Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PA SSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (includ ing the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit io n is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the
I airbag monitoring
i ndicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system mu st be inspect ed when the
I indicator light:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
swi tched on,
- does not go out a few seconds afte r yo u
have switched o n the ignition, o r
- comes on w hile d riving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght w ill come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supp lemen tal p ro
tection in a fron tal crash .
-If the airbag indic ator l igh t comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advance d 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.
-
A irba g sy stem 173
-Have the airbag system inspected imme
diate ly by you r authorized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light
F ig . 1 78 Sect io n fro m t he in strum en t pa ne l: PASSEN
GER AIRBAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is located
i n the center of the instrument pane l
¢fig . 178.
The PASSENGER AIRBA G OF F light w ill come
o n and stay o n to tell you when the front Ad
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit . Each
t ime you turn on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN
GER AIRBAG OFF
lig ht w ill flash fo r a few sec·
o nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenge r seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
we ight-sensi ng mat .
The
PAS SENGER AIRBAG OFF light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child rest raint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward -facing chi ld restra int has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen
ger seat is equal to or less t han the com
b in ed weight of a typical 1 year-old restra in
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward -fac-
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor ..,.
174 Airbag sys te m
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS
SENGER AIRBAG OFF
light will stay on . Never
install a rearward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger seat, the safest p lace for a
child in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating posit ions on the rear seat
c::> page 163, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
c::> page 186, Child Safety .
If the PASSENG ER A IRBAG OFF light com es
on
when one of the conditions l isted above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF
l igh t stays on cont inuo usly whenever the
ignition is on.
If the PAS SENGER AIRBAG OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all the
time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- react iva te the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint.
Make su re that the child res traint is properly
insta lled and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted around the child restraint as descri
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's in
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea
ture on the safety be lt 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
t h at the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the sea t can do its job
c::> page 195.
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
we ight of t he chi ld and child safety seat are
not be ing tra nspo rted on the front passen
ger seat;
- make su re that the safety be lt tension sen
so r is not b locked. Shake t he safety be lt
l atch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a st rap or te ther is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that
it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- t ake the child res train t off the front passen-
ge r seat and ins tall it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler
immed iate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure t hat the c hild is properly restra in
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF
lig ht comes on a nd stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c::> page 145, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door or s upport
ing their weight on the armres t,
- t he safety belt is be ing properly wo rn and
t hat the re is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or othe r
t hings tha t may cause an incorrec t 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
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIRBAG ON will briefly appear in
the instrument cluster display. This is to in
form the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A 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 there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in
flate when it should .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing chi ld re
straint that has not been prope rly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- E ven thoug h your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always insta ll 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 circumstan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme
diately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au
thorized Aud i de aler.
- A tight tether or other st rap on a rear
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
-
A irbag system 1 75
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually o n the seat . The heavier
weight registered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
a nd deploy the Advanced Airbag w hen it
m ust be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild .
- I f, in exceptiona l circumstances , you
m ust install a forward-fac ing ch ild re
s traint 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 a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays o n all t he time when
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger sea t after tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
ad ult is properly seate d and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer before transport ing anyone on the front passenger
seat .
(D Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front pas
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many different p laces o n your Aud i. Insta lli ng,
removing, servicing or repa iring a par t in an
area o f the veh icle can damage a par t of an
airbag sys tem and preven t that system from
working properly in a coll is ion . ..,.
•
•
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collis ions when the de
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
ist met.
When the system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and inflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the fron t passenger <=>
page 171,
fig . 17 7.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even reali ze that
t he airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate w it h a great deal of force and it is im
portant for occ upant safety that not hing
should be in the ir way when they dep loy .
Fully infla ted airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
must know and do to help the safety be lts a nd
ai rbags to provide supp lemen tal protection .
_.6 WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
A irbag system 179
-The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk i n
creases even more should the ai rbag de
ploy .
- Always ma ke sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an accident by inte r
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de
ploys, th is can result in serious or fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry obje cts of any kind in the
footwe ll area in front of the dr iver' s or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags , fo r example) can interfere
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the ve hicle if the air
bag deploys and injure you or your pas
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 186, Child Safety .
•
•
- in rollovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curt ain a irbags and side airbag s may be
t r iggered together .
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only prov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating position
r:::;, page 181.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The a irbag may
not wo rk properly when the vehicle ac
celeration in a side co llision is h igh
enough to activate the airbag .
How supplemental side airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 1 82 Inflated sid e airbags o n left sid e of ve hicle
When t he system is triggered, the airbag is
f ill ed with propellant gas and breaks thro ugh
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG".
It exp ands between the side trim pane l
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inflate withi n a fraction of a second at
ve ry high speed and with great force . T he sup
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not p roper or upr ight or if
items are Located in the area where the sup
p lemental s ide a irbag e xpands. This app lies
especia lly to children r:::;, page 186, Child Safe
ty . Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
A irba g sy stem 181
the occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle t hat is struck in certain side col
li sion ¢fig. 182.
Although they are not a soft pillow , they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine d ust may deve lop when the a irbag de
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
T here is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
s afety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protect ion.
& WARNING ...
A n inflat ing side a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly wear ing safety
belts and imp roper seat ing pos itions in
crease the r isk of serio us pe rsonal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- I n order to reduce the risk of i njury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area where the
suppleme nta l side airbag is Located.
- Never Let a child or a nyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplemental
s ide a irbag inflates .
-Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn co rrectly,
- Do not Let anyone s itting in the front
seat put the ir hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
-Always make sure that the s ide a irbag
can inflate without interfe rence.
182 Airbag system
-Never insta ll seat covers or replace
ment upho lstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use add itional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy .
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repa ired
immed iately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an acc ident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attac h accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele
phone b rackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over o r near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be
come dangerous p rojectiles and cause
i n ju ry when t he supplemental s ide air
bag deploys.
- Never ca rry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or a llow children or o ther
passengers to travel in th is posit ion .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightwe igh t clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp -edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be
ing damaged by heavy objects knocki ng
against or hitting the sides of the seat
backs .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once.
If the a irbag has been triggered,
the system m ust be replaced by an au
thorized Aud i deale rship.
- Damage (c rac ks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repa
ired immediately by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
c:> page 186, 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 a ir pressure in
side the doo rs whe n air escapes through
large r, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door trim pan
els removed.
- Never dr ive when par ts h ave bee n re
moved from the inside door pane l and
the openings they leave have not been proper ly closed .
- Never dr ive 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 add it iona l speakers
o r other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dea ler or q ualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain
ed occupants.
Fi g. 1 83 Side curta in system, driver 's s ide: side c urta in
a irbag loca tion
II>--
184 Airbag system
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig . 184 Ill ust ration of principle: Inflated side curtain
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
<=) fig. 184.
-"' ..,
-' " 18
When the system is triggered , the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or
der to help provide this additional protection ,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. T he side curtain airbag could in
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supp leme ntal side curtain airbag
inflates. This applies especially to children
r::!) page 186 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the r isk of in
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de
ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can
dangerously interfere with its function. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any piece of add-on
component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An
occupant hit by such a projectile can suf
fer serious injury or death
r:!) page 296,
Technical Modifications.
-Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with a irbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an acci
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, only Audi roll
up sunscreens may be used
r:!) page 295,
-
186 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 155, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults their
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l
oped, they require restra int systems especial
l y designed for their size , weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Ch ild restra ints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 189, Important safe
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of the im
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal lation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here
. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manua l about airbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport
ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly when
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ik ing the interior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag in
flates . A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the back rest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing child safe-
ty seats on the rear seat.
IJi,,,