2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER airbag off

the airbag system from working proper­ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop ­
erly .
- 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 child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function ­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, have the
airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations . Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten-
Airbag system 123
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash .
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. I f the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­
er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity , the first stage of the air ­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence -re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 116, Child r estraints on the front s eat
- some important things to know.
_&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained , leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
¢ page 115.
•
•

124 Airbag system
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 121 Inflated fro nt airbags
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep fro nt
seat occupants in the p roper seated pos it io n
so that airbags can unfo ld prope rly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision .
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protect ion for the chest a nd face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the
occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been proper ly
adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could become dan­
ge rous projectiles, and be pushed into you if
the airbag inflates .
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in
the vehicle . This d ust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It cou ld irritate s kin .
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental airbag system is designed to re­
d uce the l ikelihood of serious in juries, other
in juries, fo r example swelling, bruisi ng and
m inor abras ions, ca n also happe n when air­
bags in flate. Airbags do not protect the a rms
or the lower pa rts of the body. Front airbags
only s upplement the t hree point safety belts
in some frontal collisions in which the vehicle deceleration
is high eno ugh to deploy the air ­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a c rash
occu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end co llisions,
- in rollovers,
-when the crash dece leration measured by
the airbag system is less than the min imum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electronic control unit .
The front passenge r airbag will al so not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
p ied,
- when t he weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys ­
tem ind icates that the front ai rbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the
elec troni c con trol un it (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li ght comes on and st ays on) .
_&. WARNING ~
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the r isk o f se rious injury i n crashes.
- To reduce the risk of inju ry w he n t he air ­
bags i nflate, the drive r and passengers
m ust always sit in an upr ight position,
m ust not lean aga inst or place any part
of their b ody too close to the area where
the airbags a re located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the a irbag can be se­
rio usly injured by a n airbag as it unfolds
wit h great force i n the blink of an eye
¢page 116 .
_&. WARNING ~ -
A child in a rearward-fac ing c hild safety
seat in stalle d on the fron t passe nger s eat
will be serio usly inju re d and ca n be killed if
the front air bag in fla tes -even with an Ad­
vanced A irbag Sys tem.

-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
arm rest, door or roof.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does no t come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
&_ WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being pushed into you as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags dur ing braking or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dange rous projec­
t il es that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place o r attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cup ho lders, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or b ulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or
the front airbag dur ing braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­
bags can be come project iles and cause
injury, part icularly when the seat is re­
cl ined.
-
A irbag sys tem 125
&_ WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of as thma or other breath­
ing cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma o r other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and fa ce with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust in to your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
fl~ Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (includ ing the
electron ic co ntro l unit, sensor circu its and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is function ing properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
turn on the ignition, the airbag mon itoring in­
dicator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics).
Th e syste m mu st b e in spected when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light wi ll first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
llo-
•
•

126 Airbag system
con tinuously to serve as a constant remin der
to have the system inspected immed iately.
I f a malfu nction occurs that turns the front
a ir bag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on .
.&_ WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that the re may be somet hing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diat ely by your Au di dealer .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 122 Sect ion from the instr um ent pa nel: PASS EN ­
GER AIR BA G OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF Light is Located
in the cen ter of the instr ument panel
~ fig. 122 .
The PAS SENGE R AIR BAG OFF Light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad·
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by t he e lectronic control unit. Each
time you tu rn on the ig nition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will flash for a few
seconds and:
- wi ll stay on if the fron t passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild
rest raint on the front passenger seat, -
will go out i f the front passenge r seat is oc­
cup ied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st
come on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a ca r bed has been installed on the front
seat , or
- a r earward-facing child rest raint has been
installed o n the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-fac ing ch ild restra int has b een in·
stalled on the front passenger seat , o r
- the weight reg iste red on the front passen­
ger seat is equal to o r less than the com·
b in ed weight o f a typical 1 year-old restra in­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forwa rd-fac ­
ing infant restraints Listed in Federal Motor
Ve hicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle was
certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
t h e front airbag wi ll not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
Light will stay on . Nev ­
er install a rea rward -facing child restraint on
t h e front passenger seat, the safest p lace for
a chi ld in any kind of ch ild restraint is at one
of the seating posit io ns on t he rear seat
~ page 116, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
~ page 136, Child Safety.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s
on
when one of the cond itions Listed above is
met, be sure to check the Light regu larly to
make ce rtain tha t t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
Light stays on con tinuously wheneve r th e
ignition is on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
Light does not appear and not stay on a ll
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so a nd
- reactivate the system by t urning the ign ition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reins tall the ch ild res tra int.
Make s ure that the ch ild restra int is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly .,.

routed around the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's
instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­ ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
~ page 144 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transpo rted on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenge r sea t back and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, ma ke s ure that i t is not so tight tha t it
ca uses the weight -sensing mat to meas ure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
d oes not come o n
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- ta ke the ch ild restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the
rear seat pos itions. Have the a irb ag system
inspected by your A udi dealer immediately.
- move the chi ld to a rea r seat posi tion and
make su re that the ch ild is p roperly res train ­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld
NO T come on when the ign ition is on and an
ad ult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat.
If the PASSENGER
AIR B AG O FF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds while dr iv ing, un­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the ad ult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
c u shi on with h is or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
A irbag system 127
~ page 99, Proper occupant seating posi ­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing we ight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
In add ition to the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASS ENGE R AIR BAG O FF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster d isp lay . This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenge r
a irbag sta tus.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An ai rbag system that is not functioning
p roperly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong wi th the Advanced Airbag Sys tem.
It is poss ible that the ai rbag w ill inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in ­
f late when it sho uld .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by yo ur Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, in a rearward -facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
-
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed. ~
•
•

128 Airbag system
-Even though your vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make
certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, always ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
much pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways 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 adjust­
ed to an upright position . Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, have the air­
bag system inspected by your Audi deal­
er before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
-
(!) Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side will be
turned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
-Improper care, servicing and repair proce-
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury 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 cup
holders 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. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys-
tem (including the installation of audio
II),

130 Airbag system
& WARNING
Cha nging the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire -r im combina ­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious pers onal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
t h at do not have the same performance
c harac teristics as the components origi ­
n ally inst alled on you r vehicle.
- Never use ti re- rim combinat io ns that
h ave not been approved by A udi.
& WARNING
-
Ite ms stored be tween the s afety bel t
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
w rong informat ion to the elect ronic con­
trol mod ule and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing proper ly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inter­
fere w ith the sa fety belt buckles and that
they a re not obstructed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Unde ployed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­ chlorate . Whe n the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts w ith pretens ioners ar e scrap­
pe d, all appli cable laws and regulat io ns
m ust be observed. Yo ur authoriz e d Au di
dea le r i s f amiliar wit h these requ ireme nts
an d we recommend th at you have your
dea le r p erfo rm this service for you.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig . 1 23 Driv er's ai rbag
T he airbag for the driver is lo ca ted in the in ­
str ument pane l unde rneath t he stee ring
whee l
I:!) fig. 123, the airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
pane l underneath t he glove compartment .
T he knee airbag offe rs addi tional protection
to the d river 's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and lower thigh areas as a s upplement to
the safety belts.
If the fron t ai rbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions above acer­
ta in seve rity
¢ page 124, More important
things to know about front airbags.
Besides the ir norma l safety func tion, safety
belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in position in case o f a fronta l co lli­
s ion so that the a irbags can provide protec­
t ion.
T he airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in yo ur vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wearing it p roperly . This
i s why you should always wear your safety
belt , no t jus t be ca use the law requ ires you to
do so
¢ page 107, General no te s . ..,.

The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­
bag control mod ule if the safety belt is being
used or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
rate of deceleration than if the belt is not be­
i ng used. Therefo re, i n a pa rtic ular collision, it
is poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position whe re the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position whe re the
safety be lt is not being used .
R emembe r too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in ce rtain kinds of accidents -your
safety be lts are a lways there to offer pro te c­
t ion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed, fo r example when your vehi­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f irst coll is ion.
This is just one o f th e reasons why an ai rbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serio us inj uries, other
in juries, for example, swel ling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
a ir bags .
The knee airbag sy stem ba sically consist s
of:
- The electronic control modu le
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag sy stem will not deploy :
-when the ignition is turned off
- in fron t-end col lisions w hen the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- i n rear-end colli sions
- in ro llovers
A irbag system 131
- in the event of a system mal function (warn ­
ing/indicator light illuminated)
r=>poge 16.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide pr otection w hen occupants
are in the proper seating position
r=>poge 124.
-If the ai rbag ind icator light comes when
the vehicle is be ing used, have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by yo ur au­
thori zed A udi deal er. The airbag may not
wo rk p roperly when the vehicle a ccele ra­
tion in a side col lision i s high enough to
dep loy the airbag. See also
c=:> page 16.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area is reduced by
fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig. 1 24 In flated a irbags protec ting in a fronta l coll i­
sio n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the a irbags for the driver and front pas­
senger are dep loyed in certa in but not a ll
fron tal coll is io ns.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in fronta l co llisions above ace r­
ta in seve rity .
When the system is dep loyed, the a irbags
start to fill w ith a propellant gas, and inflate
betwee n the lower pa rt of the instrument
panel and the driver and the lowe r part of the
in strume nt pa nel and the fron t passenger
r=> page 124 , fig . 12 1.
Although they are not a soft p illow , they can
"c ushion" the impact and in th is way they can
Ill>