2008 AUDI S6 child seat

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When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing
m ore tha n the to tal weigh t of a c hild that is ab out 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear -fac ing or forward -facing infant
r es traints (listed in Fede ra l M oto r Vehicle Safe ty S ta ndard
208 with
which the Advanced Airba g System in your ve hic le was certified),
the fro nt airbag on the pas se nge r si de may o r may not dep loy .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t com es o n when the elect ro ni c
contro l unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requ ires th e front ai rbag to be tur ned off. If th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
h as not been tu rned off by the c ontrol unit and can depl oy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its memo ry .
If t he to tal we ight on the fro nt passen ge r seat is more t han t hat of
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fro nt a irba g on t he passen ger side may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li ght does not come onl.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small ch ild that is heav ie r th a n a typ ical 1 yea r-old ch ild is o n
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
o f th e ch ild sa fety seats listed=>
page 236),
• a ch ild wh o ha s ou tg rown chi ld re strain ts is on the fron t
passen ger seat.
If the front passenge r airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht in the ce nter of t he inst rument panel wi ll co me on a nd stay
on.
The fron t airb ag o n the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht does not i llu m ina te and s ta y lit) i f:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger who is no t sitt ing up rig ht with the ir back aga inst a
non -reclined bac krest with their feet on the vehicle f loor in front of
t h e seat is on th e fro nt pass enger se at.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requires
t he a irbag to m eet th e "low ri sk" deploy ment criter ia to he lp reduce the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "
Low risk"
d eployme nt occ urs in those cras hes that ta ke place a t lower de ce l­
e rations as defined in the electron ic contro l unit .=:>
page 223
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is equipped with
A dva nced Air bags , th e sa fes t place fo r chi ldren is properly
r estra ined on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
i nf orm atio n in t he sect ions t hat follow and b e sur e to hee d all of the
WARN INGS.
& 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 posit ion in any way, your risk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=:>
page 212.
& 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 .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
de signed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat , nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situations that may happen dur ing the useful life of
your vehicle.
• 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 , door , or roof .
• Always install rearward -facing child restraints in the back seat . ..,.

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ fllll
& W ARNING (continued )
• If you must in stall 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
If, in exceptional circumstance s, you must install a forward-facing
c hild restraint on the front passenger's seat:
• 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 .•
Advanced Airbag System components
T he front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
p ar ts of th e A dva nced Air b ag System in it. T hese pa rts inc lu d e the
weight -sensing mat, sensors , w iring, brackets, and more. The func­
t ion o f the sys te m in the fr ont passenge r sea t is c hecked by th e e le c­
tronic contro l unit when the i gnition is on. The control unit monitors
th e Adva nced Ai rbag Syst em an d t urns t he air b ag in dicat or ligh t on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. T he
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation below
. B ecause the front passenger seat conta ins important par ts
o f th e Adva nced Ai rbag Sys te m , yo u m ust take care to prev ent it
from be ing damaged. Damage to the seat may pr event the
Advanced Air bag for the fr ont pas senge r sea t fr om doing i ts job i n
a cras h.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following :
• Crash sens ors in th e fro nt of th e vehi cle that meas ure vehic le
acce leration/dece leration to provide information to the Advanced
A irb ag System ab out the seve rity of the c rash .
• An electron ic control unit, with integrat ed crash sensors for front
and si de i mpac ts . T he co ntr ol unit "de cides" w heth er to f ir e th e
front airbags based on th e information received from the crash
se nsors . The con trol unit also "deci des" w hethe r the safet y belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• A dua l- st age A dvan ced Airb ag with gas ge nerato r for t he drive r
inside the steer ing wheel hub .
• A du al- s tage A dvanced Air bag a nd gas gene ra tor insid e the
instrument panel fo r the front passenger.
• A w eigh t-s e nsin g mat und er the u phols ter y padding of th e fron t
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
Th e in form atio n r egis tered i s sen t co nti nuousl y to th e e lectr oni c
control unit to regu late dep loyment of th e fro nt Advanced Airbag o n
t he pas se nge r sid e.
• An airbag monito ring system and indicator light in the instru ­
m ent c luste r::::>
p age 22 3.
• T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
ce nter of the i nstrume nt p anel ::::>
pa ge 224, fi g. 206 a nd tells y ou
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
tu rne d off .
• A sensor be low the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to mea sure the t ensio n on t he sa fet y b elt. The ten sion o n the safet y
belt and the weight registe red by t he weight -sensing mat help the
cont ro l un it "deci de" whe ther t he fro nt air bag fo r the front _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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passenger seat shou ld b e turned off or not=> pa ge 214, "Child
res train ts on the fron t seat - so m e impor tant thi ngs to kno w".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and fo r the front
s e at pass enger that s enses w hether th at sa fet y belt is la tc hed or not
and transmits this information to the el ectron ic control unit .
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent 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 passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove 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-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
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-sens ing mat and send the wrong information 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 damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
& WARNING (continued)
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints 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 padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
i nstalled on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanced Airbag System and the si de airba gs supplement
t h e protection offered by the fro nt three -point safety be lt s with
pretensioners and load limiters a nd t he adjustab le head restraints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a wide range of accident and
cras h situati ons. Be s ure to read the im por tant i nformation about
safety and heed the WAR NINGS in this chapter.
Depl oyment of the Adva nced A irbag Sy stem and the acti vat ion of
th e safety be lt pr etensioners dep ends on the decele ration
m easu re d by the crash se nso rs and regi stered by the e lec troni c
control unit . Crash s eve rity depends on speed and dec eleration 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 wi ll 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 control unit registers a crash of medium severity,
the first stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later t ime in the crash sequence · regardless of whe ther the
safety belt is being used or not. In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit, both the fi rst and second stages
deploy almost at the same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll a lso be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 has been recogn ized on the seat . The
PAS SEN GER A IR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tell you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off~
page 214, "Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know".
& WARNING
T o re duc e the ri sk of injury wh en an airb ag infla te s, a lw ay s wear
sa fet y belt s pr operl y.
• If you are unr estra ined , leanin g forw ard , s it tin g s idew ays or out
o f positi on i n a ny w ay, y ou r ris k of in jur y is much hig her.
• Yo u w ill al so rec eive seriou s injurie s and could even be kill ed if
y ou are up a gain st th e airbag or too close to it when it infl ates -
e ve n with an A dvanced Airbag~
page 212. •
Safety first
Airb ag sy ste m
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig . 205 In fl at ed front
airb ags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so tha t airbags can unfold proper ly and
provide supplemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The fron t airbags are designed to provide addit ional protection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possib le from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force , things
you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released . This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they d eploy . It could irritate
skin.
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
a lso happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not pro tect the arms •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

-L~A:::..:,: ir:....: b:!..::: a~g L.:: s:1y :...:s::..: t~ e:.: m:...:...:.. ________________________________________________ _
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supp lement the
th ree p oint safe ty belts in som e front al co llis ions in which the
vehic le dece leration is h igh enou gh to deploy the a irba gs.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e collis io ns,
• i n rea r- e nd collisi ons ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e c ras h de celerat io n measur ed by the a irba g system is
less than the minimum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
r egi stere d by th e ele ctro nic con trol uni t.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when th e fr ont pass enger seat is no t occupi ed,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat a s sensed by the
A dvanced A irbag Syste m indica tes tha t the fr ont air bag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic cont rol unit
(t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t comes o n and s tays o nl.
& 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
214.
& 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, i mmediately 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 a irbag 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
cupholders, 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 object s.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

llffll,___A_ ir_ b_ a.::g <-- s-- PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Iii
Fig . 206 Sec tio n fr om
th e i nstrument pan el:
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
instrument pane l => fig. 206 .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on to tel l
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off by the electronic contro l unit . Each time you turn on
the ignition, the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll flash for a few
seconds and :
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small chi ld 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 weight -sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat, or
• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one of the rear
-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wil l not
deploy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght wi ll stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one o f
the seating posi tions on the rear seat=>
page 214, "Child restraints
o n the front seat -some important things to know" and=>
page 234,
"Chi ld Safety".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
conditions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regularly
to make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously 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 reinstal l the child restraint. Make sure that the child
restraint is properly insta lled and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job =>
page 244.
• make sure that things that may increase the weight of the child
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
• 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 -.,

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat .
If th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age .
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating posi tion on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that :
• the adu lt on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion w ith his or her back up against the back­
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 794, "Proper occupant
sea ting positions" ,
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting thei r we ight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly 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 upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF o r
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON wi ll briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airb ag ind icator li ght come s on , it me ans that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Ai rbag S ystem. It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate w hen it should .
• Have the airb ag system inspe cted immediatel y by you r Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airb ag infl ate s, a child without a child re straint , in a
rear ward -fa cing child safet y se at or i n a forwa rd-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 1 2 year s and
younger , alway s ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forward or rear -facin g child safety seats on the
re ar seat - even with an Ad vanced Airb ag System .
• If you must in stall a rearwa rd -fa cing child safety seat on the
fron t pa sse nger seat be cau se of exc eptional circu mstan ce s a nd
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appe ar and st ay o n,
immedi atel y insta ll the rear -f ac ing child safet y seat in a re ar ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
seating posit ion and have the airb ag system inspe cted by your
Audi dealer .
• A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward-fa cing child restr aint
att ached to the front pas senger se at can put too much pres sure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can
m ake the system work as though an adult were on the seat and
deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed cau sing
ser ious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstance s, you mu st in stall a forward ­
f a cing 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 po ssible . The ba ckrest
must be adjusted to an upright position. Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stay s 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 tak ing the step s
described above, make sure the adult i s properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posit ions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transport ing anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e m pty seat , the front a irbag on the passenge r side wil l be tur ned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
P arts of the airbag system are installed at many different p laces on
you r Aud i. Insta ll ing, r emoving, servic ing or repa iring a pa rt in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p revent that sys tem from working pr operly in a c ollisi on.
There are some important things you have to know to ma ke sure
t h at the effective ness of the system will not be impai red and that
discarded co mponents do not cause injury or po llute the env iro n­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by pre venting 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 cupholders 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 cleaner s
c ould 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 , adju st, or change any parts of the airbag sy stem .
• All work on the steering wheel , instrument panel , front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
cellular telephones and CB radios , etc .I must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training and special equipment
necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend
that you see your author ized Audi dealer or qual ified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body .