2008 AUDI A4 AVANT ignition

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as defi ne d i n th e el ectronic contro l unit=> page 19 9, " PA SSE NGER
AI R B AG OFF lig ht ".
A lways remember, a c hild safety s eat or infant carrier instal led on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of po sition by the
r a pi dly i nfla ting passe nger's ai rbag in a fron tal c olli sion . The a irbag
co uld greatly red uce the effectiveness of the child restraint and
e ven se riou sly inju re the child d urin g infla tion .
F or th is reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest plac e for
chi ldr en
-whe n prop erly r estrain ed accord in g to t he ir age an d size
-we stro ngly recomme nd that ch il d ren a lwa ys sit in the bac k se at
=> p age 210, "Child S afety".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front 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 ba ckrest , center arm rest , door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• 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 come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
& WARNING (continued)
• Always 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 .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. 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
To reduce the risk of serious injury , make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks
described => page 198, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• 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 Audi dealer immedi ­
ately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu ­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :

Airbag system 111111
-----------------------------=--=-------
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
also happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supplement the
three point safety belts in some frontal collisions in which the
vehicle deceleration is high enough to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags
will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• in side collisions,
• in rear -end collisions,
• in rollovers ,
• when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is
less than the minimum threshold needed for airbag deployment as
registered by the electronic control unit.
The front passenger airbag
will also not deploy:
• when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the
Advanced Airbag System indicates that the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the electronic control unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays onl.
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes.
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position, must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an
eye :::::, page 189.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front 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 on the rear seat.
• 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 come on and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will increase the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec ­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate.
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup
holders, telephone brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on the
doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering
wheel, instrument panel, seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, espe­
cially when the airbags inflate.
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front _,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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&, WARNING (continued )
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , particularly when
the seat is re clined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
c ondit ions .
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors .
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating .
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t~
Two separate indicators monitor the func tion of the
Advanced A irba g System: th e airbag mon itoring ind ica tor
li g ht and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
T he Advanced Airbag System (inc luding the e lectronic control unit,
s en sor c ircuit s and s yste m wiri ng ) is moni tored con tin uou sly to
make sure that it is f unctioning properly whenever the ignition is o n.
E ac h time you t urn on the ignit ion , th e airb ag monito ring indic ator
light ~ will come on for a f ew s econds (s elf dia gnostics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light m:
• does not come on when the i gnition is switched on,
• d oes not go out a few sec onds after y ou h ave sw itch ed on th e
ignit ion, or
• comes on w hile d riv ing.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator li ght will
fir st sta rt fl ashing to ca tch the drive r's att ention a nd then s tay o n
cont inuously to serve as a cons tant rem inder to hav e the s yst em
in spec ted i mm ediatel y.
If a m alfu nctio n occ urs th at t urns the fron t airb ag on the pass eng er
s ide off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
w hen eve r th e ig niti on is on.
& 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 .•

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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

Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™)
Description of SIDEGUARD™ airbags
The SIDEGUARD™ airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained occupants.
F ig . 18 3 S IDEGUARD ™
sys tem , driver's s id e:
s id e cu rtain air b a g
l oca tio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interior
above the front and rear side
windows => fig. 183 . They are identi ­
fied by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the center
roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision . The
side curtain airbag inflates only in side impacts and only when the
vehicle accele ra tion reg istered by the contro l unit is high enough. If
this rate is below the reference va lue programmed into the contro l
unit, the side airbags w ill not be triggered, even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the co llision . It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible
angle of impact, since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and ano the r. Important factors include, for
example, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle
Safety first
Airb ag syst em
of impact, vehicle speed, etc .=> page 208, "How side curtain airbags
work".
Aside from their norma l safety function, safety belts work to help
keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a colli ­
s ion so that the side curtain airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it
is part of the overall occupant restrain t system in your veh icle.
Always remember that the airbag system can only he lp to protect
you if you are wear ing your safety belt and wear ing it properly . This
is another reason why you should always wear your safety belts, not
just because the law requires you to do so
=> page 176, "General
notes".
It is important to remember that while the side curtain airbag
system is designed to help reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for examp le, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions
can a lso be associa ted with these a irbags . Remembe r too, these
airbags will deploy only once and on ly in certain kinds of accidents
- your safety belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curta in air b ag system b asi cally consists of :
• The elec tronic co ntrol mod ule and external side impact sensors
• The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side windows
• The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to make certain it is
f u n ction ing properly at all times. Each time you turn on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for a few seconds
(se lf diagnostics).
The s ide curt ain ai rbag is not acti vated :
• if the ignition is turned off,
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too low,
• in front -end collisions,
• in rear -end collisions,
.,
irechnical data

& 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