2011 AUDI A6 warning

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When a perso n is detected on t he front passenger seat, weigh ing
more th an t he tot al we igh t of a ch ild t hat i s abo ut 1 ye ar old
restra ined in o ne of the rea r-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restra ints (liste d in Fed eral Moto r Ve hicl e Safety Stan dard
20 8 with
w hic h the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was c ert ified), the
front airbag on the passenge r side may o r may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the ele ct ro nic
control u nit detects a total weig ht on t he front passenger seat that
re qui res t he fr on t air bag t o be tur ned o ff. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on, the fro nt airbag o n the passenger
s ide has not been turned of f by the con trol un it and can dep loy i f the
cont rol un it se nses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l weight on the fro nt passenger sea t is more than that of a
typical
1 year-o ld, but less than the weight of a small adult, t he front
a irbag o n the p assenge r si de may dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child tha t is heav ie r th an a typical 1 year-old child is on t he
front passenger seat (regard less of whet he r the ch ild is in one of the
c hild s afe ty sea ts listed=>
page 2 21 ),
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the fro nt passenger
se at.
If the front passe nger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
ligh t in the center o f the i nstr ument pa nel will come on and s tay
on .
T he front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the fro nt passenger seat
• a p assenge r w ho is not si tt ing upri ght w it h t hei r ba ck again st a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front of
t he seat is on the fro nt pa ssenge r seat .
If the fro nt passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requ ires
t he a irb ag to mee t the " low r is k " deployme nt c riter ia to help reduce
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
the
risk of i njury t hrough interaction with t he a irbag. "Low r isk"
dep loyment o ccurs in t hose cra sh es t hat tak e p lace at lowe r decele r­
ations as defi ned in the elect ronic contro l u ni t.=>
page 208
Always remember: Even thou gh your vehicle is eq uipped with
Advanced A irbag s, th e sa fe st pla ce for childre n is properly res trained
on the back seat. Please be sure to rea d th e important informat io n i n
t he sec tio ns tha t foll ow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NIN GS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts p roperly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of position in any way , your ri sk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 197.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
pas senger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
c onceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild against the backre st, center armre st, door , or roof .
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints on the back
seat.
9"'
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

111 ....... _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front p assenger seat because of e xceptional circumstan ce s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately in stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a r ea r
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
& 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 d esigned
and certified b y its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
pas senger 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 rearmo st position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible , before in stalling 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 t ime whenever the ignition is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot of very important
parts o f the A dvanced A irbag System in it. These p arts incl ude t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
t ion o f the sys tem in t he front passenger sea t is che cked by the elec ­
tron ic contro l unit when the ignit ion is on . The contro l unit mo nitors
t he Advanced Air bag System and t urns the airbag indica tor ligh t on
when a malfunction in t he system compone nts is detected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is descr ibed in greater detail be low. Because the front passenger seat co
nta ins important parts of t he
Adv anced Ai rbag System, you mus t tak e ca re to p reve nt i t from be ing
damaged . Damage to the seat may p revent the Advanced A irbag for
the front passenge r seat from do ing its job in a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of the ve hicle tha t meas ure vehicle
acc elera tion/de ce le ra tion to prov ide info rm ation to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic contro l unit, w it h i ntegr ate d crash sensors fo r front
and side i mpacts . The control unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
airbags based o n the information rece ived from the c rash sensors .
T he contro l unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt prete nsioners
should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator fo r the driver inside the
s teer in g wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
p ane l for the front p assenge r.
• A weight-sensi ng mat under the upho lstery padd ing of the front
passenge r seat cushion that measu res the tota l we ight on the se at.
The informat ion registered is sent continuously to the electronic
c ont rol uni t to re gulate deploymen t of t he fr ont Adv anced A irbag o n
the passenger side .
• An air ba g mon itoring syste m and indi ca tor ligh t in the in strume nt
cl uster =>
page 208.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on an d stays on in t he
center of the instrument panel=>
page 209, fig. 184 and tells you
w hen the fron t A dvan ced A irb ag on t he passe nger side has been
turned off.
• A senso r below t he safety belt latch for t he front seat passenge r
to meas ure the tens ion on the safety belt . The tension on the safety
be lt a nd the we igh t regis tere d by the weig ht-sensing mat help t he
control un it "dec ide" w hethe r th e front airbag fo r the front
passenge r seat should be turned of f or not =>
page 19 9, "Chi ld
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know". ._

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• A se nsor in the safety belt latch for the d river a nd fo r th e front
sea t passenge r that senses w heth er that sa fe ty bel t is la tched or no t
and tra nsmits this information to t he e lectron ic co ntrol un it.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Imprope r repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advan ced Airbag System from func­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery 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 th ings on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight regi stered by the weight­
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
• 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 working
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 System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• 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
c hild restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning prope rly.
• 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 else to properly pos ition
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child re straint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspe cted by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e fron t Advanced A irbag System and t he side airbags sup plemen t
the protect ion offered by the front three-po int safety belts with
prete nsioners and load limiters a nd t he adjusta ble head restra ints to
help reduce the risk of i njur y in a w ide range of acc ident and crash
situ ati ons. Be sure to re ad the important info rmat io n a bou t safe ty
and heed the WAR NINGS in this chapte r.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System and the a ct iva tion of t he
sa fety belt pretens ioners depend on the dece leration measured by
the c rash sensors and reg istered by the e lectron ic contro l un it. Crash
sever ity depe nds on speed and deceleration as well as the mass and
st iffness of t he ve hicle or object invo lved in the crash.
Whe n the ele ct ronic con tro l u nit r egi sters a low sever ity crash and
the safety be lt is being used, the airbag will not dep loy . If the safety
bel t is not being used, the fi rs t st age de ploys, followed by the second
stage after a much later time in the crash seq uence. IJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

..,. Airbag system
PAWi-- --=------------------------------
If the elect ronic control un it reg isters a crash of medium severity, the
fir st s tage of t he air bag deploys fo llowe d by the seco nd s tage a t a
much later t ime in the crash sequence - regardless of whether t he
safety belt is being used or not . In higher sever ity crashes as regis ­
tered by the electronic control un it, both the first and second stages
dep loy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt use, the a irbag w ill
be turned off if the we ight on the passenger seat is less than the
a mount prog rammed in the e lectronic contro l uni t. The fro nt airbag
on the passenger side will a lso be turned off if one of the ch ild safety
seats tha t has been cert ified under Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on t he seat . The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ig ht comes on and stays o n to tell you when t he front
Advanced Airbag o n the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 199 , "Child rest raints o n the fro nt seat -some important
things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an a irbag inflates, always wear
s afety belts properly .
• If you a re unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of positi on in any way , your risk of inju ry is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 197. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 1 83 Infl ate d
front a irb ags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
pro per seated pos ition so that a irbags can unfold prope rly and
prov ide supp lemental protect ion in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide add itio na l protec tion for
the c hest and face of the driver and the front sea t passenge r when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• t he seats have been posit ioned so that the occupant is prope rly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because air bags inflate in the b link of a n eye w it h great force, things
you have on your lap o r have place d on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the a irbag inf lates.
When a n airbag dep loys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to l ubricate t he ai rbags as they deploy.
It could irritate
skin .
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental airbag
system is desig ned to red uce the li ke lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling, b ruising and m inor abras ions, can also
happen when airbags infl ate. Airbags do not p rotect the arms or the ..,_

Airbag system 1111
---------------------------------------------=---=----
lower parts of the body . Front a irbags s upplement the t hree-poi nt
sa fety belts o nly in some fro ntal collis ions in which the vehicle decel­
eration is high enough to dep loy the a irbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• in s ide collisions ,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the crash decelerat io n me asured by the a irbag system is less
than the min imum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as reg is­
tered by the e lectron ic con trol un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy:
• when the fron t passe nger seat i s not oc cupied,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the
Advanced Ai rbag System in dicates that the front airbag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght comes on and stays on).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the ri sk of ser iou s injury
in crashes.
• To redu ce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and pas sengers mu st always sit in an upright position , mu st not
lean against or place any part of th eir body too close to the area
where the airbags are lo cated.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriou sly injured by an airbag a s it unfolds with
great force in th e blink of an eye =>
page 199 .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child
safety se at installed on the front
pa sseng er seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflat es - ev en with an Ad van ced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety s eat and
c hild against the backre st, center armre st, d oor or roof .
• Always install rear -facing child safet y seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger se at because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child s afety seat in a rear
s eating po sition and h ave the airbag system inspe cted by your
Audi d eal er.
& WARNING
Object s between you and the airbag will increase th e risk of inju ry
in a cra sh by int erfering with the way the airb ag unfold s or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hand s or on your lap when the vehicle
i s in use.
• Never tran sport items on o r in the are a of the fr ont pa ssenger
seat. Obje ct s c ould move into the area of the front ai rbag s during
braking or other sudden maneu ver s and become dang erous
projectiles that can c au se se rious per sonal injury if the ai rb ags
infl ate.
• Never pla ce o r attach accessories or othe r objects (s u ch a s
cupholders, telephone brac kets, large , heavy or bulk y object s) on
the doo rs, over o r near the are a marked
"AIRBAG " on the stee ring
wheel, in strum ent panel , se at ba ckre sts or between th ose ar ea s
and yourself . These objects could cause injur y in a crash , especially
when the airbags infl ate .
9"'
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (conti nued)
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the s ide airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other br eathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a colli sion in which airbags deploy, wa sh your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating .
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light f!G
Two separate indicat ors m onit or the func tion of the
Advanc ed A irb ag Sys tem: the airbag mo nit ori ng in dic ato r
li g ht and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (incl uding the electronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wiring) is mo nito red cont inuous ly to make
sure that it is f unctioning p roper ly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you t
urn on the ignit ion, the a irbag monitoring indicator light
:A
w ill come o n fo r a few secon ds (self diagnos tic s).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds aft er you have switc hed on the igni­
tion, or
• comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fir st start flashing to c atch t he d river's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
inspec ted immedia tely .
If a ma lfunct io n occ urs that t urns the fron t air bag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght will come on and stay on
w henever the igni tion is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System . It i s
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Aud i
dealer. •

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actua lly on
t he seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont inuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child res tra int off the fr ont p assenger seat an d ins ta ll it
properly at one of t he rear seat positions. Have the a irbag system
inspec ted by yo ur Aud i d ea le r imme diat ely.
• move the child to a rea r seat position and ma ke s ure that the child
is properly res trained in a c hild rest rain t th at i s appr opriate fo r its
size and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on a nd an adult is sitt ing in a proper sea ting pos ition on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and s tays on o r flashes fo r abo ut 5 seconds while d riving, unde r these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adul t on the front passenger se at is pro perly seate d on the
center of the seat cushi on with his or her back up against the backrest
an d t he bac krest is not reclined => page 178, "P roper occ upan t
seating posit ions",
• t he adult is not tak ing weig ht o ff t he sea t by holding on to th e
passenge r assist handle above the front passe nger door or
supporti ng their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly wor n and that there is not a lot of
s la ck in th e s afe ty be lt webb ing,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may ca use
an in co rre ct re ading o r impre ss io n on th e weigh t-sensin g m at un der
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
p as senge r se at,
• a sa fety be lt extender has not been left in th e safety belt latch for
th e fr ont pas senger se at.
In addit io n to t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appea r in th e inst rument cluster display
. This is to inform the dr ive r of the current front passenger
a irb ag s tat us.•
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
• If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint , or
in a rearward-facing child safety seat, or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always r ide on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
~

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• A tight tether o r other strap on a rearward -facing child
restraint attached to the front pa ssenger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight -sensing mat in the seat and register more
weight than i s actually on the seat . The heavier weight regi stered
can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advan ced Airbag when it mu st be suppre ssed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If , in exceptional circumstanc es, you must install a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into its rearmost po sition in the seat' s fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag as possible . 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
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transporting anyone on the front passenger seat.
[ i ] Tips
If the we ight-sens ing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
em pty seat , the front airbag on the passenge r side will be t urne d off,
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on .•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are
insta lled at many different places on
your Audi . Ins tall ing, remov ing, serv icing o r rep airi ng a pa rt in an
area of the vehicle ca n damage a part of a n airbag system and prevent
t ha t sys tem from working prope rly in a coll is io n.
Th ere are some importa nt things you have to know to ma ke sure t hat
the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
dis ca rded compo nents do not cause injury or po llute t he e nvir on­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , serv icing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing 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 . Solvent s 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, adjust, or change any part s of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel , front seats
or electrical sy stem (including the installation of audio equip­
ment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc. ) must be performed
by a qualified technician who has the training and special equip­ ment necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend
that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body . ..,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data