2008 AUDI TT ROADSTER airbag

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Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safe ty a nd the safety of your passengers, before
driving o ff, a lways:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 130,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 88,
- Wear safety belts properly~ page 140,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to pro tect
children~
page 168 .
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger are not seated proper ly . There ­
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at a ll times.
By keep ing room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fu lly and
comp letely and prov ide supplementa l protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 130, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
detai ls on the operation of the seat adjustment controls =>
page 88
and=> page 89.
It's especially important that chi ldren are proper ly restrained
=>
page 168.
There is a lot that the dr iver and the passenger can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system.
P roper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. I f you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, o r if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, p lease contact your authorized Audi
dea ler or qua lif ied workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822 -2834 for possib le modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator wi ll fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and be tween the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags wil l deflate immediate ly after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shield again without interruption.
A ll of this takes p lace in the b link of an eye, so fast that many people
don't even rea lize that the airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they dep loy. Fron t airbags in combination wi th properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver and passenger from hitting
parts of the inside the vehic le while reducing the forces acting on
the occupant during the crash. In this way they he lp to reduce the
r isk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body .
Both front airbags w ill not inflate in al l fro ntal col lisions . The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehic le deceleration
r ate caused by the colli sion and registe red by the electronic contro l
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
cont rol unit, the airbags w ill not be t riggered, even though the car
may be bad ly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, .,,,.

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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances wil l vary considerab ly between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car hits, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rear co llisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by another a fter the first coll ision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
a lways prope rly wea r your safety belt s =>
page 137 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to held you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~ page 141 , "S afet y belt s".
• If children are not properly re strained , they may be severely
injured or killed whe n an airbag inflates .
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehi cle . Adju st the front seats properly .
• Alway s sit a s far a s po ssible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel~ page 1 30, "Proper occup ant se ati ng po si­
tions ".
• Alwa ys sit upright with yo ur b ack again st the ba ckrest of your
s eat.
• Never place your feet on the instrument p anel or on the seat .
Alway s keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent serious injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag infl ate s.
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se on ly original equipment airbags app roved by Audi and
installed by a trained technici an who has the n eces sary tool s and
diagno sti c equipment to properly repl ace an y airb ag i n your
vehicle and assure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Ne ver permit salvaged or re cy cled airb ag s to be in stalled in
your vehicle . •
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important info rmation a nd head the
WARNINGS for important details about c hildren and
Advanced Airbags~ page
168 . .-,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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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 place for an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age 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 System in your vehicle was certified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 170.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells 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 ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight -sensing mat=>
page 157, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System".
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come onl. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi­
tions stored in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed =>
page 170), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat .
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay litl even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 130, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys , the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the
risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations
as defined in the electronic control unit=>
page 157, "PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light".
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant carrier installed on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflating passenger's airbag in a frontal collision. The airbag
could greatly reduce the effectiveness of the child restraint and
even seriously injure the child during inflation.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the safest place for
children -when properly restrained according to their age and size
- we strongly recommend that children always sit in the back seat
=>
page 168, "Child Safety" . .,

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& 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, door or roof. • 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:
• 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 .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& 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 157, "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 :
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child -
even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier .
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight -sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can pro vid e supp lemen tal prot ection
to p roperly r es tra ined front seat occu pa nts.
Fig . 130 Location of
driver airb ag: in
s te ering wheel
Fig . 13 1 Locat ion of
front p assenger 's
airbag: in the instru ­
ment panel
You r ve hicle is equipped w ith a dual -stage front "Adva nced Airbag
System" in comp liance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle
Sa fet y S tanda rd (F MVSS) 208 as app licable at the time your ve hicl e
was manufactu red. Your veh icle is also equipped with s ide airbags
fo r th e d river an d front seat passenge r. The safe ty bel ts for the fr ont
seats have "pretens ione rs" that help to take slac k out of the belt
sy stem. Th e pre tensio ners a re a ls o ac tiv ate d b y the elec tron ic
control un it for t he airbag system . T
he front saf ety be lts also have load limiters to help reduce the
f o rc es a pp lie d t o th e b ody in a cra sh .
T he airbag for the driver is in the steerin g wh eel hub~ fig. 13 0 and
t h e ai rbag fo r the front pas senge r is in the i nstrument panel
~ fig. 1 31. The gene ral loca tion of the airba gs is m arke d "AIR BA G".
T here is a lot you need to know about the airbags in your vehicle . We
u rge you t o rea d th e deta iled inf orma tion about a ir ba gs, s afe ty belts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owne r's lite ra tu re. P lea se be s ure to hee d the WAR NINGS· th ey are
e xtremely important for your safety and the safety of your passen ­
ge rs, especia lly i nfa nts a nd sma ll children.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts.
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small
children , will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat , nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
• The Advanced Airbag System will deploy in accordance with
the "low risk " option unde r the U.S . Federal Standard if a child that .._

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
& WARN ING (co ntinued)
is he avier tha n the t ypi ca l o ne -yea r old child i s on the front
p asse nger seat and the othe r con dition s for airba g deploym ent
a re met .
• Accident stat istic s have shown that children are gen era lly safer
i n th e rea r seat ar ea th an in the front se ating posit ion .
• For its ow n sa fet y, a c hild should always ride pr operly
re str ai ned f or it s a ge a nd si ze . •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan­
dard 208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Th e front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger 's
heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehicle deceleration is high enough .
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety be lts. Rather, it is part of the overa ll
occupant restraint system in your vehicle. A lways remember that
the airbag syste m can only help to protect you, if you a re sitting
upright, wearing your safety be lt and wearing it proper ly. This is why
you and your passengers must a lways be proper ly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to meet the " low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side . The low risk
deployment cr iteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too c lose to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
I
n addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safe ty Standard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed in the Standard=>
page 170, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restrained on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
res traints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
a listing of the child rest raints that were used to certify your
vehic le's compliance with the US Safety Standard=>
page 170,
• weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the cont rol unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing more than the total weight of a child that is about 1 year old
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant
restraints (lis ted in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy .
The
PA SS EN GER AIR BA G OFF light comes on when the e lectronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PAS SEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has no t been turned off by the con trol un it and can deploy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year -o ld, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front a irbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come onl.
For e xample , the airb ag may deplo y if:
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system ----------------
•
a sma ll ch ild th at is heavi er than a typ ica l 1 ye ar-o ld child is on
th e front p assenger s eat (regar dle ss of whet her the child is in on e
of th e child saf ety seats listed~
page 1 70),
• a chil d w ho h as outgrow n chi ld re str ain ts is on the fr ont
passen ger seat.
I f the fr ont passe nge r ai rbag is tu rned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the cent er o f the instrum ent pan el wi ll come on and stay
o n.
The front airb ag o n the passenger si de may
not depl oy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay l it) if:
• a small ad ult or t eenage r is on the fr ont passenger sea t
• a passenger who is not sitting upright with their bac k against a
n o n-re clined back res t w it h th e ir fe et on th e ve hicle flo or in fr ont of
th e se at is on th e front pass enger s eat.
I f the front pas senger ai rbag depl oys, the Federa l Standard requ ires
the airb ag to me et the "low r is k" dep loy ment criter ia to h elp r educe
th e risk of in jury t hroug h in teraction w ith the a irbag. "Low risk"
de ploy ment occu rs in those c ras hes that ta ke p lace a t low er d ecel­
erations as defined in the electron ic contro l unit~
page 157.
Always remember:
P lease be sur e to r ead the i mport ant info rm ation
in th e sections that follow and b e sur e to heed 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 position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injur ies 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 .
& 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
designed 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 during 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
child against the backrest, door, or roof .
• 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
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward -facing
child 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 poss ible , before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position. ..,.

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
& WARN ING (co ntinued)
• Make s ure th at the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd sta y s o n all the tim e whene ver the ign ition i s sw itched on . •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts inc lude the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func ­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the e lec ­
tronic contro l unit when the igni tion is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected . The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail
below. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in a crash.
T he front A dvance d Airb ag Syst em con sis ts of th e
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/dece leration to prov ide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash sensors. The contro l unit a lso "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated .
• A dual -stage Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver
inside the steering wheel hub .
• A dual -stage Advanced Airbag and gas generator inside the
instrument pane l for the front passenger .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger sea t cushion that measures the total weight on the seat .
The information registered is sent continuously to the e lectronic
control unit to regula te dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring syste m and indica tor l ight in the instru ­
ment cluster=>
page 157.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel=>
page 157, fig. 133 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off .
• A sensor be low the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt . The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight -se nsing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front
passenger sea t should be turned off o r not =>
page 147, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know" .
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver and for the front
seat passenger that senses whether that safety be lt is latched or not
and t ransmits this information to the electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front pa ssenger seat can prevent the front airbag
fr om worki ng properly .
• Improper repair or di sa ssembly of the front pa ssenger and
dri ver seat will prevent th e Adv an ced Airbag Sy stem from func­
tioning properly.
• Rep air s to the front p assenger seat must b e perfor med by qu al­
ified and properly tra ined work shop per sonnel .
• Never remo ve the fro nt pa ssenger or dr iver se at from the
v ehi cle.
• Nev er remove th e uphol stery from the fron t pass eng er seat.
• Never disas semble or r emove p arts from the seat or di sconne ct
wires from it . ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data