
__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lffllll
& WA RN ING (co ntinued)
• Th e inflating airb ag will hit th e child safety sea t o r inf ant
ca rrier with g re at f orc e and will sm ash th e child safety sea t a nd
c hild again st t he backre st, c enter armre st, doo r, or roof .
• Alway s in sta ll re arwa rd-f acing child re str aints i n the ba ck seat.
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
fro nt pa ssenger seat be cau se of e xceptional cir cumstance s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on ,
imm edi ately in sta ll the re ar- fa cing child safe ty s eat in a rea r
seating p osition and h ave th e airbag system in spected by your
autho riz e d Audi de aler.
& WARNING
If, in e xceptional circum sta n ce s, y ou mu st in stall a forw ard -f aci ng
c hild restraint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Alway s make sure the forw ard -fa cing seat has b een de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenge r fr ont and side airb ag .
• Never put the forward -facing child re straint up again st or very
near the instrum ent p anel .
• Alway s move the p assenger seat into it s rearmo st po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adju stme nt r ange , as far aw ay from the
a irb ag as pos sible , before in stalling the forward -fac ing child
r e stra int . The b ackrest must be adjusted to an upright po sition .
• Make sure that the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd stay s on all the time whe never the ign it ion i s sw itch ed on . •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it. These parts inc lude the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func -
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by
the elec
tronic contro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag 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 conta ins 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.
T he front Ad van ced Airbag System consi sts of th e
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acce leration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
A irbag System about the sever ity of the crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impac ts. 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 w ith gas generator and contro l valve for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l valve 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 e lectronic
control unit to regu late dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger s ide.
• An airbag monito ring system and indicator light in the instru
ment cluster=> page
199.
• A sensor in each front sea t registers t he distance between the
respective seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel. The
information registered is sen t continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbags. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_,___A_ ir_ b_ a.::g <-- s--
c en ter of the instru ment panel =>
page 200, fig. 197 a nd tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off.
• A sensor be low the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to m easure the tension on the sa fety be lt. The tensi on on the sa fety
belt and the weight reg istered by the weight -sensing mat help the
cont rol unit "decide" whe ther the fron t ai rbag for the fr ont
passenger seat shou ld be turned off or not=>
page 190, "Child
r est raints on the front seat -some im portant t hings t o know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver and for the front
seat passenge r that se nses whe the r tha t safety belt is la tched or not
and transmits this information to the electronic control 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 Sy stem from func
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual
ified and properly tra ined workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehi cle .
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble 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 .
& WARNING (continued )
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger 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.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from
recogn izing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
s eat and prevent the side airbag 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-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint 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 manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something el se to properly position
the ch ild restraint , make certa in 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 in stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he fr ont Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd th e side air bag s su ppl eme nt
the protection offered by the front three -point safety be lts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustab le head re straints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a w ide ran ge of acc ident and .,_

crash situations. Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and the activation of
the safety be lt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the electronic control un it.
The amount of inflation of the front airbags can also be adapted to
the front seat position, depending on the distance between the respective front seat and the steering whee l or instrument panel as
registered by sensors in the seats . Crash severity depends on speed
and deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or
object involved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the elec tronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll 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 A IR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off=>
page 190, "Child rest raints on the front seat-some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injur y when an airbag infl ate s, a lways wear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are unr estr ained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of po sition in any way , your ri sk of injury is much hig her.
• You will al so rece ive seriou s injuries and could even be killed if
you are up ag ainst the airbag or too clo se to it when it infl ate s -
even wi th an Advan ced Airb ag =>
page 188. •
Safety first
Airbag sy ste m
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig . 196 I nfl at ed front
airba gs
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so tha t airbags can unfold proper ly and
provide supplementa l protection in a fronta l collision.
The fron t airbags are designed to provide addit ional p rotection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as p ossi ble from the a irbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with grea t force , things
you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When a n airbag deploys, fine d ust is released . This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubrica te the airbags as they d eploy . It could irri tate
skin.
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likel ihood of serious injuries, othe r
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
a lso happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do no t pro tect the arms •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

_,.___A_ i_r _b _a __, g::,_ s_ y,:__ s_t _e _m ___________________________________________________ _
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light
Fig. 197 Sec tio n fr om
th e i nstrument panel:
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
instrument panel=> fig.
197 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on to tel l
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off by the electronic contro l unit . Each time you turn on
the ignition, the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG 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 chi ld or chi ld restraint on the front
passenger seat ,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight -sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat, or
• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typical 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 .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wil l not
deploy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght wi ll stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one o f
the seating posi tions on the rear seat=>
page 190, "Child restraints
o n the front seat -some important things to know" and=>
page 213,
"Chi ld Safety".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
conditions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regularly
to make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not appear and 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 again;
• remove and reinstal l the child restraint. Make sure that the child
restraint is properly insta lled and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job =>
page 223.
• make sure that things that may increase the weight 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;
• If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes -.,

____________________________________________________ A_ ir_b_ a..:::g =-- s--= yc... s_ t_ e_ m __ _
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat .
If th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age.
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adu lt on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 170, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF or
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON wi ll briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airb ag ind ica tor li ght come s on , it me ans that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Ai rbag S ystem. It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate wh en it should .
• Have the airb ag sys tem in spe cted i mmediatel y by y our autho
rized Aud i dealer .
& WARNING
If the front airb ag infl ate s, a child without a child re straint , in a
rear ward -fa cing ch ild safet y se at or i n a forwa rd-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly in stalled will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 1 2 year s and
younger , alway s ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forward or rear -facin g child safety seat s on the
re ar seat - even with an Ad vanced Airb ag System .
• If you must in stall a rearwa rd -fa cing child safety seat on the
fron t pa sse nger seat be cau se of exc eptional circu mstan ce s a nd
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appe ar and st ay o n,
immedi atel y insta ll the r ear -f ac ing child safet y seat in a re ar ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

lffl) __ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
seating posit ion and have the airb ag system inspe cted by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward-fa cing child restr aint
att ached to the front pas senger se at can put too much pres sure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can
m ake the system work as though an adult were on the seat and
deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed cau sing
ser ious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstance s, you mu st in stall a forward
f a cing child restraint on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft adjust
ment range , as far away from the airbag as po ssible . The ba ckrest
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 tak ing the step s
described above, make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posit ions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transport ing anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e m pty seat , the front a irbag on the passenge r side wil l be tur ned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
P arts of the airbag system are installed at many different p laces on
you r Aud i. Insta ll ing, r emoving, servic ing or repa iring a pa rt in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p revent that sys tem from working pr operly in a c ollisi on.
There are some important things you have to know to ma ke sure
t h at the effective ness of the system will not be impai red and that
discarded co mponents do not cause injury or po llute the env iro n
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by pre venting 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 moistened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could 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 , adju st, or change any parts of the airbag sy stem .
• All work on the steering wheel , instrument panel , front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment,
cellular 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 author ized Audi dealer or qual ified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body .

___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
• in front-end collisions
• in rear-end collisions
• in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side curtain airbags
and side airbags may be triggered together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position
=> page 208.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the
airbag. •
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk
of upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 201 Inflated side
airbags on left side of
vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled with propellant gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "
AIRBAG ". It expands between the side trim panel and the
passenger. In order to help provide this additional protection, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second a t very high
speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items
are located in the area where the supplemental side airbag expands.
This applies especially to children=>
page 213, "Child Safety".
Supplemental side airbags inflate between the occupant and the
door panel on the side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision => fig. 201.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they can help 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 lot that you and your passengers must know and act
accordingly to help the saf ety bel ts and airbags do their job to
provide supplemental protection.
& 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:
~

Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position
~ page 69,
"General recommendations" .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to
activate the airbag. •
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side airbags
to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for
occupants who are properly restrained.
..
Fig . 203 Illustration of
principle: Inflated side
curtain airbags on the
left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the occupant and the
windows on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 203.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam above the front and rear
side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order to help
provide this additional protection, the side curtain airbag must
inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with great
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation force. The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating posi
tion
is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies espe
cially to children ~ page 213.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain airbags can
"cushion" 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 when the airbag deploys. This is quite
normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always prop
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi
tion.
ihere is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to
help the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supple
mental protection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
• Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area
from which 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 head airbag can dangerously interfere with
its function. A deploying head airbag develops enough force to
catapult any piece of add-on component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An occupant hit by such a _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data