2009 AUDI S6 ignition

-Airbag system P'll:f _______________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 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. •
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 include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec ­
tronic control unit when the ignition 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 .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide 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 control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster ~
page 226.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel~
page 227, fig. 213 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
• A sensor below 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 -sensing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front ..

Airbag system -----------------=---=---
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags suppl em ent the three ­
poi nt s afet y be lts o nly in s ome fro ntal c oll isi ons i n whi ch the v ehicl e
deceleration is hi gh enough to d eploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e collisi ons,
• in r ear- e nd collisions ,
• in ro llovers,
• when the cras h de celer ation me asured b y th e a ir bag sy stem i s
l ess than the minimum threshold nee ded for airbag dep loyment as
r egi stere d by t he ele ctronic control un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy :
• when the front pa ssen ger s eat i s not o cc up ied,
• wh en the weig ht on th e front pass enger seat as se nsed by t he
Advan ced A irb ag System indi cate s that the fr ont air b ag on the
p as se n ge r sid e h as to be turned off b y the e lectronic cont rol unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ig ht co me s on and sta y s on ).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position 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 their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located .
• Occupants who are unbelted , out of position 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 217.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& 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 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 .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in crease 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 maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders , telephone brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) 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 . ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Never recline the front passenger' s seat to transport obje cts.
Item s can als o move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during br aki ng or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , particularly when
the seat is re clined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a histo ry of asthma or other breathing
c onditions.
• To reduce the ri sk of breathing p roblems , tho se with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or door s.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy , wash your
hands and face w ith mild soap and water before eat ing.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
s crat ches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t:Ji
Two sepa ra te indi cator s mon itor t he function of the
Advanc ed A irba g Sy stem: th e ai rbag moni to rin g in dicator
ligh t and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
sensor c ircuits and system w irin g) is mon itored continuously to
make su re that it is functioning proper ly whenever the ignition is on. E
ach time you turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring indicator
li ght
I wi ll c om e on fo r a few sec onds (sel f diag nos tics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds a fter you have switched on the
ignition, or
• comes on w hile driving.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fir st star t fl ashin g to catc h the drive r's at tention an d then stay o n
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
ins pec te d imm edi ately.
I f a malfunction occurs t hat turns the front airbag on the passenger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al crash.
• If the a irbag 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. •

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lll
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 21 3 S ectio n from
th e in str ume nt pane l:
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG
O FF light
The PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
instrument pane l
~ fig. 213.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wil l come on and stay on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electron ic control unit. Each time you turn on
the ign it ion, the
PA SSEN GER AIR BA G OFF light wi ll flash 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 chi ld restraint on the front
passenge r seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the we ight-sensing mat .
T he
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come on and stay on if the
ign ition is on and
• a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat, or
• a rearward -f acing chi ld restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forwa rd-facing child restra int has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• t he we ight registered on the front passenger seat is equa l to or
less than the combined weight of a typica l 1 year -old restrained in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Veh icle Safe ty S tandard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
deploy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on . Never
insta ll a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the sa fest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating positions on the rear seat~
page 217, "Child restraints
on the front seat -so me important things to know" and~
page 238,
"Chi ld Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light com es on when one of the
conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regu lar ly
to make certa in that the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition off and then turning
it on aga in;
• remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make sure that the child
restrain t is proper ly installed and t hat the safety be lt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
as described in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger sea t has been activated a nd that the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor be low t he safety belt latch on the sea t can
do its job
~ page 248.
• make su re that things that may inc rease the we ight of the child
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• I f a strap or te ther is being used to tie the child sa fety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actual ly on
th e seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the c hild res traint off t he front passe ng er seat a nd ins tall it
properly at one of the rear seat pos it ions. Have the a irbag system
insp ect ed by y our A udi deal er immedia tely .
• move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make sure that the
c h ild is pro pe rly restrai ned in a c hild restraint that is app ropriat e for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t sho uld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitt ing in a proper seating position on
the front passenge r seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on a nd s tays o n or fl ashes for about 5 seco nds whi le d riving,
under these ci rcumstances, make sure that:
• the adult on the fron t pass enger sea t is pro perly s eate d on the
cent er of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back ­
rest and the backrest is not reclined => page 196, "Proper occ upant
seating positions",
• t he ad ult is not ta king w eig ht o ff the sea t by hol ding o n to the
passenger assist hand le above the front passenger door or
su ppo rting their w eigh t on the arm res t,
• the safety be lt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
o f sla c k in the sa fe ty b elt web bin g,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect read ing o r impression on t he w eight -s e nsi ng m at
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
pass enger seat,
• a safety be lt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latc h for
th e fro nt passenger sea t.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight in the center of the
instrument pane l, the mes sage
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will br iefly appear in the instrument cluster display. This is to inform the driver of the curren
t front passenger
air bag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental 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 .
& WARNING
• If the front airbag inflates , a child without a child restraint , or
in a rearward-facing child safety seat , or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System , make certain that all children , espec ially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size .
• Always install forward or rear -facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• If you must install a rearward -facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat be cause of exceptional cir cumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does not appear and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
~

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ fllll
& W ARNING (continued )
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• A tight tether or other str ap on a rearward-fac ing child restr aint
attached to the front pas senger seat can put too much pressure
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 suppressed causing
s erious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstance s, you mu st in stall a forward ­
fac ing child restra int on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's fore and aft ad just ­
ment range , as far away from the airbag a s possible . The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position . Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stay s 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 is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transporting anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e mp ty seat, the fro nt air b ag on the pa ssenge r sid e will be t urned
off, and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will stay on .
a
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are insta lled at many different places on
your Au di. In sta ll in g, re moving, ser vic in g or re pair in g a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an a irbag system and
pre ven t that system fro m wo rki ng p rope rly in a co llision .
There are some important things you have to know to make sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red an d that
d iscarded components do not cause inju ry or po llute t he e nv iron ­
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 such as cupholders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft ,
dry cloth or one moi stened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
c ould damage the airbag cover or change the stiffness or strength
of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop ­
erly .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the airbag system.
• All work on the steering wheel , instrument panel , front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
c ellular telephones and CB radios , 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 authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Air
bag sy ste m ---=---=-----------------
enough. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into
t he control 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 define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cover every
possible angle of impact, since the circumstances will vary consid­
erably between one collision and another . Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.=>
page 233, "Impor ­
tant safety instructions on the side airbag system".
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it
is part of the overa ll occupant restraint system in your vehicle .
Always remember that the side airbag system can on ly help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety be lt and wearing it prop­
erly . This is another reason why you should always wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do so=>
page 205,
"General notes" .
It is important to remember that while the supplemental side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swel ling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
a lso be associated with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, side
airbags wil l deploy only once and only in certain kinds of accidents
- your safety belts are always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indication of over -sensitive or failed airbag acti ­
vation. In some collisions , both front and side airbags may inflate.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of collis ions - 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 dep loyed.
The sid e a irba g sy stem w ill not deploy :
• when the ignition is turned off •
in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too low
• in front -end collisions
• in rear-end co llisions
• in ro llovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side curtain airbags
and side airbags may be triggered together .
& WARNING
• Safety b elt s and the airbag sy stem will only prov id e prot ection
whe n occ upant s are in the prop er se ating po sit io n
=> page 233 .
• If the airb ag indic ator light come s on w hen the v ehicl e is bei ng
u sed , h av e the syste m inspe cte d immedi ate ly by y our authoriz ed
Audi de aler . Th e ai rbag m ay not w ork properly when the vehicle
a ccel erat ion in a side collision is high e nough to ac tivate th e
a ir bag .•
Hovv supplemental side airbags vvork
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk
of upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
F ig . 2 15 Inf late d sid e
a ir bags o n left side of
v ehi cle, rea r sid e
a ir bag opti on al eq uip-
m ent .,

angle of impact, s inc e the ci rcumstanc es w ill vary considerably
bet ween one collisi on and another. Important factors include, for
example, the na ture (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the ang le
of impact, vehicle speed, etc.~
page 235, "How side curtain ai rbags
work".
Aside from their norma l safety function, safety be lts work to help
keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a col li­
sion so tha t the side curtain airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it
is part of the overa ll occupant restraint system in your vehicle .
Always remembe r that the airbag sy stem can only help to protect
you if you are wea ring your safety belt and wearing it proper ly. This
is another reason why you should a lways wear your safety belts, not
just because the law requires you to do so~
page 205, "General
notes".
I t is important to remember tha t while the side curtain airbag
system is designed to help reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other in jur ies, for examp le, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions
can a lso be associated with these airbags upon dep loyment.
Remember too, these airbags will dep loy only once and only in
certa in kinds o f accidents -your safety belts are always there to
offer protection.
T he side curtain airbag s ystem basi cally consists of :
• T he electronic control module and external side impac t sensors
• T he side curtain airbags above the front and rear side windows
• The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
T he airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain i t is
functioning prope rly at a ll times. Each time you turn on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnos tics).
The side curtain airbag is not a cti vated :
• if the ignition is tur ned off,
Safety first
Airb ag sy ste m
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too low,
• in front -end collisions,
• in rear -end co llisions,
• in ro llovers .
& WARNING
• Safety belt s and the airbag system will only provide protection
when o ccupant s are in the proper seating position
~ page 80 ,
"General r ecommendation s".
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehic le is being
used , have the sy stem inspected immediately by your authori zed
Audi deale r. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle a cceleration in a side colli sion i s high enough to
a c tivate the a irbag . •
How side curtain airbags work
S ide cu rtain airbags can work together with si de airb ags
to hel p redu ce the risk of he ad and upper t ors o injuries for
occupants who are properly restrained.
Vehicle care I I
F ig. 217 Illustra tio n of
prin cipl e: Infla ted side
c urta in a irbag s on the
lef t si de ..
irechnical data