2009 AUDI S6 instrument panel

___ A_ i_r _b _a _ g~ s_ y_ s_t _e _m ___________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position.
• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained 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 Safety Stan ­
dard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured. 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 vehicle 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. Always remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why
you and your passengers must always be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be.
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 very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
example, by being too close to the steering wheel 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 240, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag 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
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard=>
page 240,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat. .,

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing
more than the to tal weight of a child t hat is about 1 year old
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant
restraints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified), the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the e lectronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front a irbag to be turned off . If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been tu rned off by the contro l u nit and can dep loy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
I f the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that o f
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if :
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typ ical 1 year-o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child sa fety seats listed ~
page 240),
• a child who has outgrown child res traints is on the front
passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
light in the cen ter of the instrument panel wi ll co me on and stay
on .
T he front airbag on the passenge r side may
not deploy (the
PAS SEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger who is not sitting upright with their back against a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag t o meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag
. "Low risk"
dep loyment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place at l ower decel ­
erations as defined in the electronic contro l unit .~
page 226
Al way s remembe r:
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
Advanced Airbags, the safes t place for chi ldren is properly
restrained on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
informat ion in t he sections tha t follow a nd be sure to heed a ll of the
WARNINGS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates , always wear
s afety belts prope rly.
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitt ing s ideways or out
of position in any w ay, your risk of injury i s mu ch higher .
• You will al so receive se riou s injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too clo se t o it when it inflate s -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 215 .
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat in stalled on the front
pa ssenge r seat will be ser iou sly injured and can be killed if the
front airb ag inflate s -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Although the Advan ced Airbag S ystem in your vehicle is
de signed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -fa cing child
restraint h as been in stalled on the front pa ssenger seat , nobod y
c an ab solutely guarantee that deployment i s impo ssible in all
c onceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild s afety seat or inf ant
c arrier with great force and will smash the chi ld safety seat and
c hild ag ain st the ba ckre st, center a rm re st, door , or roof .
• Alway s in stall rearward -facing child re straint s on the b ack
seat .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-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_ 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

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

-------------------------------------------~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

_______________________________________________ C_h _ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t..,:c y __ ffllll
& WARNING (continued )
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together with the backrest and
will strike parts of the vehicle interior . The child can be seriously
injured or killed .
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates .
• 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 or infant carriers on
the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers installed on
the front passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child .
• It is safer to install a forward -fac ing child safety seat on the rear
seat.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used =>
page 238. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 217 , "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".
& WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations:
• Whenever a forward or rearward -facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on whenever the ignition is
switched on .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued )
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, perform the checks described =>
page 226, ''Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
& WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• 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 . .,,,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data