----------------------------------------------~A....::..:.... ir:....: b.::..:;; a..::g ~ s~y -=s:....: t:...: e:...: m...:....:.. __ lffll
If the front air bags deploy, th e knee a irbags also dep loy i n fronta l
coll is ions ab ove a c ertain s everity.
When the sys tem is d epl oyed , the ai rb a gs s ta rt to fill wi th a propel
lant gas, a nd inflate between the lowe r pa rt of t he instr ument pane l
and th e drive r an d th e l owe r part of the in strum ent pan el a nd t he
front passenger ~
page 208, fig. 198.
Al th ou gh they are no t a soft pil low, they can cus hion th e impact and
in t his way th ey can help to red uce the risk of in jury to t he lower
extremities.
A ll thi s t akes pla ce in stan tan eously , so fas t th at ma ny pe opl e don 't
even rea lize that t he airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
w ith a g reat d eal o f for ce and it is im portant for o ccupa nt saf ety th at
nothing sh ould be in their way when t hey deploy .
F ully in flated airba gs i n com binatio n with pr ope rly wo rn safety belts
slow dow n and limit the occ upant's forwa rd movement a nd he lp to
re duce the risk. •
Applies to veh icles : w it h Kn ee air ba gs
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags ar e only supp lem en tal r estra ints . Alw ays wear
s a fe ty be lts cor re ctly and ride in a proper seating pos i
ti on .
Th ere is a lot that you an d yo ur passe ngers m ust know an d do to help
the sa fet y b elts and airbags to p rov id e su pp lemen tal protec tio n.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety
belts incorrectly and improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(cont inued )
• The airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated
too close to any of the airbag locations. When adjusting their seat positions, it is important that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
- 10 inches (25 cm) between the chest and the steering
wheel/instrument panel.
-4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of
the instrument panel.
• The risk of personal injury increases if you lean forward or to
the side, or if the seat is improperly positioned and you are not
wearing your safety belt. The risk increases even more should the
airbag deploy .
• Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without
interference. Objects between yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by interfering with the way the
airbag deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
-No persons (children) or animals should ride in the footwell
in front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this can
result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in the footwell area
in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, for example) can hamper or prevent proper deploy
ment of the airbag. Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers.
• Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratches or other damage
in the area of the instrument panel where the knee airbags are
located.
• If children are incorrectly seated, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident~
page 221, "Child Safety". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ A_ i_ r_b _ a_ g=- s_, y"-- s_t _e _m ______________________________________________ _
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 202 S ide airbag
l o cat ion
in the d rive r's
s e at
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ page 218 , fig. 202. They are identified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basicall y consists of :
• the electronic control module and external s ide impact sensors
• t he two side airbags located in t he sides o f the front backrests
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
T he airbag sys tem is moni tore d ele ct ronically to make certa in that it
is funct ioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni
t ion , the airbag system indicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
red uce the risk of injury to the drive r's an d front passenge r's upper
torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision . The
a irbag dep loys o nly in side impac ts an d only when the veh icle acceler
ation registered by the contro l unit is h igh eno ugh. If this rate is
below the refe rence val ue p rogrammed into the control u nit, t he side
airbags will not be triggered, eve n thoug h the car may be badly damaged as a resu
lt of the collision. It is not possib le to define an
air bag trigger ing range tha t w ill cove r eve ry poss ible an gle o f imp act,
since the circumsta nces will vary considerab ly between one collision
and another . Important factors incl ude, for example, the nature
(hard or soft) of the impact ing object, the a ngle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.~
page 219, "Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system" .
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to he lp
keep the driver or fron t passenger in po sit io n in t he event of a side
collision so that the side airbags ca n provide p rotect ion.
T he a irbag system is
not a substitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is
pa rt of the ove rall occupant res trai nt system in your veh icle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you a re wear ing yo ur safety belt and wea ring it properly. This is
another reason why you shou ld always wear your safety belts, not just
bec ause t he law requires you to do so~
page 189, '' Genera l no tes ".
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental s ide airbag
system is designed to red uce the lik elihood o f serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example, swe lli ng, br uis ing , and minor abras io ns can
also be assoc iated w ith deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will de ploy only once and only in cert ain kinds of acc idents -
your safety belts are a lways there to offer protection.
Vehicle dam age, re pair costs o r even the la ck of vehicle dam age are
not necessarily an ind ication of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa
t ion. In some collisions, both front and side airbags may infla te .
Remember too , tha t airbags will de ploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -yo ur sa fety bel ts are a lways the re to offe r protec
tion i n those accide nts in which airbags ar e not s upposed to deploy o r
when they have already dep loyed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ign ition is turned off
• in side co llisi ons when the accelerat ion measured by the sensor is
t oo low
• in front -end col lisions ._
• in rear-end collisions
• in rollover s.
In some types of accide nts the front a irbags a nd side a irbags may be
t rig gere d together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide prote ction
when occupants are in the proper seating position=> page
219 .
• 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 ins tan tly an d can help reduce the risk
o f upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 203 I nflated side
a ir ba gs on left side of
v eh icle
Wh en the system is trigge red, the airbag is filled w ith prop ellan t gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat s urface area marked
" AIR BAG".
It expand s between the side trim panel and the pa ssenger.
In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the s ide airbag
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
must inflate w ith in a fract ion of a seco nd at ve ry high speed and w it h
great for ce. T he supp lemen tal side air bag cou ld injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upr ight o r if items ar e located in the
area w here the s upplementa l side ai rbag expands. This applies espe
cially to children=>
page 221, ''Child Safety" . S upplementa l side
air bags inflate between the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the ve hicl e that is st ruck in certain side collision=> fig. 203 .
Altho ugh they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they ca n help to re duc e the ris k of injury to the u pper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develo p when the airbag deploys. This is normal an d
does not mea n the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbag s are o nly su pplemen tal rest raints . A lway s pr op
e rl y wear safety b elts and ride i n a pr op er se ating p osi
tion .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must k now and act accord
ingly to help t he safety be lts and a irbags do t he ir job to provide
supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cau se serious or fatal injury. Improp
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating position s increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
• In order to redu ce the risk of injury when the supplemental
side airbag inflate s:
- Alway s sit
in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data
........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side trim panel in the area where the supplemental side airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window.
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags deploy.
- 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.
• Objects between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects)
on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projec
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag deploys.
- 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 prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• 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 children are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident=>
page 221, "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.
- Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop . •
____ C_h _i_ld _ S_a _f ...;.e ....:t "- y ________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Alway s in stall rearwa rd-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child res traint on the front pas senger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instruction s provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the child restraint. The back rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equi pped wi th a fron t "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
( F MVSS) 2 08 as appli ca ble at t he time your ve hicle was manufa c
tured. 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 system 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 up to 1 2 months who a re res train ed 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 rea rwa 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 lated to t he design 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 k inds of child res tra ints .,_
__________________________________________ ___:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ~f ~e ~t ¥_Y __ _
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:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Gua rd Angel Ride
AA2403 FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model
Century SmartF it 4543
Cosco Ar riva 22-013PAW and
base 22-999 WHO
Evenflo D iscovery Ad just Right
21 2
Evenflo First Cho ice 204
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 20 07
December 1, 1999
December 1, 1999
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
ffl,___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t-= y ;....._ ____________________________________________ _
Model
Graco Infant 8457
Graco Snug ride
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP
IMUN00US
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Subpart C -Fo rward-fa cing and con vertib le child
re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout E9 L02xx September 25, 2007
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22 -262
Cosco H igh Back Booste r 22-209 September 25, 2007
Evenflo Tr ibute V 379xxxx September 25, 2007
Evenflo Medallion 25 4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations 352xxxx September 25, 2007
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety Seat Step 2 September 25, 2007
Graco P latinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of serio us i njury , make sure th at the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight com es on and s tays on wh en ev e r a
c hild re straint is i nsta lle d on the front pas senge r seat and th e
ign itio n is s witch ed on .
& WAR NING (continu ed)
• Take the child re st raint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
i t properly at one of the rear s eat position s if the PASSENGER A IR
BAG OFF light doe s not stay on .
• Hav e the a irb ag sys tem in spect ed by your authori zed Audi
deal er immedi ate ly .
[I) Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced A irbag 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 th e veh icle, especially children :
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly=>
page 22 7.
- 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 convert ible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from movi ng =>
page 231.
- Push the child safety seat down wit h your full weig ht to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm). ._
_____________________________________________ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_. y'--- __
- If a stra p or tet her is be ing us ed to tie t he chil d safety seat
to t he fro nt passenger seat, make sure that it is no t so
tight that i t causes the weight-sens ing ma t to measure
more weight t han is act ually on the seat.
Alw ays reme mbe r: Even though yo ur vehicle is equip ped with an
Adva nced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially those 12 years a nd
younger, should a lways ride in the bac k seat proper ly rest ra ined for
their age and size .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly in stalling a child re straint in crea se s the ri sk of serious
personal injury and death .
• All vehicle oc cupants and e specially children mu st always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver
or impact .
- An unre strained or improperly restrained child is at much
greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
• Commercially a vailable child safety seats are requi red to
c omply with U .S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS )
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213 ).
- When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child
and the vehicle.
- Only u se child restraint sy stem s that fully contact the flat
portion of the seat cushion . The child rest raint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recommend using child
s a fety seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not
provide adequate contact with the seat .
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
-Always heed all legal requirements pe rtaining to the in stal
lation and use of child safety seat s and carefully follow the
inst ructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow child ren under 57 inches (1.5 meters ) to wear a
normal safety belt . They must always be restrained by a prop er
child restraint system . Otherwise , they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
• Never let babies or olde r children ride in a vehicle while sitting
on the lap of another passenger.
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub stitute for a child
restraint system .
- The stronge st p ers on could not hold the child with the force s
that e xist in an accident . The child will strike the interio r of the
v ehicle and can also be struck by the pa ssenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each other in an
accident.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front pas senger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can
be killed when the passenger airbag inflates - e ven with an
Advanced Airbag Sy stem .
• 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 bac krest, center arm rest, door o r roof.
• Always in stall rear -facing child safety seats or infant carriers
on the rear seat .
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on th e front
passenger 's seat can interfere w ith the airbag when it inflates and
c ause seriou s injury to the child . Always install forward-facing
c hild safet y seats on the rear seat . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data