2008 AUDI A4 AVANT ESP

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

___ A_ ir_b _ a_ g
=-- s
-=- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
• in rollovers.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are
in the proper seating position ~ page 95,
"General recommendations".
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to
activate the airbag.
•
How side curtain a irbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side airbags
to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for
occupants who ore properly restrained.
Fig . 184 Illustration of
principle: Inflated side
curtain airbags on the
left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the occupant and the
windows on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig . 184. When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with
propellant gas and breaks through a seam above the front and rear
side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order to help
provide this additional protection, the side curtain airbag must
inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with great
force. The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating posi ­
tion is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies espe ­
cially to
children~ page 210.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain airbags can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys. This is quite normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Always prop ­
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi­
tion.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to
help the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supple­
mental protection.
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used .
• Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference. Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t--= y'-------------------------------------------------
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear sea t is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physica l princ iples of what happe ns w hen your ve hicle is in a
crash app ly also to children
=> page 178, "What happens to occu ­
p a nts no t wearing safe ty belts?" . But un lik e adu lts and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fu lly developed. In many respects
children are at greate r risk of ser ious injury in cras hes than adul ts .
Because c hildren 's bodies are not ful ly deve loped, they require
restraint systems esp ecially designed for their size, weight, and
body st ructure. Many countr ies a nd al l states of the U nited States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
ch ild restrai nt sys te m s for infant s and smal l chil dren.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
ac tin g on a 13 -p o un d (6 kg) infant wil l be m ore tha n 20 times the
weight of t he child . T his means the weight of the c hild would
suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these condi ­
tions, on ly an appropriate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Child restraints, like adult safety belts,
m ust be use d properly t o be eff ec tive. Use d imp ro perly, they ca n
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Co nsu lt t he c hild sa fe ty seat manu fac ture r's ins truc tions to be su re
the seat is r ight for your child's
size=> page 213, "Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed a ll of the important information and WARN INGS about child
safety , Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in
th is chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
ve hicle and how they work whe n infan ts and c hildr en in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large a
m ount of i mportant in formation, we cannot repeat it a ll here. We
urge you to read the detai led information in this owner's manua l
about a irbags and the Advanced Airba g Sys te m in your ve hicle an d
the very i mportant information about transporting chi ldren on the
fr on t passe nger seat . P lease be su re to hee d t he WAR NINGS
-they
are extreme ly important for your safety and the safety of your
p assengers, es pec ial ly in fa nt s and s mall chil dren .
& WARNING
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seat ing position. Always
restrain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle o ccupants and especially children must be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the inte­
rior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impa ct. An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflating airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating positions prov ides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front se at of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . A
child in a rearward -fa cing child safety seat in stalled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild against the backrest , center arm rest , or door . ..,_

& WARNING (conti nued )
• Alw ays install r ear-facing child saf ety s eats on the r ear seat.
• If you mu st in sta ll a re arwa rd f acing child safe ty s eat on the
front pas senger seat in exc eptional cir cum stances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on,
immediat ely install th e rear-fa cing child safety s eat in a rear
s e ating po sit ion and h ave the airb ag sys tem in spe cted immedi ­
a tel y by y our Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circum stance s, you must in stall a forward -fac ing
c hild re st ra int on the fr ont p assenge r's s eat:
• Alway s make sure the forward -facing seat ha s been de signed
and cert ified by it s m anuf acturer for u se on a front se at with a
pa ssenger front and side airbag .
• Always follow the m anufacturer's instruct ions provided w ith
the child safet y seat or c arrier.
• Alway s m ov e th e passeng er sea t into it s re arm ost p osit ion in
the seat' s fore and aft adju stment range , as far away from the
a irb ag as possible before installin g the ch ild r estr aint . The b ack­
rest must be adjusted to an upright po sition.
• Alway s ma ke sure th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
come s on and stay s on all the time wheneve r the ignition i s
s wit ched on . •
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual -stage front "Advanced Airbag
System" in comp liance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard ( FMVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your vehic le
was manufactured .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Chi
ld Sa fe ty
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehic le has been certified to
meet the " low -risk" require ments for 3 and 6 yea r- old c hild ren on
the passenger side and small adu lts on the driver side . The low risk
deployment c rite ria are intended to reduce the risk of inju ry th rough
interaction with the airbag that can occur, for example, by being too
close to the steering whee l and instrument panel when the airbag
in flates . In add it ion, the system has been cert ified to comply with
the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off
the front airbag for in fants up to 12 months who are restrained on
the front passeng er seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system, all ch ildren, especially those 12 years and younger, sho uld
a lways ride in the back seat proper ly restra ined for the ir age and
size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten ­
tially dangerous p lace for a chi ld to r ide. The front seat is not the
safest p lace for a chi ld in a forward -facing child safety seat. It can be
a very dangerous place for an infant or a larger chi ld in a rearward ­
facing seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in your ve hicle detects the p resence
of an infant or chi ld in a child restraint on the front passenger seat
using the weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat that
measures the tension on the safety belt .
The weight -sensing mat meas ures total we ig ht of the ch ild and the
child safety seat and a chi ld blanket on the front passenger seat. The
weight o n the fr ont passenge r seat is related to the desig n of the
child restraint and its "footprint" , the size and shape of the bottom
of the child restraint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of chi ld
_..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Child Safety -
---------------''------'
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
• Britax Roundabo ut 161
• Brit ax Expressway
• Century Encor e 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo M edallion 254
• Safety First Comfor t Ride 22-400
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and 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 if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
[ i] Tips
Th e child s eats lis ted in cat egori es A to C have been tes ted by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Important safety instructions for using child
safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of every ­
body in the vehicle, especially children:
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly :::>
page 215.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac­
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop­
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat , you must first activate the convertible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety
seat from
moving => page 220.
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- 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.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size .
..,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t--= y'-------------------------------------------------
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death .
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle .
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the vehicle or by
being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is at much
greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
• Commercially available child safety seats are required to
comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSSI
213 (in Canada CMVSS 2131.
-When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child
and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat
portion of the seat cushion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not provide
adequate contact with the seat .
- Always heed all legal requirements pertaining to the installa ­
tion and use of child safety seats and carefully follow the
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow children under 57 inches (1.5 meters) to wear a
normal safety belt. They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or
accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat .
& WARNING (continued)
• Never let babies or older children ride in a vehicle while sitting
on the lap of another passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a substitute for a child
restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces
that exist in an accident. The child will strike the interior of the
vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each another in
an accident.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates - even with an
Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, door or roof .
• Always install rear -facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the rear seat .
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat can interfere with the airbag when it inflates and
cause serious injury to the child. Always install forward-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger's
seat, the child's
safety and well -being require that the following special precau ­
tions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t--= y'-------------------------------------------------
Booster seats
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80 lbs. (18 kg and 36
kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. tall.
Fig. 187 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children
until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kgl. Booster seats raise these children up so that the
safety belt will pass properly over the stronger parts of their
bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a crash.
-Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster seat.
-Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt midway over the child's shoulder.
-Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety
belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
-Always make sure that the child can properly wear the
lap portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen.
Children up to about 40 lbs (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Experts say that the skel­
etal structure, particularly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they should not use the vehicle safety belts
~ page218,fig.187.
Children who weigh more than 40 lbs. (18 kg) may generally use the
available three point combination lap and shoulder belts when they
sit on an appropriate booster seat. Be sure the booster seat meets
all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt
over the child's body is very important for the child's protection .
This applies whenever a child uses the vehicle's safety belts, even
when the child is big enough to use them without a booster seat. Children age 12 and under should always ride in the rear seat .
Children should not ride in the front seat unless no other seating
position is available because crash statistics show that children are
better protected in the rear seat.
In a crash , airbags must inflate within a blink of an eye and with
considerable force . In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so that it will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag.
A vehicle occupant including a child who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an
occupant is too close, he or she will be struck violently and will
receive serious or possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
vehicle occupants, especially any children, who must be in the front
seat in exceptional circumstances, be properly restrained and as far
away from the airbag as possible. By keeping room between the _.,.

__ ....,;;C;..;.h.;.; i.;.;ld ;;,;,__; S;;;.; a;;;;. f;;..; e;;;.; t~ y""------------------------------------------------
Children who weigh more than about 80 lbs (36 kg) and are at least
4 ft . 9 in. tal l can genera lly use the veh ic le's three po int lap a nd
shou lder belts . Chi ldren should use a lap belt only in very excep ­
tiona l situations and on ly if no child restraint system for the child's
size and weight or safer a lternative means of transportation of the
child is available. In these exceptiona l situations, the use of a lap
belt is better t han permitting t he ch ild to re main total ly unre ­
strained. But remember : a lap be lt cannot provide the same level of
protection as a proper c hild restraint or a t hree -poi nt lap and
shou lder be lt if the child is big enough . A lso, using a lap belt for
younger chi ldre n, who s hould be us ing a chi ld restrai nt, may v iola te
l aws in your state or Province .
N ever use a lap belt alone to rest ra in a chi ld that we ig hs less than
about 80 lbs (36 kg) and w ho is less t han 4'9" ta ll. A lways remember
t hat chi ld ren do not have the pronounced pelv ic structure requ ired
f or t he proper function o f lap belts . If a lap belt is o nly restra int
system available, then the chi ld's safety absolutely requires that the
l ap be lt be fastened snug ly and as low as possible around t he pelv is
l et a lap belt pass over the chi ld's stomach or abdomen .
& WARNING
Using wrong child restraints or improperly installed child
restraints can cau se seriou s personal injury or death in a crash.
• Failure to properly route safety belt s over a child's body will
cau se severe injurie s in a crash . The lap belt portion of the three
point belt a s well as any lap belt alone must always pass as low as
po ssible acros s the pelvis, never over the stomach or abdomen.
• An improperly worn safety belt will not provide the best protec­
tion in a crash and may cause serious personal injury . Al ways
make sure that children and other vehicle occupants properly
wear available restraint sy stem s. Carefully follow the in struction s
prov ided by the manufacturers of child restraints .
•
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S afe ty belts for the rea r seats and the fr ont pa ssenger can
be locke d with the c onvertible locking retract or to prop ­
erly secure child safety seats.
T he safe ty belts emergency locking re tracto rs fo r the rea r sea ts
sa fety be lts a nd for t he front passenger's seat safety belt have a
conve rtible lock ing ret ractor for child rest ra ints . The safety belt
must be loc ked so t hat belt webbing ca nnot unree l. The retractor
can be activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent the safety be lt
webbi ng from l oosen ing up dur ing normal dr ivi ng. A c hild sa fe ty
seat can only be properly instal led when the safety belt is locked so
t hat t he ch ild and c hild safety seat will s tay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Ai rbag sys tem, al l c h ild ren, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always r ide in the back seat proper ly restra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
per sonal injury and death in a collision .
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlo cked safety belt retra ctor
cannot hold the child safety seat in pla ce during normal driving or
in a crash.
• Alway s buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a
c hild is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision
• Alway s make sure that the rear seat backre st to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever
the rear center safety belt is being u sed to se cure a child re straint.
_,.