2011 AUDI A6 warning light

___ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n _.g"-- S_ a_ f_ e__. LY.__ _____________________________________________ _
Proper occupant seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important for safe,
relaxed driving.
Fig. 166 The correct
distance between
driver and steering
wheel
Fig . 167 Correct head
restraint position for
driver
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the
driver's seat to the following position:
- Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily push the
pedals all the way to the floor while keeping your knee(s)
slightly bent==>& . -
Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright
position so that your back comes in full contact with it
when you drive.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering wheel and
your breast bone==> fig. 166. If not possible, see your
authorized Audi dealership about adaptive equipment.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and not at your face.
- Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your elbow(s) slightly bent.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as even
with the top of your head as possible but no lower than eye
level and so that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible ==> fig. 167.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly=>
page 191.
-Always keep both feet in the footwell so that you are in
control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the driver's seat, see
=:>page 76 .
& WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce
the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering wheel so that
there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel.
• Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering
wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions ..

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and
three in the rear . Each seating position has a safety belt .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing
safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light t
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger ( on USA models only) to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 170 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly .
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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-Make sure that your passengers also buckle up a nd prop ­
erly wear their safety belts .
- Protect c hildren with a child rest raint system appropria te
fo r the size and ag e.
The warn ing light ~ in the instrument cluster lights up when the igni­
tion is sw itched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you w ill hear a wa rning tone for a certa in period of t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and ma ke sure that your passenge rs also
properly put on their safety belt s.
& WARNING
• Safety belts are the singl e most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile a cci­
dents . For your protection and that of your pas senger s, always
co rrectly wear safety belts when the vehicle is mo ving .
• Failure to pay attention to the warning light that come on,
could lead to personal injur y.
u
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very stron g forc es for people
riding i n vehi cles.
Fig . 171 Unbe lted
o ccupa nts in a vehicle
h eadin g for a w all
Fig . 1 72 The ve hicle
cr as hes int o t he w all
T he p hys ica l pr inc iples are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen­
gers possess energy which var ies wit h veh icle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs ca ll t his ene rgy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the veh icle and the greater the vehicle's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sig nifican t fa ctor. If t he speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times! .,

alll!II Safety belts Pffl _______________ _
-Ins ert t he tongue into the correct buckle of your seat unti l
you hear it latch secure ly=> fig. 176 .
- Pull on t he be lt to make sure t hat it is secure ly latched in
the buck le.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety be lt is equipped with an automatic be lt retractor on the
shoulder bel t. This fea ture locks the be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an acc ident. The belt may also lock
w hen you dr ive up or dow n a s teep hill or throug h a sharp curve.
During norma l dr iving the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety bel ts are equipped w ith a belt pretensioner that helps to
t ighten the s afety be lt and remove sla ck when the pre tensioner is
act ivated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a warn ing
light =>
page 14.
Switchable locking featu re
Eve ry sa fe ty be lt exc ep t the one on the driver sea t is e quipped wi th a
switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be s ure to read t he import ant info r­
mation about this feature=>
page 229.
& WARNING
Improperly positio ned safety belts can cause serious injury in a n
accident =>
page 192, "Safety belt po sition ".
• Safety belts offer optimum p rote ction onl y when the seat back
i s upright and belts are properly positioned on the body .
• Always make sure th at the rear seat backre st to which the
center rear safety b elt is attached i s securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the ba ckrest is not securely
latch ed, the passenger will move forward with the ba ckrest during
sudden br aking, in a s udden maneu ve r and e speci ally in a crash.
& WARNING (contin u ed )
• Never atta ch the safety belt to the buckle fo r another seat.
Attaching the b elt to the w rong buckle will reduce safety belt
effecti veness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A pass enger who is not properly restr ained can be s eriou sly
injured by the safety belt it self when it move s from the stronger
parts of th e body into critical
areas like the abdomen.
• Alway s lock the convertible locking retractor when y ou are
securing a child safety seat in the vehicle=>
page 231. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt posi tion is the key to get ting maximum
protection from safety belts .
Fig. 17 7 Hea d
re stra int an d safe ty
belt posi tio n as se en
fro m the s ide
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust the position of the
safety belt to match your body size.
• belt height adj ustment for the fro nt seats,
• automatic belt height adjustment for the rear seats .

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defined in the electronic control unit~ page 209, "PASSENGER AIR
BAG O FF light ".
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant carr ier installed on the
front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the rapidly
inflating passenger's airbag in a frontal collision. Th e airbag could
greatly reduce the effectiveness of the child restraint and even seri­
ously injure the child during inf lation .
For this reason, and because the back seat is the safest place for chil­
dren -whe n proper ly restrained accord ing to their age and size -we
st rong ly recommend that children always sit in the back seat
~ page 219, "Child Safety".
& WARNING
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.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
& WARNING (continued)
• 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
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child
restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 208 , "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.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer immedi­
ately.
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu­
facturers when installing child restraints.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger 's seat:

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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.
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& 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