_,___A_ ir_ b_ a.::g <-- s--
• Never carry sharp object s in your pockets or place them on the
seat.
If the weight- sen sing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly .
• Never carry things on your lap or ca rry objects on the
passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight -sen sing mat and send the wrong information to the
a irbag control unit .
• Never store item s under the front pas senge r seat . Part s 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 ha ve
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advan ced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front pa ssenger
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 -sen sing 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 re straint on the front passenger seat
and the ch ild restra int manufacturer' s instructions require the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Ai rbag System and the side airbags s upplement
th e pro tec tion offered by t he fro nt three -po int safety belts w ith
pretensioners and load limite rs and the adjustab le head restraints
t o help reduce the risk o f injury in a w ide ra nge o f acc ide nt and
crash situations . Be sure to read the important information about
sa fe ty an d heed the WAR NINGS in this chapte r.
D ep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and the activation of
th e safe ty be lt pre tens ioners depends on th e decele ra tion
measu red by the crash se nsors and regist ered by the electronic
con trol un it. Crash seve rity depe nds on speed a nd decele ra tion a s
w ell as the mass a nd st iffne ss of the ve hicle or objec t in vo lv ed in th e
crash .
When t he elect ronic control unit registe rs a low sever ity crash and
the safety belt is be ing used, the airbag wi ll not deploy. If the safety
belt is no t being used, the fir s t stage de ploy s, f ollowed by th e
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence .
I f the electronic control unit registers a crash of medium severity,
th e first stage o f the a irba g dep loys followed by the second sta ge at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
sa fe ty belt is bein g use d or not. In hig her se ver ity cras hes as r eg is
tered by the electronic control unit, both the first and second stages
deploy al most at the same tim e.
On the passe nger s ide, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag wi ll
be tu rned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the e lectronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll a lso be turned off if one of the child
sa fet y seats that has been cer tified under F ederal Mo to r V ehi cle
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light co mes on and stays o n to tell y ou
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t ur ned off ~
pag e 147, " C hi ld re stra int s on t he fro nt seat -so m e
important things to know". .,
& 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 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 146. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 132 Inflate d front
airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated posit ion so that airbags can unfold properly and
provide supp lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additional 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 possible from the air bag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Safety first
Airbag system
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could 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 deploy. It could irritate
skin.
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likel ihood 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 be lts in some frontal collisions in which the
vehic le deceleration is high enough to dep loy the a irbags.
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 cras hes. .,,_
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data
___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat, or
• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,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 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag Sys tem in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wi ll not
deploy, and the
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light will stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a chi ld in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating positions on the rear seat=>
page 147, "Child restraints
on the front seat -some important things to know" and=>
page 168,
"Chi ld Safety" .
If the PA SS ENG ER A IR BAG OFF l ight com es on when one of the
conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regularly
to make certain that the
P ASSE NG ER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
B AG 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 re install the child restraint. Make sure that the chi ld
restraint is properly insta lled and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correct ly routed around the ch ild 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 be lt 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 177 .
• make sure that things that may increase the weight of the child
and child safety seat are not being t ransported on the front
passenger seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is no t 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 chi ld safety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is no t so tigh t that it causes
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
t he seat .
If the PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF lig ht still doe s no t c om e 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
proper ly 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 properly restrained in a child restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld 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 O FF light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile 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 with his or her back up against the back
rest and the backrest is not reclined=>
page 130, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• t he adu lt 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 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 impress ion on the weight-sensing mat ...
__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lffl!III
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from th e front
p assenge r sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
the fr ont pass enge r se at .
I n addition to the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight in the center of the
instrument pane l, the message PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will br iefly appear in the instrument c luster
display . Thi s is to inform the drive r of the current front passenger
a ir b ag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prope rly cannot prov ide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag ind icator 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 se at 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 ch ildren , especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their age and size .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (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 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-fa cing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister 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 in stall a forward
fac ing child restra int 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, have the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
I f the wei ght -sens ing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
empty seat, t he fron t airbag o n the pa ssenge r sid e wil l be tu rne d
o ff , and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-Airbag system -----~~---------------------------------------------------------
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are 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 act
accordingly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
provide supplemental protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used.
• In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental side
airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side trim panel in the area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window.
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter
ference.
-Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seat backs that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags deploy .
& WARNING (continued)
-Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• Objects between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag inflates. -Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cup holders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects)
on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projec
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the deployment space
between them and the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position.
• Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight
clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once.
If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.I to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• If children are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident ~
page 168, "Child Safety" .
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in anyway. _.,
___ C_h_ i_ ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_y ____________________________________________ _
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when your veh ic le is in a
crash apply also to children=>
page 139, "What happens to occu
pants no t wearing safety belts?" . But un like adu lts and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fully developed. In many respects
children are at g reater risk of serious injury in crashes than adul ts .
Because chi ldren's bodies are not fully developed, they require
restraint systems especial ly designed for their size, weight, and
body structure. Many countries and all s tates of the United States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
chi ld restraint syste ms for in fants and sma ll children.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
acti ng on a 13 -p o und (6 kg) infant wil l be m ore tha n 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child 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 used prope rly t o be e ffective. Used i mproper ly, they can
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Co nsu lt the ch ild safety s eat manu fact ure r's ins truc tions to be su re
the seat is right for your child's size=>
page 171, "Important safety
instruct ions for using child safe ty seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed a ll of the important information and WARN INGS about chi ld
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in
this chap ter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
veh ic le and how they work when infants and chi ldre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
a m ount of impo rtant informati on, we can not repeat i t all here. We urge you to
read the detai led informat ion in this owner's manua l
about airbags and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and
the very i mportant in formation about tra nsport ing chi ldren on the
front passenger seat. Please be sure to heed the WAR NINGS -they
are ext remely important for y our safe ty a nd the safe ty of you r
passengers, especia lly infants and small children.
& WARNING
All vehicle o ccupants and especially children must be restrained
properly wheneve r riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improp
erly restrained child could be injured by striking the interior or by
be ing e je cted from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or
impa ct. An unrestrained or improperly restrained child i s also at
greater risk of injury or death through contact with an inflating
airbag .
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even w ith Adv anced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag infla tes. A
child in a rearward-fa cing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great fo rce and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, door or roof.
• Never install a rearward fa cing child safety seat on the front
pa ssenger seat unles s the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on . If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on , have the airbag system in spected immedi -
ately by your Audi dealer . _,.
_____________________________________________ C_ h _ il_d _S_ a _ fe_t.....: y'----""
& WARNING
If , in e xceptional circum sta n ce s, y ou mu st in stall a forward -fa cing
c hild re straint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Always m ake sure the forw ard-f acing se at has b een de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a
p ass eng er fro nt and side airbag .
• Alwa ys follow the manufacturer' s instruc tion s provided with
the child s afet y seat or carrier .
• Alway s move the p assenger sea t into it s rearmo st po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adjustme nt r ange , as far a way from the
airbag as po ssible before in stalling the child restraint. The ba ck
rest must be adju sted to an upr ight p osition .
• Alway s m ake sure th at the PASSEN GER AIR BA G OFF l ight
c ome s on and stay s on all the time wheneve r the ignition is
s witched 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 (F MVSS) 208 as applicab le at the t ime your vehic le
was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag sys tem in yo ur vehicle has been cer tified to
meet the "low -risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year -old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the d river side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the airbag that can occur, for examp le, by being too
close to the steering wheel and instrument pane l when the airbag
inflates . In addition, the system has been certified to comp ly with
the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to turn off
the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on
the front passenger sea t in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard .
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system, a child should always ride in theseat pr operly restrained for
its age and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward -facing child safety
seat . It can be a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward -facing seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight -sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle detects the presence
of an infan t or child in a chi ld rest rain t 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 sa fety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total weight of the child and the
child safety seat and a chi ld blanke t on the front passenger seat . The
weight on the front passenger seat is related to the design of the
child res tra int a nd i ts "footprin t", the size and shape o f the b ottom
of the child restraint as it sits on the seat . T he weight of a child
restra in t and its " footprint" va ry for different kinds of ch ild
restraints and for the different models of the same kind of chi ld
restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers .
The weight ranges for the ind ividual types, makes and models of
child restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
t ogether with the weight ranges of typical infan ts and typica l 1 year
old chi ld have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced
Airbag Sys tem. When a child res traint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag
System compares the weight measured by the we ight sensing ma t
with the information stored in the e lectronic control unit.
The electronic contro l unit also registers the tension on the front
passenger safe ty bel t. The tension on the safety be lt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ C_ h_ il_ d _S_ a_fe _ ty ______________________________________________ _
the safety belt as compared to the tension on the belt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for the safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the
tension on the belt. The input from this sensor is then used with the
weight to "decide", whether there is a child restraint with a typical 1
year-old child on the front passenger seat and whether or not the
airbag must be turned off. •
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use, make sure that it has
been certified to meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manufacturer for use with
an airbag. If in exceptional circumstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, carefully read all of the information on child
safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARN
INGS. Make certain that the child restraint is correctly recognized by
the weight-sensing mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that the airbag status is
always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child restraints have been available over
the years, new models are introduced regularly incorporating new
and improved designs and older models are taken out of produc
tion. Child restraints are not standardized. Child restraints of the same type typically have different weights and sizes and different
'footprints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the child restraint
that sits on the seat, when they are installed on a vehicle seat. These
differences make it virtually impossible to certify compliance with
the requirements for advanced airbags with each and every child restraint that has ever been sold in the past or will be sold over the
course of the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used to certify compliance
of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle with the suppression requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
These
child restraints are:
A. Car beds, manufactured on or after September 1,
2004:
• Cosco Dream Ride 02 -719
B. Rear facing child restraint systems, manufactured
on or after September 1, 2004:
(When the restraint system comes equipped with a removable base,
compliance has to be certified with or without the base).
• Britax Handle with Care 191
• Century Assura 4553
• Century Smart Fit 4543
• Cosco Arriva 02727
• Evenflo Discovery Adjust Right 212
• Evenflo First Choice 204
• Graco Infant 8457
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
• Britax Roundabout 161
• Britax Expressway
• Century Encore 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo Medallion 254
• Safety First Comfort Ride 22-400