___ 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 159, "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 159,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat. .,
Airbag system 111111
---------------------------------------------=---='------
or the low er parts of the body. Front airba gs only suppl eme nt the
th ree point safe ty belt s i n so me frontal co lli sio ns in which t he
veh ic le dece lerat ion is h igh enou gh to deploy th e airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• in s ide collisions ,
• i n rea r- e nd c ollisions ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e cras h d eceler ation m easured b y th e a irba g sys te m i s
less than the minimum threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as
r egi stere d by the ele ctronic control u nit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when the fron t passenger s eat i s not o ccupied,
• when the weight o n th e front pass enger seat as se nsed by the
Ad vanced Ai rbag S ystem indi cates tha t th e front airba g on the
pas senger side has to be tu rned off b y the e lectronic cont ro l unit
(th e 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 ser ious 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 137.
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 w ith 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 maneuver and become dangerous projec
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup
holders , 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 .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
IIJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
airbag during br aking or in a sudden m aneuver . Obje cts near the
airbags can become proje ctiles and cause injury , parti cularly when
the seat is re clined .
• Never tilt the front p assenger seat ba ckrest forward when the
vehi cle is moving . An inflating airbag will force the backrest back
ward and can injure rear seat occupant s.
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a h istory of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or doors .
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy , wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating .
• Be c areful not to get the dust into your eyes , or into any cuts o r
scratches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light :~
Two separ ate indi ca tor s m onitor the functi on of the
A dvance d Airbag Sys tem: th e air bag monitor ing i ndic ator
lig ht and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag Sys tem ( includ ing t he e lectronic co ntrol unit,
sensor circuits and system wiring ) is monito red continuous ly to ma
ke sure tha t it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on .
Eac h tim e yo u turn o n the igniti on, the ai rbag m onito ring indica to r
li ght ~ wi ll come on for a few seconds (self diagnost ics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light
m :
• does not co me o n w hen the igni tion is switche d on,
• does not go out a few seconds after you have switched on the
ig niti on, or
• comes on whi le driving.
If an a irbag sys tem malfu nction i s dete cted, the in dica tor lig ht will
first start f lashing to catch the driver 's attention and then stay on
c o nti nuou sly to serve as a c ons tan t re mind er to have the sys tem
inspected immediately.
I f a malfunction occu rs that turns the front airbag on the passenger
side o ff, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F lig ht w ill 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 frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Ad vanced 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_ 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 116, "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, in a
rear ward-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
~
-L~A:::..:,: ir:....: b:!..::: a~g L.:: s:1y :...:s::..: t~ e:.: m:...:...:.. ________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter
fe rence :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatback s that have not been spe cifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate .
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam
in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
ha s inflated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi de aler or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be repla ced with new repla cement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For safety reasons in severe accidents , the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic
circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechni c circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit inte rrupter is scrapped , all appli
cable safety precautions must be followed. •
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the vehic le 's suspens ion system can change the way that
th e Adva nced Air bag Syste m performs in a c rash. Fo r example,
using tire -ri m co mbinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh ic le, c hang in g the st if f ness o f th e suspe nsio n, incl uding th e
spr ings, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
f o rces t hat a re m easured by the a irba g se nsors and se nt to the elec
tronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for example,
i ncrease the fo rce level s meas ure d by the senso rs and make the
a irbag system dep loy in crashes in which it wou ld not d ep loy if the
changes ha d no t been made . O th er ki nds of changes may red uce
th e force levels measured by the sensors and preve nt the airbag
fro m deploying w hen it sh ould.
Th e senso rs in th e sa fety belt buc kle fo r the dr iver a nd fro nt
passenger seat te ll the e lectronic control modu le if the safety belt is
l a tc h ed or not. If th e sa fe ty belt is being use d, th e front airbag wi ll
deploy at a slightly higher rate of vehic le dece leration than if the
sa fe ty be lt is n ot b ein g use d. Th ere fore, i n a partic ula r co llisi on, i t is
possible that an airbag wi ll not deploy at a seating position where
th e sa fe ty be lt is bei ng us ed bu t wi ll infl ate at the position w here the
safety be lt is not being used. It is important that nothi ng interfere
with the safety belt buc kles so that the sensors can send the co rrect
i nformatio n about safety belt use to t he electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same pe rformance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire -rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi. ..
• in front -end collisions
• i n rea r-en d col lis ions
• in ro llovers.
In som e types o f acci dents th e fron t air bags a nd s ide airbags m ay
be trigge red together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protect ion
when occupants are in the proper seating position
=> page 155 .
• If the a irbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The a irbag may not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side collision is high enough to a ctivate the
airbag .•
How supplemental side airbags work
Side air bags deploy inst ant ly a nd con help reduce the risk
of u pper torso injuries for oc cupants wh o ore p roperly
restrained.
Fig . 117 Inflated side
a irba gs on left side of
vehic le
When the sys tem is triggered, the airbag is fille d with prop ellant gas
and br eaks through a seam in the seat sur face area marked
Safety first
Airbag system
"AIR BAG". It expands between the side trim pane l and the
passe nger. In o rder to hel p provide this a dditional protecti on, the
s ide a irbag must inflate w ithin a fraction of a second at very high
speed a nd w ith grea t force. T he suppleme ntal side ai rbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the a rea where the s upp lemental si de air bag expands .
This applies especial ly to child ren=>
page 157, "Ch ild Sa fe ty".
Sup plemental side airbags inflate between the o ccupant and the
d o or pa nel on the side of the vehicle tha t is str uck in certa in side
collision => fig . 117.
A lthough they a re not a s oft pillow, they ca n "cu shi on" the i mpact
and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
par t of the bo dy.
A fin e dust may d evelop whe n the ai rbag deploys. T his is no rmal
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehic le .•
rmportant safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Ai rb ags o re on ly supplementa l restrai nts. A lwa ys p rop
e rly wea r safety belts and ride i n a prope r seatin g posi
ti on .
Ther e is a lo t th at you and your passenge rs m ust know a nd act
accordingly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
p rovide s upple men ta l pr otec tion .
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury . Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental side
airbag inflates : .,
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data
Child Safety -
--------------------''---
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safes t place in a collision.
The p hysica l pr inciples of what happens when you r veh ic le is in a
crash apply also to children=>
page 127, "What happens to occu
p a nts not wearing safety bel ts?" . Bu t un like adults and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fully developed. In many respects
children a re a t greater ris k of serious inj ury in cras hes than a dults .
B ecause chi ldren's bodies a re no t fully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especial ly designed for their size, weight, and
body structu re. Ma ny countries and al l sta tes of the U nited States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
chil d restraint sys te m s for infa nts and smal l children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
ac ting on a 13-pou nd (6 kg) infant wi ll be mo re than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would
suddenly be more than 260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these condi
t ions, only an appropriate child restraint proper ly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Child restraints, like adult safety belts,
must be use d properly t o be eff ective. Use d impro perly, they can
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident.
Co nsul t the c hild safety seat man ufacture r's ins truc tions to be su re
the seat is right for your child's size=>
page 160, "Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed a ll of the important information and WARNI NGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of child restraints in
this chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
veh ic le and how they work whe n inf an ts and ch ild ren in c hild
restraints are on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amoun
t of important informat ion, 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 Advanced Airbag Sys tem in your ve hic le and
the very important information about transporting children on the
fr ont passenger sea t. Please b e sure to hee d th e WAR NINGS -th ey
are extreme ly important for your safety and the safety of your
p asse ngers, es pecia lly inf ant s and s mall ch ildren .
& WARNING
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position . Always
restrain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle o ccupants and especially 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 o r impact . An unrestrained or improperly restrained
c hild is also at greater risk of injury or death through conta ct with
an inflating a irbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating 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 Airb ags
c an be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . A
child in a rearward -fa cing child safety seat installed on the front
pas senger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates.
• The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest or door. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-Child Safety -------=---------------------------------------
& WAR NIN G (co ntinued )
• Alw ays in sta ll re ar-facin g child safety s eats on the r ear seat .
• If you m us t in sta ll a rear ward f acing child saf ety s eat on th e
fr ont pa ssenger seat in exceptional circum stan ces and the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and sta y on ,
immediately in sta ll the re ar-facing child safety s eat in a rear
s eating po sit ion and ha ve th e airb ag s ystem insp ected immedi
atel y by your Audi dea ler .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circum stance s, you mu st in sta ll a forward -f a cing
c hild re str ain t on th e fr ont p assenger's s eat:
• Always mak e sure the forward -fac ing seat ha s been de signed
a nd ce rt ified by it s m anufa cturer for u se on a fr ont se at w ith a
pa ssenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the m anufacturer's instru ctions provided w ith
the child safety seat or carr ier.
• Alwa ys mo ve the pa ssenger seat into it s rea rmost positi on in
the seat' s fore and aft adju stment range , as far aw ay from the
ai rbag as possib le bef ore installing the ch ild r estr aint . The ba ck
re st mu st b e adjusted to an upright po sition.
• Alway s m ake sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
c om es on and sta y s on all the time whenever the ignition is
s w it c hed on . •
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in
complia nce with United States Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Stan
dard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu
factu red. T
he Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the " low -risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year -old chi ldren on
the passenger side and smal l adults on the driver side . The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the 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 up to 12 months who are restrained on
the front passenger seat in child restraints that are listed in the
S tandard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system, all ch ildren, especially those 12 years and younger, should
always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and
size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten
tially dangerous p lace for a child 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 p lace for an infant or a larger ch ild 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 belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total weight of the chi ld and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat . The
weight on 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 ..,.