
-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 -----------------=--=--------
passenger seat should be turned off or not~ page 217, "Child
res traints o n the fr ont sea t - som e impo rtant t hin gs t o know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch fo r the drive r and for the front
s e at passe nger that s enses wh ether th at safe ty belt i s la tch ed o r not
and transmits this information to the e lectronic contro l unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or dr iver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disa ssemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sensing mat and send the wrong information to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the pa ssenger seat could be
damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from work ing
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued )
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airb ag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child re straint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufa cturer's instru ctions requ ire the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components
work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side airbags supplement
the protection offered by the front t hree -point safety belts with
pretens ioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restraints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a wide range of accident and
c ras h situati ons . Be sure to read t he impo rtant informatio n abou t
safety and heed the WARNI NGS in th is chapter.
Dep loyme nt of the A dva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd the activati on of
the safety be lt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the c ra s h sens ors and regis te red by the electronic control unit.
Crash severity depends on speed and deceleration as we ll as the
mass and s tiff ness of the veh ic le or object invo lved in the crash.
9J.
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___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and
th e safety belt is being used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys, followed by the
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic contro l unit registers a crash of medium severity,
the first stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety belt is being used or not . In higher severity crashes as regis
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit, both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off~
page 217, "Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive serious 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 215. •
More important things to knovv about front
airbags
Fig . 212 Inflated front
airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
provide supp lemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additional protection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety be lts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehic le. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It could irritate
skin.
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
also happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do not protect the arms ._,

__________________________________________________ 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
~

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
When the system is triggered , the airbag is f ill ed with propel lant gas
and br eaks t hroug h a seam in the seat surface area marked
" AIRBAG ". It expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger . In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a frac tion of a second at very high
speed and w ith great force . The supplemental side airbag could
injure you i f your seating position is not proper or upright or i f items
are located in the area where the supplemental side airbag expands .
This app lies especia lly to children ~ page
238 , "Child Safety".
Suppl em ental sid e airbags inflate betw een the occupant and the
door panel on the s ide of the veh ic le that is struck in certain side
collision
~ page 232, fig. 215 .
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, they can "cus hion" the impact
and in this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys. This is normal and does not m ean there is a fire in the vehicle . •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always prop
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi
tion .
There is a lo t t ha t you and you r passengers mus t know a nd act
according ly to he lp th e sa fety belts and airbags do th eir job to
prov ide supp lemental pro tec tion .
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause seriou s or fatal injury. Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating posit ions increa se
the ri sk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being u sed .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N ING (continued )
• In order to redu ce the risk of injury when the supplement al s ide
airbag infl ates :
- Alway s sit in an upright position and never lean against the
a rea where the supplement al s ide airbag is lo cated .
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side t rim panel i n the area where the supplemental side airb ag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn corre ctly ,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window.
• Alway s make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter
ference .
- Ne ver in stall seat covers or repla cement upholste ry o ver the
front seat back s that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushion s that cover the areas
where the side airbag s deploy .
- Dama ge to the original seat covers or to the seam in the a rea
of the side airb ag module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authori zed Audi dealer .
• Obje cts bet ween you and the airbag can in crease the ri sk of
injury in an accident by interfering wi th the way the a irbag unfolds
or by be ing pu shed int o yo u as the airb ag inflat es.
- Never place or atta ch acce ssorie s or other object s (such as
c upholders , telephone bra ckets , or even lar ge, bul ky obje cts )
on the doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backre sts .
- Su ch ob ject s and acces sories can be come dangerou s projec
tile s and cau se injury when the supplemental side airbag
deploys. _.
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___ 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 physica l pri ncip les of wha t happe ns when your veh ic le is in a
crash apply also to children:::::,
page 207, "What happens to occu
pa nts not wearing safety bel ts?" . But un like adu lts and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fully developed. In many respects
children are at g reate r ris k of ser ious injury in crashes than ad ults .
Because chi ldren's bodies a re not fully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especial ly designed for their size, weight, and
body structu re. Many countries a nd all states of the U nited States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
chi ld restrai nt sys te m s for i nfants and sma ll children.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
acting on a 13 -p o und (6 kg) infant wil l be m ore tha n 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child wou ld
sudden ly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these condi
tions, on ly an appropriate child restraint prop erly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Child restraints, like adult safety belts,
must be used prope rly to b e effective. Used i mprope rly, they can
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Co nsu lt the c hild safety seat manu fac turer's ins truc tions to be su re
the seat is right for your child's size:::::,
page 241, "Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed a ll of the important information and WARN INGS about chi ld
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in
th is chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
ve hicle and how they work when infants a nd c hil d ren i n child
restraints are on the front passenger seat. Because of the large amount of important information, we cannot repeat it all here. We
urge you
to read the detai led information in this owner's manua l
about a irbags and the Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem i n your ve hic le an d
the very important information about transporting chi ldren on the
fron t passe nger seat . P lease be sure to heed the WAR NINGS -they
are extreme ly important for your safety and the safety of your
p assengers, es pecia lly in fa nt s and s mall chil dren .
& WARNING
• Accident stati stic s have shown that children are generally safer
i n the rear seat area than in the front seat ing posit ion. Always
restrain any child age 12 and under in the rear .
• All vehicle o cc u pants and especi ally 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
maneuver or impact . An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflating a irbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the re ar seat ing positions provides 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 inflate s.
• 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 , or door .
IJll,

-------------------------------------------~C:::.'. h~ i~ ld :::.....:: S~ a~ f~e ~t .!.y __ l!ftlll
& WA RNIN G (continu ed )
• Always install rear-facing child safety seat s on the rear seat.
• If you mu st in stall a re arw ard fa cing child safety sea t on the
front pa ssenger seat in exceptional cir cum stances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on,
immediate ly in sta ll the re ar-facing child safety seat in a rear
s eating po sition and h ave the airbag sy stem inspected immedi
atel y by your Audi dea ler .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circum stance s, you mu st install a forward -facing
c hild re st raint on the fro nt p ass enger's seat :
• Alway s make sure the forward -facing seat has been de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer f or use on a front se at with a
p assenger front and side airbag .
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always mov e the passenger sea t into it s rea rmo st p osition in
the seat' s fore and aft adju stment r ange , as far away from the
airb ag as possible before in stalling the ch ild r estr aint . The b ack
r es t must be adju sted to an upr ight po sition.
• Alway s ma ke sure th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
c ome s on and stay s on all the time whenever the ignition is
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 Veh icle Sa fety Stan
dard ( FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu
f actured .
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 year -old children on
the passenger side and small adu lts on the driver side. The low risk
deployment crite 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 wheel and instrument panel when the airbag
inf lates . In addit ion, 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 children, especially those 12 years and younger, should
a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and
s ize . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten
tia lly dangerous p lace for a chi ld to ride. The front seat is not the
safest p lace for a child in a forward -facing child safety seat. It can be
a very dangerous place for an infant or a larger child 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 presence
of an infant or child 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 be lt .
The weight -sensing mat measures t otal weight of the child and the
child safety seat and a chi ld blanket on the front passenger seat. The
we ight o n the front passenger 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