belts properly .
• If you a re unrestr ained , leaning forward , sitting sideway s or out
of po sition in any way , your risk of injury i s much high er.
• You will al so rece ive se riou s injur ie s a nd could e ven be killed if
y ou are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
e ven with an Advanced
A irbag => page 187. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 179 Inflate d fr ont
airbag s
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
provide supplemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additiona l protect ion for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety be lts are worn properly,
• the seats have been pos itioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as p ossi ble from the airbag,
• and the head restra ints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force , thi ngs
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inf lates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehic le. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate t he airbags as they deploy . It could irritate
skin.
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PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
N
-M -J., a, cc
Fi g. 18 0 Sec tion fr om
t h e i nstr um ent pa nel:
P ASSE NG ER AI R BA G
OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center o f the
ins trumen t panel
=> fig . 180 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wil l come on and stay on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn on
the ign it ion, the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light wi ll fl as h for a few
seconds and :
• will stay on if t he front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small child or chi ld restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the we ight -sens ing mat.
The
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light mu st come on and stay on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been instal led on the front seat, or
• a rearward -facing chi ld restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,or
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• a forward -facing child restraint has been instal led on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight register ed on the front passenger seat is equa l to or
less than the combined weigh t of a typica l 1 year-old restrained in
one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Veh ic le Safe ty S tandard
208 with wh ich the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
dep loy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on . Never
insta ll a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of ch ild restraint is at one of
the seating positions on the rear
seat => page 189, "Ch ild restraints
on the front sea t-some important things to know"
and => page 210,
"Chi ld Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
condit ions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regu lar ly
to make certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
cont inuously whenever the ignition is on . If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not appear and not stay on all the time , stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition off and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint. Make sure that the child
res tra int is proper ly instal led and t hat t he sa fety be lt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint
as described in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated a nd that the safety
belt has been pulled t ight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so t hat t he sensor below t he safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job
=> page 220.
• make s ure that th ings that may inc rease the we ight of the child
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspec ted by your Audi dealer immediately .
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is properly restrained in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds while driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back ­
rest and the backrest is not
reclined~ page 168, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight off the seat by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being properly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger seat, •
a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch for
the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear in the instrument cluster
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status. •
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint, in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or
in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their age and size .
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
.,_

& WARNING (continued)
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posit ion and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat and
deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
• If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward ­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's fore and aft adjust­
ment range , as far away from the airbag as possible. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position . Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above , make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transporting anyone on the front passenger seat .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Airbag system
[ i ] Tips
If the w eig ht-sens ing ma t in th e front passe nger seat detects an
e m pty seat , the front airbag on the pa ssenge r side wil l be turned
o ff , a nd PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay o n.
a
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts o f the airba g sy ste m are i nsta lled at many d ifferen t pl aces on
y our Audi. Instal ling, removing , se rvicing or re pairing a pa rt in an
ar ea of th e ve hicle ca n da mage a part of an airbag syst em and
prevent that system from wor king properly in a co llision.
T he re a re so me impo rtant thin gs you have to know t o make sure
that the effectiv eness of the system will not be impaired and that
di scar ded co mpon ents do not ca use inju ry o r po llut e th e env iron­
m ent .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair pro cedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly :
• Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering wheel horn pad
or airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way.
• Never attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units .
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel , use only a soft ,
dry cloth or one moistened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change the stiffness or strength
of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop ­
erly .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the airbag system.
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
...,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk
of upper torso injuries for occupants wh o are properly
restrained.
i w CD
"'
F ig . 18 2 Infl ate d side
airba gs on l eft sid e o f
v eh icle, rear s ide
air bag o ptional
equ ip­
ment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with propel lant gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked
"AIRBAG" . It expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger. In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction o f a second a t very high
speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating pos it ion is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the area where the supplemental side airbag expands.
This app lies especially to
children => page 210, "Child Safety" .
Supplemental side airbags inflate between the occupant and the
door pane l on the side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll ision
=> fi g. 182 .
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
Safety first
Airbag syst em
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys . This is normal
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehic le .•
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al ways prop­
erly wea r s afet y belts and ride in a pro per seati ng posi­
tion.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and act
accordingly to help the safety belts and ai rbags do their job to
provide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating s ide airbag can cau se seriou s or f ata l injury . Imp rop ­
erly wear ing safety belts and improper seating pos ition s increase
the r isk of ser iou s per sonal injury and death whenever a vehicle i s
being used .
• In order to reduce the ri sk of injury when the suppleme nta l si de
airbag inflate s:
- Always sit in an upright po sition and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag i s located .
- Never let a child or anyone else re st the ir head against the
s ide trim panel in the area where the supplement al side airbag
i nflate s.
- Alway s make sure that safety belt s are w orn correctly ,
-Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their h and or
any other part s of th eir body out of the windo w.
• Alway s make sure that the side airbag c an inflate without inter ­
feren ce .
- Never install seat covers or replac ement uphol ste ry ov er the
fr on t seat b acks that have not been spe cifi ca lly approved by
Audi .
...
irechnical data