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. ~
•
•
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment 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 inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Audi model version. Re
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech nic circuit interrupter.
Airbag system 129
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measu red by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high-
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe-
ty belt is not being used . Therefore, in a par
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen-
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit. ..,.
•
•
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
fro nt seat backrests ¢
fig. 125 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR
BAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control module and external
s ide impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times . Each time you turn on the igni
tion, t he a irbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnos tics) .
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the driver's and front passenge r's up
per torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only when the vehicle acce l
eration registered by the control unit is hig h
enough. If this rate is below the reference val
ue programmed into the control un it, the side
airbags w ill not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the
coll is ion . It is not poss ible to define an airbag
triggering range that will cover every possible
angle of impact, since the circumstances w ill
va ry considerably between one collis ion and
another. Important factors include, for exam
ple, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc.
c> page 134, Important safety instruc
tions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wear ing
Airbag system 133
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety be lts, not just because the law re
quires you to do soc;,
page 107, General
notes.
It is important to remember that wh ile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags wi ll dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
a re always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of veh icle damage are not necessarily an indi
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa
tion. In some collision s, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al
ways there to offer protection in those acci
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is turned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in rea r-end co llision s
- in rollove rs.
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and s ide a irbags may be triggered together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in th e proper seating position
c;,page 134.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac
celeration in a side coll is ion is high
enough to activate the a irbag. •
•
-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 cup holders, tel
ephone 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 be
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air
bag 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
pockets that may interfere with side air
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once.
If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au
thorized 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 au
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~
page 136, Child Safety .
-Never attempt to modify any compo
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor rectly measure increasing air pressure in
side the doors when air escapes through
Airbag system 135
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved 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.
•
•
A WARNING ,~
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- 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.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- 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 child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the "sup
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list
ed in the Standard.
Child Safety 137
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al
ways ride in theseat properly restrained for its
age and si ze . The airbag on the passenger side
makes the front seat a potentially dangerous
place for a child to ride . The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward-facing
child safety seat . It can be a very dangerous
place for an infant or a larger child in a rear
ward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us
ing the weight -sensing mat in the seat cush
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re
straints 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 child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old child, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compares the weight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the information stor
ed in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety belt. ..,. •
•
138 Child Safety
The tension on the safety be lt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt 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 measu res the
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less of the ch ild restraint t hat you use,
make sure tha t it has been ce rtified to mee t
United States Fede ral Motor Vehicle S afety
Standar ds and has been certified by i ts manu
facture r fo r u se with an ai rbag . If in excep
tional c ircu mstances you m ust use it on the
fro nt passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
information on c hild safety and Advanced A ir
bags a nd heed a ll of the applicable WARN
INGS . Make certa in that t he child restraint is
correctly recognized by the w eig ht-sens ing
mat i nside the front passenge r seat, that the
fro nt passenger air bag is tur ned off and tha t
the airbag st atus is al ways correc tly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light.
M any types and mo dels of ch ild rest ra ints
have been availab le over the years, new mo d
e ls are in trodu ced regularly incorporat ing new
and improved designs an d older models a re
taken out of p ro du ction. Child restraints a re
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model
Ange l Guard Ange l Ride AA2 403 FO F
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model
C en tury SmartFit 4543
Cosco Arriva 22-013PAW and base 22-999W HO
Evenflo D iscovery Adjus t Right 2 12
Evenflo First Cho ice 204
Graco Infant 8457
Graco Snugrid e
Peg Perego Primo V iaggio SIP IMUN00 US tens
ion on the belt. The input from th is sen
sor is then used with t he weight to "decide",
whethe r the re is a child restra int with a typical
1 year-old chi ld on the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off .
not standard ized . Child rest rain ts of the same
ty pe typ ically have diffe rent weights and sizes
and differe nt 'foo tpr ints,' the si ze and shape
of the bo ttom of the ch ild restra int tha t sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi
cle seat. These diffe rences make it virtually
impossible to certify compliance with the re
quirements for advanced airbags with eac h
and every ch ild restra int that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be so ld over the course
of the useful l ife of your veh icle .
Fo r thi s reason, the United States National
Hig hway T raffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of spec ific type, makes and
models of chi ld restraints that must be used
to ce rtify comp lian ce of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the su ppression
r equirements of Fe d eral Motor Vehicle Safe ty
Stan dard 208. These chi ld res traints are:
Manufactured on or after
September 2 5, 2 007
Manufactured on or after
December 1, 19 99
September 25, 2 007
D ecember 1, 1999
D ecembe r 1, 1999
D ecember 1, 1999
September 25, 2 007
September 25, 2007
148 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts .
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
General
The Electronic Stability Program increases
driving stability.
With ESP, control over the vehicle is increased
in situations when the vehicle is close to the
limits of grip, such as during acceleration and
in curves . ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves vehicle stability under all road con
ditions.
It operates at all speeds.
The Anti -Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic
Differential Lock (EDS) and Anti-Slip Regula
tion System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec
tronic Stability Program .
How ESP works
The ESP control unit processes the following
data from high-sensitive sensors : the rota
tional speed of the vehicle about its vertical
axis , fore-and-aft and lateral acceleration
forces, brake pressure and steering angle.
Using steering angle and vehicle speed, the
direction the driver wishes to travel is deter
mined and continuously compared with actual
vehicle behavior. If the two do not match, for
example when the vehicle begins to skid, ESP
brakes the appropriate wheel automatically.
The vehicle is stabilized again by the forces
acting on the wheel during braking. With an
oversteering vehicle (tendency for the rear end to skid out of the curve), the brake appli
cation is mainly at the front wheel on the out
side of the curve, with an understeering vehi
cle (tendency to run wide in the curve) at the
rear wheel on the inside of the curve or addi
tionally at the other wheels as needed. This
brake application is accompanied by noises.
ESP works in conjunction w ith ABS
~ page 153. If there is malfunction in the
ABS, ESP is also inoperative.
A WARNING
- The limits of physics cannot be suspended by ESP. Even in vehicles w ith ESP, you
should always adapt your driving to road
and traffic conditions. This is particular ly
t rue on a slippery and wet road. Do not
be tempted by the inc reased safety pro
vided to take ris ks - danger of an acci
dent!
- Please note tha t when ESP/ASR is deacti
vated, the drive whee ls can spin on icy
and slippery roads and the veh icle can
break away - danger of skidding!
Switching on and off
Fi g. 130 Center co nsole wit h ESP switch
The ES P is a utomatically activated when the
engine is star ted, and it performs a self-test.
As soon as the test is completed, the system
is in normal operating mode.
Deactivating
ESP should normally be activated at all times
because this ensures optimum vehicle stabil i
ty. Only in some cases it does make sense to
deactivate the Electronic Stability P rogram
(ESP) by press ing the button
~fig . 130. Deac
tivation is ind icated by the ESP lamp
I in the
instr ument cluster f lashes. The message
ESP
OFF
appears in the instrument cluster. Ant i
Slip Regulation is completely deactivated and
the stabilization effects from the ESP system are lim ited. Th is makes a mo re agile and spor
ty driv ing style poss ible, but the fu ll exte nt of
t he s tabiliza tion f unct ion is not available .
Intelligent technolog y 149
Activating
Press the@] button again~ fig. 130. T he ind i
cator light
I goes out . The message ESP ON
appears brief ly in the instrument cluster dis
play.
&_ WARNING
i=
You shou ld only switch the ESP off if your
driving ab ility and the traff ic situat ion al
low. Please note that when ESP/ASR is de
activated, the d rive wheels can spin on icy
a nd slippery roads and th e vehicle can
b reak away- dange r of skidd ing!
a) Tips
- If Aud i magnetic ride* is malfunct io ni ng,
the ESP may not sw itch off or it may
switch off automatically.
- In the event of a defect in the rear spoil er sys tem or in Audi magnet ic ride, it can
happen that ASR and ASR/ESP cannot be
deactivated, o r they are ac tiva ted au to
matically in the deactiva ted st ate.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the
rotational speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic d ifferential lock (EDL) helps the
ca r to start moving, accele rate and climb a
gradient on su rfaces provid ing poor or a lmost
no g rip. Withou t EDL, this would be d iff icul t ,
i f not impossib le.
How the system works
The EDL operates automatica lly. It mon itors
the rotational speed of the dr ive wheels on an
axle with the help of the ABS sensors
c;:> page 153. If a noticeable difference in ro
tational speed
between the drive wheels on
o ne axle is detected (e.g. on s lippery ground
on one side), the s pinning wheel is braked,
thereby t ransferring power to the other drive
whee l or wheels (a ll-wheel drive). This is done
up to a speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h). ..,_