........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
curtain airbag could injure you if your seating pos ition is not proper or
upr igh t or if items are located in the area where the s uppleme ntal
side curtain a irbag inflates . T hi s applies especially to children
=> page 231.
Although they a re not a soft pi llow, s ide cur tai n airbags can " cushion"
the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to
t he head and the u pper part of t he bo dy.
A fine d ust may develop when the airbag deploys . This is quite norma l
and does not mean the re is a fire in the vehicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental r estraints. Always prop
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi
ti on .
The re is a lot that yo u and your passe nge rs must know and do to help
the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protec tion .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increa se the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used .
• Never let occupant s place an y part s of their bodie s in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbag s can inflate
without interference. Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a side curtain airbag can dangerously interfere
with its funct ion. A deploying head airbag develops enough force
to catapult any piece of add-on component out of it s path of infla
tion and into the passenger compartment. An occupant hit by
& WARNING (c on tinued )
such a projectile can suffer serious injury or death=> page 369,
"Te chnical Modifi cations ".
• Do not swivel the sun viso rs to the side if you have any objects
clipped onto them (for example pens) . If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these objects.
• Use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing. Never
lea ve any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can cause per sonal injury in
an accident.
• Never use hanger s to hang clothing from the hook s.
• Only use factory-in stalled sun shade s or , in the case of shades
i nstalled after the vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreen s ma y be used =>
page 368, "Additional accessories and
parts replacement ".
• Always sit in proper se ating position and wear safety belts
while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide
protection .
• The airbag system can only be tr iggered once. If the ai rbag has
been trigge red , the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Alway s have work involving the side curtain airbag system,
removal and installation of the airbag components, or other
repairs performed by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop. Otherwi se the airbag system may not work correctly.
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
i n any way. •
Child Safety -
-------------------"'---
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 201, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlik e adu lts and teenagers, the ir
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In many respects c hildren
are at greate r risk of ser io us injury in cras hes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and all states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Unde r these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
of serious injury. Child restraints, like adult sa fety be lts, must be used
pro perl y to be effective. Use d imprope rly, they can i ncrease t he ris k
of serious injury in an accident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's instr uctions in order to
be sure the seat is r ight for you r child's size=>
page 234, "Important
safety instructions fo r using child safety seats". P lease be s ure to
read and heed a ll of the important informa tion and WAR NINGS
about chi ld safety, Advanced Airbags, an d the installation of child
restra in ts in this chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all he re. We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag Syste m in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating posi tions 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
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat ins talled 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
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the backrest, center armrest , or door . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
lffll.,___C_h_ i_ ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_:!, y :...._ _________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always install rear-facing child safet y seat s on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light do es not come on and stay on,
immediately in stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rea r
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi
ately by you r Audi deale r.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must in stall 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
pas senger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instructions p rovided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• 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 install ing the child restra int . The back
re st must be adju sted to an upright position .
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
c omes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in compli
ance wi th Uni ted St ates Federa l Mo to r Vehicle Safety St andar d
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your veh icle was manufac
tu red . The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the sy stem has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts u p to 1 2 months who a re res tra ined on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward- facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a re arwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re late d t o the desi gn of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt kinds of child res tra ints .,_
-----------------------------------------~C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a _!fe ~ t !;YL __
and for the different models of the same kind of child restraint
offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes and models of ch ild
restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical infants and typical 1 year
old child have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced Airbag
System. When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag System
compares the weight meas ured by the weight sensing mat with the
information stored in the electronic control unit .
The electronic contro l unit a lso registers the tension on the front
passenger safety belt. The tension on the safety belt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using the
safety belt as compared to the tension on the belt when it is used to
attach a child restraint to the seat . The sensor below the latch for the
safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the tension on the
belt. The input from this sensor is then used with the weight to
"decide", whether there is a child restraint with a typical 1 year-old
child on the front passenger seat and whether or not the airbag must
be turned off .•
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use, ma ke sure that it has
been certified to meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been ce rtified by its manufacturer for use with an
airbag . Always be sure that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exceptional circumstances you
must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the infor
mation on ch ild safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the
app licab le WARNINGS. Make certain that the child restra int is
correctly recognized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag is turned off and that
the airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Many types and models of child restra
ints have been available over
t he years, new models are introduced reg ularly incorpo rating new
and improved designs and older models are taken out of product ion.
Chi ld restraints are not standardized. Child restraints of the same
type typ ically have d ifferent weights and sizes and differe nt 'foot
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the child restraint that
sits on the seat, when they are installed on a vehicle seat . These
differences make it virtually impossib le to certify compliance with
t he requirements for advanced airbags with each and every chil d
restra int that has ever been sold in the past or will be sold over the
course of the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nationa l Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has published a list of specific type, makes and
mode ls of child restra ints that must be used to cert ify compliance of
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208. These
child restraints are:
A. Car beds, manufactured on or after September 1,
2004:
• Cosco Dream Ride 02-719
B. Rear facing child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
(When the restraint system comes equipped with a removable base,
compliance has to be cert ified with or without the base) .
• Britax Handle with Care 191
• Century Assura 4553
• Century Smart Fit 4543
• Cosco Arriva 02727
• Evenflo Discovery Adjust Right 212
• Evenflo First Choice 204
• Graco Infant 8457
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
ffl,___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t-= y ;....._ ____________________________________________ _
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint
systems, manufactured on or after September 1,
2004:
• Britax Roundabout 161
• Century Encore 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo Medallion 254
• Safety First Comfort Ride 22-400
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on.
• 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.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
W Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of everybody
in the vehicle, especially children:
Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly~
page 236.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ~
page 241.
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- 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 the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size . _,,
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are best protected in
special infant carriers and chi ld safety seats designed for t heir age
group. Many experts believe that infants and small childr en should
r ide only in spec ia l restra ints in w hich the child faces the back of the
vehicle. These infant seats support the baby's back, neck and head in
a crash=> fig. 206.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a ch ild in a forward-facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous
place for an infant or a large r child in a rear ward-fac ing seat.
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat· even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the
inflating airbag hits the child safety seat or infant carrier with
great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof=>
page 211, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know".
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers
on the rear seat.
• Never install a rear-facing child rest raint in the forward-facing
direction. Such restraints are designed for the special needs of
infants and very small children and cannot protect them properly
if the seat is forward-facing.
• 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,
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 199, "Safety belts",
=>
page 209, "Airbag system" and => page 231, "Important
things to know ".•
Convertible child safety seat:s
Properly used convertible child safety seats can help
protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh
b etween 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg) in a crash.
Vehicle care
Fig . 207 Schematic
overview: installation
of the attachments
applicable to a LATCH
seat
ti,
Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
___ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_,, y'-----------------------------------------------
Fig. 208 Schematic
overview: installation
of the seat using the
vehicle's safety belt
system
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking
feature on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving~
page 241 or install the seat using the
LATCH attachments.
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch
(2.5 cm)
=>
page 241.
- If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors=>
page 249.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an infant restraint if it is
more than one year old and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
Toddlers and children who are older than one year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety seat certified for their
size and weight~
page 237, fig. 207 and~ page 238 , fig. 208.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten tially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in a rearward-facing
seat .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or other emergency situa
tion.
• 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-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 armrest, 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.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained
in a vehicle is being used ~ page 199, "Safety belts",
~ page 209, "Airbag system" and ~ page 231, "Important
things to know".
& WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being require that the following special precautions be
taken:
11'-
-L-___::C~h...:.: i:.:: l .:::d ~S:::.::: a..:..f .::. e ..::tY L- ___________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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-facing 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 231. Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat~
page 211, "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.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, perform the checks described~
page 220, "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.
& WARNING (continued)
• 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.
& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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 armrest, door or roof.
• Always be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on .,