2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET seats

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Automatic rollover protection system
Function
The automatic roll over protection system helps to protect
the passengers in case the vehicle turns over.
1J ~
I ...
,
... . ' : :
: :
'
F ig . 157 Rear sea ts:
ex te n sio n area o f ro ll­
over ba rs
F ig . 158 Rea r sea ts :
r ollo ver bars up and
full y dep loyed
The automatic rollover protection system cons ists of these compo ­
nents:
• two solid rollover bars
• the safety bel ts with belt tensioners
• the windshield frame
• the ro llover sensor system. The automatic rol
lover protection system provides additional
protection in case the vehicle ro lls over. As the vehicle starts to tilt,
the sensors activate the two rollover bars located behind the rear
seats to shoot up wi thin a fraction of a second~ fig. 158 .
In combinat ion with the reinforced windshield frame and the bel t
tensioners, the rollover p rotection bars help to protect the passen ­
gers in the front and in the rear in case of a rollover.
The automatic rollover protection system activates with the power
top open
and closed.
& WARNING
Do not place any obje cts in the ar ea be hind the r ear seats
~ fig . 157. T his is the e xact area where the rollover b ars will shoot
up wh en th e syst e m i s triggered . An y ob jects si tting in th is s pac e
w ill be cata p ulte d into the inter ior. Depending on the ir wei ght,
object s pl ace d there can also s lo w do wn rap id deploym ent of th e
r o llover bars. -Ri sk of seri ou s inj ur y or deat h! •
When is the rollover protection system
triggered?
T he rollover protection system is triggered in a collisi on or
if the vehicle overturns in an accident.
The electronic control unit processes the signals from the on -board
sensors, evaluates vehicle motion and forces act ing on the vehic le.
Depending on the severity of the co llision, the control unit then acti ­
vates the rol lover protection system .
If the vehicle rol ls sideways beyond a certain angle , the first action
is to extend the ro llover bars . If the vehicle rolls further, the system
wil l additional ly activate the front belt tensioners and, if there are
passengers on the rear seats and they are wearing the safety belts,
the rear belt tensioners as well. ..,

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your vehicle has a total of four seating positions : two in the front
and two in the rear. Each seating posi tion has a safety belt .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light ~
Your vehicle has a warning system to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 161 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster ·
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
~ page 160, fig. 162, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops
them -here, the wall
~ page 160, fig. 163.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph
(30 to 50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are
even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they
determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions. •
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig . 164 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Safety belts
Fig. 165 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way~ fig. 164 . This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not
supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver,
must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of
severe injury or death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents
in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have
already deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the
vehicle where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly . Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers~ fig. 165. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
~ehicle care Technical data

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Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a minor collision . It's simply not true!
Fig . 166 Dri ver is
co rrec tly r est rai ned i n
a s ud den braking
man euv er
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference . Safety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels app lied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the
uncontrolled movement that can cause serious injuries . In addition,
safety be lts reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehic le.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit
of being s lowed down more gently or "sof tly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered
into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the kinetic energy
over a
longer period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal co llision, safety
belts can a lso substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes. So, whether you're on a long tr ip or just going to t he
corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acci ­
dent statistics show that vehic le occupants properly wearing safety
belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of
s u rviv ing an acc ident. Proper ly using safety belts also great ly
increases the abi lity of the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
coll ision. For this reason, wearing a safety be lt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada . Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you sti
ll have to wear
t he safety belts provid ed. Fron t airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front airbags are not activated in
a ll frontal co llisions, in side and rear collisions, in ro ll
ove rs or in
cases where there is not enough dece leration through impact to the
front of the vehicle. The same goes for the other ai rbag systems in
your Audi. So, a lways wear your safety belt and make sure
eve ry­
body in your vehic le is properly restrained! •
Important safety Instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned across
the strongest bones of your body.
Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this cha pte r.
Make s ure tha t your sa fe ty belts ar e always ready for us e
and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperl y increases
the risk of serious per sonal injury and death . Safety belt s can w ork
only when used corre ctl y.
• Alway s fa sten yo ur safety belt s correctl y before driving off and
make sure all pa ssenger s are properl y restrained .
• For m aximum protection , safet y belts must alw ays be po si­
tion ed corre ctly on the body .
• Never strap mo re than one person , including sm all children ,
into any single safety belt.
• Never pla ce a s afety belt ove r a child sitting on your lap .
• Alway s ke ep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being dr iven .
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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessarily 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 angle of impact that will always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of impac t, vehicle sp eed , etc . The front airbags will also not inflate
in side or rear collisions, or in roll-overs.
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only once, and only in certain
kinds of collisions. Your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those situations in which airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehicle
strikes or is struck by another after the first collision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a suppl em entary
restraint and is not a substitute for a safety belt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety belts. Therefore ,
always properly wear your safety belts=>
page 159.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm) from the steering
wheel, investigate whether adaptive equipment may be available
to held you reach the pedals and increase your seating distance
from the steering wheel.
• 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.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts properly~
page 163, "Safety belts".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat. If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflates.
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly.
• Never ride with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel~
page 148, "Proper occupant seating posi­
tions".
• Always sit upright with your back against the backrest of your
seat.
• Never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat .
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent serious injuries to the legs and hips if the airbag inflates.
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced.
• Use only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
installed by a trained technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
• Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about children and
Advanced Airbags~
page 190.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that a ll children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentia lly dangerous place for a child to ride. 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 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 applicab le at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
Th e Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
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 has been instal led on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 192.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned 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 179, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l 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 fron t airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has not been turned off by the electronic contro l 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 ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1 year-o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed =>
page 192), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld 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 lit) 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 148, "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 p lace at lower decelerations .,.

Airbag system -----------------=~-
as defined in the electronic contro l unit:::::, page 18 0, "P ASSENG ER
A IR BAG OFF lig ht".
A lways remember, a ch ild safety s eat or infant carrier insta lled on
the front seat may be struck a nd knocked out of position by the
rap id ly infl atin g p ass eng er's ai rba g in a front al co llision . The air bag
co uld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld re st raint and
e v en s erio usl y inju re the chi ld during inflati on.
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is t he safest plac e for
c hi ldr en -w he n prop erly res train ed acc ordi ng to th eir age a nd size
- w e stro ng ly recomme nd that c hildren a lways s it in t he bac k seat
::::;, page 190, "Chil d Safe ty" .
& 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 ai rbag 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:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& 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 179, "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 :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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When a person is detected on the front passenger s eat, wei ghing
mo re tha n th e to ta l w eigh t of a c hild th at is a bout 1 year old
r estra in ed in one of th e rear -faci ng or forward -fac ing infa nt
r e str aints (lis ted i n Fede ra l M otor Veh icle Safe ty Sta ndard
2 08 with
which the Advanced Airba g Syst em in your vehic le was certified),
the fro nt a irbag on the pas senge r side may or may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on when th e elect ro ni c
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
r e qui re s th e front airbag to b e tu rn ed off. If the
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 co ntro l unit and can dep loy i f the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
m emo ry .
I f the t otal we ight on the fro nt passe nger seat is more than t hat o f
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the we ight of a sma ll adult, the
fr ont airba g on the 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 sma ll child that is heav ie r th a n a t ypica l 1 year-old ch ild is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the chi ld is in one
o f th e c hild sa fety seats listed~
page 192),
• a ch ild who has ou tg rown chi ld restrain ts is o n the front
p asse nger seat.
I f the front passenge r airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ig ht in the ce nter of t he i nstrum ent panel wi ll co me on and stay
on.
T he fr ont airb ag o n the pa ssenger side ma y
not deploy ( the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li g ht does not illu mina te and stay l it) i f:
• a small adult o r teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passe nge r w ho is no t sitt ing uprig ht wi th their bac k aga inst a
non -reclined bac krest with their fee t on the veh icle floor in front of
the seat is on th e fr on t pass enger s eat.
I f the front passenger ai rbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requires
th e a irbag to m eet th e "low r isk" dep loy ment criter ia to he lp redu ce the risk of injury throu
gh interact ion with the airbag. "Low risk"
d ep loy ment o ccurs in th ose cra shes that ta ke pla ce a t low er dec el­
erations as defined in the electronic contro l unit~
page 17 9.
Always remember: Even though your vehic le is equipped with
A dva nced Ai rbags , the sa fest place fo r chi ld re n i s p roperly
restra ined on the back seat. Please be s ure to read the important
i nfo rmatio n in th e sect io ns t hat follow and b e su re to hee d all o f the
WAR NINGS.
& 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 168 .
& 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 , center arm rest , door, or roof .
• Alway s install rearward -facing child restraints in the back seat . •