2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET ESP

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
& WARNIN G (cont in u ed)
• Airb ag work m ost effectiv ely when u sed with properly worn
sa fet y be lt s .
• Ther efore , always wear your safety belt s and ma ke sure that
eve rybod y in your vehi cle is prope rly re str ained.
& WARNING
A person on the front p assenger se at, espe cially infant s and small
c hildren , will re ceive seriou s injuries and can ev en be killed by
being t oo clos e to the airbag when it infl ates.
• Although the Adva nced Airbag System in your ve hicle i s
de signed to turn off the front passenger airb ag i f a n infant or a
s mall child i s on the front pa ssenger seat , nobody can absolutely
gu ara ntee that deployment under these spe cial co nditio ns is
impos sible in all conceivable situations that m ay happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Adv an ced Airbag Sy stem can deploy in a ccordance with
the "lo w risk" option unde r the U .S. Feder al Stand ard if a child t hat
is heavier than the typi cal on e-year old child i s on th e front
pa sse nger seat an d the other condition s for airb ag dep loym ent
are met.
• Acc ident stat istics have sh own that children are gen erally s afer
in the rear se at area than in the front seating posit ion .
• For th eir own safet y, all children , espe cially 12 yea rs and
younger , should alway s ride in th e back properly r estrained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Sa fety Stan ­
dard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
The 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 vehic le deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the overall
occupant restraint system in your vehicle. A lways remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wear ing your safety be lt and wear ing it proper ly . This is why
you and your passengers must a lways be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced A irbag System in your veh ic le has been certified to
meet the "low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year -o ld children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to he lp reduce the risk of injury
through interact ion with the front airbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety 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 192, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags".
"S uppression" requi res the front ai rbag 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
restraints 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 restraints that were used to certify your
vehic le's compliance wi th the US Safety Standard ~
page 192,
• weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger sea t. _.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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or the lower parts of t he body. Front airbags on ly supp lement the
th ree p oint safe ty belts in s ome front al c olli sio ns in which the
vehic le dece leration is high enou gh to deploy th e airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occ urs,
• i n sid e coll is ions ,
• i n rea r- e nd collisi ons ,
• in rollovers,
• when th e c ras h de cele rat io n measu red by th e airba g sys tem is
l ess than the minimum threshold needed for a irbag deplo yment as
r egi stere d by t he ele ctr onic con trol unit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• whe n t he fr ont pass enge r sea t is not occup ied,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the
A dvanced A ir b ag Sys te m in d ica tes th at the fr ont airba g on the
p assenge r side has to be t urned off b y the e lectronic cont rol unit
(t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t com es o n an d stays o nl.
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong posit ion 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 the ir body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted , out of posit ion 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 170 .
& 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 se at.
• 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 airbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec ­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup
holders , telephone brackets , large, heavy or bulky obje cts) on the
doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering
wheel, instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash, espe­
cially when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

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& WARNING (continued )
airbag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects ne ar the
airbags can become proje ctiles and cau se injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined .
• Never tilt the front passenger seat backrest forward when the
vehicle is moving . An inflating airbag will force the backrest back­
ward and can injure rear seat occupants.
_& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collis ion in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes , or into any cuts or
scratches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them w ith
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light :~
Two sep arate in dica tors m onitor the fu ncti on of th e
Adv anced A irba g Sys tem: the airbag moni tor ing in dica to r
l ight and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanc ed A ir b ag S yst em (includ ing the e lec tronic co ntro l unit,
sensor c ircuits and system wiring) is monitored continuously to
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on
.
Eac h tim e you tu rn on t he ignit io n, th e airbag monitoring ind ica tor
light
fl wi ll come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The system must be inspected when the indicator l ight ~:
• do es not com e on when the ig nit ion is sw itch ed on,
• does not go out a few seconds after you have switched on the
i gni tion , or
• comes on while driving.
I f an a irbag s ystem malfu ncti on is detec ted , the indi cator light will
first start flash ing to catch the driver's attention and then sta y on
co nti nuou sly to serve as a constant r eminder to h ave the sys tem
inspected immediately.
If a malf unctio n occurs that t urns the front airbag on the passenger
s id e off , the PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light w ill come on a nd s ta y on
whenever the ig nition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
s upplemental protect ion in a frontal crash .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System . It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should .
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
ference :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- 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.
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment nece ssary.
• The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be replaced with new replacement
part s designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete a irbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• In accidents when an airbag is deployed , the vehicle battery
s eparates the alternator and the starter from the vehicle electrical
system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident !
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped , all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the vehicle 's suspension system can cha nge the way that
the Advanc ed Ai rbag Syste m perfor ms in a cras h. Fo r ex amp le,
u sing tire -rim combinations not a pproved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicle , c hang ing the st iffness o f the suspe nsion, inclu din g the
spr ings, s uspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
fo rc es that ar e meas ured by th e a irbag sens ors and sent to the e lec ­
tronic control un it. Some suspens ion changes can, for example,
in crea se th e fo rc e leve ls meas ured by th e se nsors and ma ke t he
airbag system dep loy in crash es in wh ich it wou ld not dep loy if the
c h anges had no t been m ade . Ot her k in ds of cha nge s m ay red uce
the fo rce levels measured by the sensors and p revent t he airba g
fr om depl oyin g whe n it should.
T he sensors in the safe ty b elt b uckle fo r the driver a nd front
passenger seat te ll the electronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or not. If the s afe ty be lt is bei ng use d, t he fr ont ai rbag w ill
dep loy at a s lightly higher rate of vehic le dece leration than if the
sa fe ty belt is not be ing used . T here for e, in a partic ular co lli sion , it is
possible t hat an airbag will not dep loy at a seating position w here
the safe ty belt is b ein g us ed b ut will infl ate a t th e po siti on w here the
safety belt is not being used. It is important that nothi ng interfere
with the safety belt b uck les so that the sensors can send the correct
i nformat ion about safety b elt use to the electronic control un it.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle .
• Never use tire-r im combinations that have not been approved
by Audi. .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• in front -end col lisions
• in rear -e n d coll isions
• in ro llovers.
In some types o f accide nts the front air bags and side ai rbags may
be triggered together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protect ion
when occupant s are in the proper seating position =>
page 188 .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle i s being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your authori zed
Audi dealer . The a irbag may not work properl y when the vehicle
acceleration in a side colli sion is high enough to activate the
airbag .•
How supplemental side airbags work
Side air bags deploy inst ant ly an d co n help reduce the risk
of up per tors o injuries for occu pants who ore properly
restrained .
M ~
1§==:::::::;;;.;;: ::::--! \':- -"7;1, _ 0:, m
Fig. 178 Infla ted side
a irb ags on left side of
vehi cle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with pro pel lant gas
and breaks throu gh a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG"
. It expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger. In or der to help pr ovide this ad ditional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at very high
speed and with g reat force . The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the a rea where the supplemental side airbag expands.
This ap plies especia lly to children=>
page 190, "Child Sa fety".
Supplemental side ai rbags inflate between the occupant and the
d oor pa nel on the side of the vehic le that is struck in cer tain si de
collision=> fig. 178.
Al though they are n ot a s oft pillow , they can "cushion" the im pac t
and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
p ar t of t he b ody.
A fin e dust may develop whe n the airba g deploys. T his is no rmal
and does not mean the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airba gs ore o nly s up p leme nta l restra ints. A lw ays prop ­
erly wear s afe ty bel ts and ri de in a p roper sea ting posi­
ti on.
There is a lo t th at you a nd your passengers must know a nd act
according ly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
prov ide su pple men ta l p ro tection .
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improp ­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions in crease
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
ai rbag inflates:
~

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_ y ______________________________________________ _
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical principles of what happens when your ve hicle is in a
crash app ly also to children~
page 161, "What happens to occu­
p ants no t wearing sa fe ty belts?" . But un lik e adu lts and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fu lly developed. In many respects
children a re a t greate r risk of ser ious injury in crashe s than adults .
Because chi ldren 's bodies a re not fu lly deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed for their size, weight, and
body structu re. Many countr ies and al l states of the Un ited States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
ch ild restrai nt sys te m s for infa nts and small chil dren.
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
acti ng on a 13 -p o un d (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 p rope rly t o b e effect ive. Used im properly, they ca n
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Co nsu lt t he c hild safety seat manufac ture r's in struc tions to be su re
the seat is right for your ch ild's size~
page 793, "Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed all of the important information and WARN INGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in
t his chapte r.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
ve hicle and how they work wh en infan ts and chi ld re n in child
restraints are on the front passenger seat. Because of the large amoun
t of important information, we cannot repeat it a ll here. We
urge you to read the detai led information in this owner's manua l
about airbags and the Advanced Airba g Sys tem in your veh ic le an d
the very important information about transporting chi ldren on the
fron t passe nge r seat . P lease be su re to hee d t he WAR NINGS -they
are extreme ly important for your safety and the safety of your
p assengers, especial ly in fa nt s and s mall children .
& WARNING
• Accident stati stic s have shown that children are generally safer
i n the rear seat area than in the front seat ing position. A lways
restrain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle o ccup ants and espe cially children must be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the inte­
rior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuve r or impa ct. An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflating airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seat ing positions provide s the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . A
child in a rearward -fa cing child safety seat in stalled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates .
• The inflating ai rbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will sm ash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest , center arm rest , or door .
IJll,

--------------------------------------------~C~ h~ il~d ~S~ a~f e~ t~ YL _III
& WA RNIN G (conti nu ed )
• Alway s install rear-facing child safety se ats on the rear seat.
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard f acing chi ld safety seat on the
front pa ssenger seat in exc eptional cir cum stance s and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and stay on,
im medi ate ly install the re ar-fa cing child safety s eat in a rear
s e ating po sit ion and h ave the airb ag sys tem inspe cted im medi ­
ately by your Audi de aler .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circum stance s, you must in stall a forward -facing
c hild re st ra int on the fr ont p ass eng er' s s eat :
• Alway s make sure the forward -facing seat ha s been de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer f or use on a front se at with a
p ass enger front and side airbag .
• Always follow the m anufacturer's instruct ions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Alway s m ove the pa ss e nger sea t into its rearm ost p osit ion in
the seat' s fo re and aft adju stment r ange , as far away from the
a irb ag as possib le before installing the child r estr aint . The b ack­
rest mu st be adju sted to an upr ight po sition.
• Alw ays ma ke sure th at the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light
c ome s on and stay s on all the time whenever the ignition i s
s witched on . •
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Sa fety Stan ­
dard (FMVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manu ­
factured .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the " low -risk" requirements for 3 and 6 yea r- old child ren on
the passenger side and small adu lts on the driver side. The low risk
deployment c rite ria are intended to reduce the risk of injury th rough
interaction with the airbag that can occur, for example, by being too
close to the steering whee l and instrument panel when the airbag
in flates . In add ition, the system has been cert ified to comply with
the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off
the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on
the front passenger seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system, all ch ildren, especially those 12 years and younger, should
a lways ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for the ir age and
s ize . The a irbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten­
tially dangerous p lace for a chi ld to r ide. The front seat is not the
safest place for a chi ld in a forward -facing child safety seat. It can be
a very dangerous place for an infant or a larger chi ld in a rearward ­
facing seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the p resence
of an infant or chi ld in a chi ld restraint on the front passenger seat
using the weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat that
measures the tension on the safety belt .
The weight -sensing mat measures t otal weight of the ch ild and the
child safety seat and a chi ld blanket on the front passenger seat. The
weight on the front passenge r seat is related to the design of the
child restraint and its "footprint", the size and shape of the bottom
of the child restraint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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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
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately .
[ i] Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Important safety instructions for using child
safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of every
­
body in the vehicle, especially children:
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly~
page 195.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac­
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop­
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat , you must first activate the convertible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety
seat from moving~
page 200.
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety
seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not
so tight that it causes the weight-sensing mat to
measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data