2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET warning light

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the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat .
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and insta ll it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspec ted by your Audi dea ler immediately .
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained i n a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
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 OF F light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adult 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 back rest is not reclined => page 148, "Pro per occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight off the sea t by ho lding o n to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
suppo rting thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety bel t webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger seat,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight in the center of the
instr ument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PAS SENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
ir b ag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not fun ctioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal cra sh .
• If the airbag ind icator li ght come s on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advan ced Airbag System . It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
will not inflate when it should .
• Ha ve the airb ag system inspected immedi ately by your Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflate s, a child witho ut a child restraint , in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or i n a forward -fa cing child
restr aint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
Sy stem , make certain that all children , e speci ally 12 year s and
younger , always ride on the back seat p roperly re strained for their
age and size .
• Always install forward or rear -facing child safety seat s on the
re ar s eat - even with an Ad van ced Airb ag Sy stem .
• If you mu st install a rearward -fa cing child safety seat on the
front pa ssenger seat be cau se of ex ceptional cir cum stance s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on ,
immediately in stall the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARN IN G (c ontinu ed )
seating posit ion and ha ve the airb ag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward-fa cing child restr aint
atta ched to the front pas senger se at can put too much pres sure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than i s 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 suppre ssed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exc eptional cir cum stance s, you mu st in stall a forward ­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost po sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust ­
ment range , as far away from the airbag as possible . The ba ckrest
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, make sure the adult i s properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating position s.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transpo rting anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e m pty seat , the fron t airbag on the passenge r side will be tu rned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
P arts of the airbag system are installed at many different p laces on
your Au di. Insta lli ng, removing, se rvic ing or repa iring a par t in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p revent that system from w orking properly in a c ollisi on.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
discarded componen ts do no t cause injury or po llute t he e nv iro n­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
• Never cover , obstruct , or change the steering wheel horn pad
or airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way .
• Never attach any objects su ch as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfa ces covering the airbag units .
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel , use only a soft ,
dry cloth or one moistened with plain water. Solvents or cleaner s
c ould damage the airbag cover or change the st iffness or strength
of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop­
erly .
• Never repair , adju st, or change any parts of the airbag sy stem .
• All work on the steering wheel , instrument panel, front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
cellular telephones and CB rad ios , etc .I must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training and special equipment
necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend
that you see your author ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body .

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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

is why you should always wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so=>
page 159, "Genera l notes".
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front seat passenger have switches that tell the airbag control module if the safety belt is
being used or not. If the safety belt is being used, the knee airbag
will deploy at a s lightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is
not be ing used . Therefo re, in a particular col lis ion, it is possible that
an airbag will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt
is be ing used but will inflate at the position where the safety belt is
not being used .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and only in ce rtain
kinds o f accidents - your safety belts are always there to of fer
protection in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already dep loyed, for e xamp le when you r
vehic le strikes or is struck by another after the first collision.
This is just one o f the reasons why an ai rbag is not a substitute for
the safety be lt . The airbag system works most effectively when used
with the safety belts. Therefore, a lways wear your safety belts
correctly.
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood o f serious in juries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
a lso be associated with airbags.
The kn ee airbag syst em bas ically consists of:
• The electronic control module
• Two inflatable airbags (ai rbag and gas generator), one for the
driver and one for the front passenger
• The ai rbag indica tor light in the instrumen t panel
T he kn ee airbag sy stem will not deplo y:
• whe n the igniti on is turned off
• in front -end collisions when the deceleration measured by the
control unit is too low
• in s ide coll isions
Safety first
Airb ag syst em
• in rear -end collisions
• in ro llovers
• in the event of a system malfunction (warning/indicator light illu ­
minated)=>
page 20 .
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag sy stem ca n only provide protection
when o ccupant s are in the proper seating position=>
page 177.
• If the airbag ind icator light comes when the vehi cle is being
u sed , have the system in spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side colli sion is high enough to deploy the airbag.
See also
=> page 20. •
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the l eg a re a i s re duced by fully
d eployed knee air ba gs.
Fig . 17 6 Infl ated
a irbag s protecting in a
front al colli sio n
The knee airbag system has been designed so that the airbags for
the d river and front passenger a re deployed in certain but not all
frontal collisions. ..,
~ehicle care irechnical data

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protecti on
to pro perly restrained fr ont seat occupants.
Fi g. 177 Si de air bag
l oca tio n in th e driv er's
sea t
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
=> fig. 177 facing the doors. They are identified by the word
" AIRBAG" .
The side airba g sy stem b asica lly con sis ts of :
• the electronic contro l module and external side impact sensors
• the two s ide airbags located in th e sides of the front backrests
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster .
Th e airbag system is monitored elec tronically to make certain that
it is function ing properly at all times . Each time you turn on the igni ­
tion , the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to the driver 's and front passenger 's
uppe r torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co lli­
sion . The airbag d eploys only in side impacts and on ly when the
vehicle acceleration registered by the contro l unit is high enough. If
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the contro l
Safety first
Airbag syst em
unit, the side airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the collision . It is not possible to
def ine an airbag trigger ing range that will cover every possible
ang le of impact, since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and another . Important factors include , for
examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc.=>
page 188, "Impo rtant safety
instructions on the side airbag system" .
Aside from their norma l safety function, safe ty bel ts work to help
keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
coll ision so that the side airbags can provide protec tion .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your safety belt . Rather , it
is part of the overall occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the side airbag system can on ly he lp to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt and wearing it prop ­
erly. This is another reason why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because th e law requires you to do so~
page 159 ,
"Genera l notes".
It is important to remember that while the supp lementa l side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, othe r
injuries , for example, swelling , bruising, and minor abras ions can
also be associated with deployed side airbags . Remember too, side
airbags will deploy only once and on ly in certain kinds of accidents
- your safety belts are a lways there to off er protection.
Vehic le damage , repair costs or even the lack of veh icle da mage are
not necessarily an indica tion of over -sensitive or failed airbag acti­
va tion. In some collision s, both front and side airbags may infla te .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy on ly once and only in
certain kinds of collisions -your safety belts are always there to
offer protection in those acc idents in which airbags are not
suppos ed to deploy or when they hav e already deployed .
The si de airbag system will not d eploy :
• when the ig nition is turned off
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too l ow ..
~ehicle care Technical data

___ A_ ir_b _a_ g:-- s-=- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
• 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~ 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

-Child Safety ____ .:....__ __________________________ _
restraints and for the different models of the same kind of child
restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes and models of child restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical infants and typical 1 year­
old child have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced
Airbag System. When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the Advanced Airbag
System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat
with the information stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the tension on the front
passenger safety belt. The tension on the safety belt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using
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. Always be sure that the child restraint is properly
installed at one of the rear seating positions. 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 WARNINGS. 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 basel.
• 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