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.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ 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
~
__________________________________________________ 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
___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
-Never carry any objects or pets in the deployment space
between them and the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
• Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight
clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident .
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once . If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership .
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• If chi ldren are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident:::::,
page 238, "Child Safety".
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way.
• In a side collision , side airbags will not function properly if
sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside
the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in
the door panel.
-Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
- Never drive when parts have been removed from the inside
door panel and the openings they leave have not been properly
closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the doors have been
removed unless the speaker holes have been properly closed .
- Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if
additional speakers or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
& WARNING (continued)
-Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop . •
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
B
Fig. 216 Side curtain
airbags , driver 's side:
location
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interior
above the front and rear side windows:::::, fig. 216. They are identi
fied by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the center
roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
side curtain airbag inflates only in side impacts and only when the
vehicle acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the 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 will cover every possible ..,
___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
The side curtain airbags inflate between the occupant and the
windows on the side of the vehic le that is struck in a side co llis ion
=> fig. 2 17.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with propellant gas and brea ks through a seam above the fron t and rear
side windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In order to help
provide th is additiona l protection, the side curtain a irbag must
inflate within the b link of an eye at very high speed and with great
f orce . The side curtai n airbag could i njure you i f your seating pos i
tion is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
t he supplementa l side cu rtai n airbag inflates . This applies espe
cia lly to children=>
page 238.
Although they a re not a soft pi llow, side curta in airbags can
"cus hion" the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop wh en the airbag depl oys. Thi s is qu ite
normal and does not mean there is a fire in the veh ic le. •
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
A irbags are on ly s upp le men ta l r estraints . Alwa ys prop
erly wea r saf ety belt s and ride in a proper seating po si
ti on.
T here is a lo t tha t you and y our pa ssengers mus t kn ow and d o to
help the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supple
men tal pro tection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
& WARNING (continued )
• Never let occupants pla ce any parts of their bodies in the area
from wh ich the side curtain airbags inflate .
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference . Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a side curtain airbag can dangerously interfere
with it s function. A deploying head airbag develops enough for ce
to catapult any p ie ce of add-on component out of its path of infla
tion and into the pas senger compartment. An occupant hit by
such a projectile can suffer serious injury or death =>
page 375,
"Techni cal Modifications" .
• Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if you have any objects
clipped onto them (for example pens) . If the airbag should deploy ,
you could be in jured by these objects .
• Use the built -in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing . Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged ob je cts in the pocket s that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can cause personal injury in
an accident .
• Never use hanger s to hang c lothing from the hook s.
• Only use fa ctory -installed sun shades or , in the case of shades
installed after the vehicle leaves the factory , only Audi roll-up
s unscreens may be used =>
page 374, "Additional acce ssories and
part s replacement ".
• Always sit in proper seating position and wear safety belts
while traveling so that the side cu rtain airbags can help provide
protection .
• The ai rbag system can only be triggered on ce . If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authori zed
Audi de aler or qualified workshop.
• Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system ,
removal and installation of the airbag components , or other
repairs performed by a qualified dealership. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
ti,
___ 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,