______________________________________________ ___::A....:..:..: i r:...: b=.= 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 seat backs 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 use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight
clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(continued)
pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• If children are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident=>
page 215, "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. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only prov ide protection
when oc cupants are in the proper seating position =>
page 73,
"General recommendations ".
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle i s being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle a cceleration in a side collision is high enough to
activate the airbag. •
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain ai rbags can work together with side airbags
to h elp reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuri es for
occupants who are properly restrained.
..
Fig . 1 8 6 Illu st ra tion
o f princi ple: Inflated
side curtain airb ag s on
the left s ide
Th e side curtai n airbags inflate between the occup an t and t he
windows on the side of t he veh icle tha t is struck in a side coll is ion
=> fig . 18 6.
When the system is tr iggered, the side curta in a irbag is filled with
prope llant gas and breaks t hrough a seam above the front an d rear
side w indows identifie d by t he A IRBA G labe l. In o rder to he lp p rov ide
this additional protection, t he s ide c urtain airbag must inflate within
t he blink of an eye at ve ry high speed and with gre at f orce. The side
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
curtain a
irbag co uld in jure you if your seating posit io n is not proper or
upr ight or if items are lo cated in the area where the s uppleme ntal
side cu rtain airbag i nflates. T his app lies especially to c hildren
=> page 215.
Alt hough they a re not a sof t pill ow, side curta in airbags c an "cushion"
the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to
t he head and t he uppe r part o f th e bo dy.
A fine d ust may develop when the airbag deploys . Th is is quite norma l
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
A irbags ar e only supp lemental r estraints. Always prop
e rly wear s afe ty b elts and ride in a proper seating posi
tio n.
T he re is a lot that yo u and your passenge rs must k now and do to help
the safety belts and airba gs do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating pos itions
increa se the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
• Never let oc cupants place any parts of their bodie s 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
Child Safety Ill
-------------------"'---
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 183, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlike adults their mus cles an d bones a re
not fully deve loped. I n many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes 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 a ll 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). Under these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
o f serious injury. Child restrai nts must be used properly to be e ffec
t ive. Used i mpro perly, t hey can increase the risk of serio us injury in an
acc ident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's i nstr uctions to be s ure
t he seat is right for your child's size
=> page 218, "Importa nt safety
instructions for using ch ild safety seats" . P lease be sure to read and
heed all of the impo rtant informat io n and WARNINGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of ch ild rest raints in
t his 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 System 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
_________________________________________ _:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ..!.:fe =. t SYL _lffll
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
___________________________________________ C_ h_il _d _ 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 children under 57 inche s (1.45 meter s) 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 rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
c arrier s on the front pas senger seat. A child will be seriously
injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates- even
with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, door or roof .
- Alway s in stall rearward -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
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and inf ants up to abo ut one ye ar o ld and 2 0 lbs.
or
9 kg nee d s pec ial rea rwa rd -fac ing ch ild restraints tha t
s upport th e back, nec k and head in a crash.
F ig. 187 Schem atic
overview : re arwa rd
facing infa nt seat,
properly install ed on
the rea r seat
- Whe n u sin g the veh icle sa fety bel t to insta ll a child s afety
s e at, you mu st first acti vate the converti ble lo cking
ret ractor on th e saf ety belt to preven t th e chi ld safet y seat
fro m moving==>
page 2 25 or install t he seat usi ng t he
LAT CH attach ments .
- Pus h the child sa fety s eat d own with y our fu ll weight to
g et t he sa fety be lt really tig ht so t hat th e sea t c an not
mov e fo rwar d or sid eways mor e t han one in ch ( 2.5 cm) .
Infa nts up t o ab out one yea r (2 0 lb s. or 9 kg) are best protec ted in
special infant carr iers a nd ch ild safety seats desig ned fo r th eir age
g roup. Many e xperts believe t hat infa nts and sm all c hildr en sho uld
r ide on ly in spec ia l re stra in ts i n w hic h the child faces th e back of the
v ehicle . T hese i nfant seats support t he baby's back, neck and head in
a crash=>
page 221 , fig. 18 7.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
The airbag on the passenger side makes the fro nt seat a potentially
d ange rous place for a child to rid e. Th e front seat is not the safest
place for a ch ild in a forwa rd-faci ng child seat . It is a very da ngerous
place for an infant o r a larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, u sing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a cra sh .
• Never install rearward- facing child safety seats or infant
c arriers 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 192,
"Child restraints on the front seat -some important things to
know".
• Always install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the rear seat .
• Never install a rearward-facing child restraint in the forward·
facing direction . Such restraints are designed for the special needs
of infants and very small children and cannot protect them prop·
erly if the seat is forward-facing .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat becau se of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 181, "Safety belts ",
=> page 190, "Airbag system " and => page 215, "Important
things to know". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
& WARNING (continued)
• Always install rearward-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 rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 181, "Safety belts",
~ page 190, "Airbag system" and~ page 215, "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:
• Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certi
fied by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or infant carrier.
• Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost posi
tion of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before installing the child
restraint.
• Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's
seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft
adjustment range.
• Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the light does not stay on, perform the checks~
page 201,
"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.a
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80 lbs. (18 kg and
36 kg) who are less than 4 ft. 9 in.
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 190 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children until
they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and
weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil
dren up so that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help
protect them in a crash.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
__________________________________________ ___:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ~f ~e ~t z._y __ _
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Failure to properly route safety belt s ov e r a child' s body will
cause severe injurie s in an accident or oth er emergency situation
~ page 181 .
• The r ear side of the booster seat should be positioned as clo se
as possible to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust o r remove
the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat
with the head restraint in place~
page 81. Install the head
restraint again immediatel y once the child seat is removed .
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adju sted increases the risk of seriou s or fatal neck
injury dramat ically.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags , can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates.
• Never let a child stand or kneel on any se at.
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle. • Alway s remember that a child leaning forward , sitting side
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck by a deploying airbag. This will result in se rious personal injury or
death .
• If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat
because of e xceptional circumstances 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 201, " 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 sw itched
on.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used
~ page 181 , "Safety belts",
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
~ page 190, "Airbag system " and ~ page 215, "Important
things to know ".•
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Sa fety belts for the r ear seats and th e front passenger 's
seat c an be locked with the convertible locking retractor
t o pr operly secu re c hild safety se ats.
Th e safety bel ts emergency lock ing re trac to rs for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenger's seat safety belt have a
c onve rtible locking retractor for child res traints. The saf ety belt m ust
be locked so that belt webbing cannot un reel. The retractor can be
act ivate d to loc k the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
from loosening up during normal dr iv ing. A child safety seat can on ly
be pro pe rly in stall ed when the sa fety belt is locke d so th at th e child
and child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remembe r: E ven tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equippe d with an
Advanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, espec ially those 12 yea rs and
younger, should a lways ride in t he back seat properly restrained for
their age and we ight.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a cra sh. .,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data