154 Airbag system
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 cu
pholders 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
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 .
-In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- 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.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
1J1-
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
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-r im 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 measured 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
d river 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.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
Airbag system 155
characteristics as the components origi
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
.&_ WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air bag System from working properly.
-Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 154 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 154, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment .
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de ployment threshold stored in the control unit
I),-
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 collisions when the de
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is 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 front passenger
c> fig. 152.
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 realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate w ith a great deal of force and it is im
portant for occupant safety that noth ing
should be in the ir way when they deploy .
Fu lly inflated 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
A ppl ies 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 passengers must know and do to help t he safety belts and
ai rbags to provide supp lemental p rotection .
_& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can c ause ser ious
injury. Wear ing safety belts inco rrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
ris k of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
A irbag system 157
-The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the a irbag 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
dist ances:
- 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 acc ident 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
c> page 161, Child Safety.
•
•
162 Child Safety
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
.&, 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.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad
vanced 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.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe
cially those 12 years and younger, should al
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas
senger 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 for
ward-facing child safety seat.
It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-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 .,.
-You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of clean ing the brake
system only if road condit ions permit.
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc ident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower d riving range . Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and dimin ish braking
effi ciency.
- Do not "r ide the b rakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when yo u do not intend
to brake. This may cause the b rakes to
overheat, premat ure wear and increased
stopp ing distance .
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa
ter, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat ings will be cleaned off afte r a few ca re
f ul brake appl ications.
- Driv ing fo r an ex tended pe riod of time on
salt-covered ro ads w ithout using yo ur
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumu lated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct
ed. Otherwise the brake system co uld
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near
est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
wor kshop.
- Never let the v ehicle roll to a stop w ith
t he engine shu t off.
Int ellig ent technolog y 183
-If the brake booster is not working, for
examp le when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed conside rably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defecti ve! Do not d rive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steer ing
may have failed .
Do
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your author ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
fo r ass istance.
f-r,ij Dynamic st eering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi
cu lt to move or more sensit ive tha n usual. The
stee ring wheel may a lso be at an angle when
driv ing straight .
Drive slowly to your a uthorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lfunction
correc ted .
fifl Dynamic steer ing: in itializing
If this drive r message appea rs and the indica
tor light is flash ing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steer ing * is being rein itia lized. Once
you start the engine after th is is finished, the
steering wheel will be easy to move. Re- init i
al ization might be necessa ry if the steering
wheel was moved ha rd to the left a nd right
wh ile the vehicle was not moving. The display
goes ou t as soon as initialization is comp lete. .,.
•
•
202 Cleaning and protection
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum s urfaces.
Chrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack aluminum surfaces and can dam
age them over time.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other information
9 page 194.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fabrics and fabric coverings (e.g. seats, door
trim panels, etc .) should be cleaned at regular
intervals with a vacuum cleaner . This removes
surface dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabric through use. Steam
cleane rs shou ld not be used, because the
steam tends to push the dirt deeper into the
fabric and lock it there.
Normal cleaning
Generally, we recommend using a soft sponge
or a l int-free m icrofiber cloth to the clean fab
ric. Brushes should only be used for carpets
and floor mats, since other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface sta ins can be cleaned using a
commercially available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not satu
rate the fabric . Then pat the foam dry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e.g . microfiber cloth)
and vacuum it after it has dried completely.
Cleaning stains
Stains caused by beverages (e.g. coffee, fruit
juice, etc .) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solut ion . App ly the detergent so lution
with a sponge. In the case of stubborn stains,
a detergent paste can be applied directly to
the stain and worked into the fabric. After
wards, use copious amounts of clean water to remove the remaining detergent . Apply the
water with a damp cloth or sponge and pat
the fabric dry with an absorbent, dry cloth. Stains
from choco late or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed into them. After
wards, remove the soap with water (damp
sponge).
Alcohol can be used to treat stains from
grease, oil, lipstick or a ballpoint pen. Melted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent material. It may be necessary to re
treat the areas with detergent paste and wa
ter .
In the case of general soiling of the uphols
tery and cover material, we recommend hir ing
a specialist that has the equipment to clean
the seat covers and other fabric surfaces by
shampooing a nd spray extraction.
A WARNING ,..__
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
9page 194.
(j) Tips
Open Velcro fasteners on your clothing can
damage the seat cover. Please make sure
that Velcro fasteners are closed .
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For persistent dirt
use an Audi approved
solvent-free plastic
clea ner/protectant.
A WARNING
-Solvents can change the properties of
some p lastics and make it harder for the
a ir bag to deploy.
-
-Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modules w ith cleaning
products that conta in solvents.
- Products containing solvents will make the surface of this part porous.
- Serious injuries can resu lt if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information
9 page 194.
256 Fuses a nd bulb s
I
I
-No. Consumer
6 Headlight range control sys-
tern/cornering light
7 Headlight (cornering light) Control modules (electro-
mechanical parking brake,
8 shock absorber, quattro sport, trailer hitch), DCDC
converter
9 Adaptive cruise control
10 Shift gate
11 Side assist
1 2 Headlight range control,
parking system
13 Airbag
14 Rear wiper (allroad)
15 Aux
iliary fuse (instrument
panel)
1 6 Auxiliary fuse terminal 15
(engine area)
Fu se pa nel@ (brown)
2
3
4
5
6
7 Brake light sensor
Fuel pump
Clutch sensor
Left seat heating with/w ith
out seat ventilation
ESC
Horn
Front left door (window reg-
8 ulator, central locking, mir
ror, switch, lighting)
Two-door models: rear left
w indow regulator, Four-door
11 models: rear left door (win-
dow regulator, central lock-
ing, switch,
lighting)
12 Rain and light sensor
Fu se p ane l© (red)
3 Lumbar support
4 Dynamic steering
5 Interior lighting (Cabriolet)
Amps
5/7,5
7,5
5
s
5
5
5
5
15
10
40
5
25
5
-
15/30
5
15
30
30
25
30
5
10
35
5
No . Consumer
6
7
8
9
Windshield washer system,
headlight washer system
Vehicle electrical system
control module 1
Vehicle electr ical system
control module
1
Left rear window regulator
motor (Cabriolet)/sunroof
Amps
35
20
30
7,5/20
10 Vehicle e
lectr ical system
30
control module 1
11
Right rear window regulator
7,5/20 (Cabriolet)/sun shade motor
12 Anti-theft alarm warning
system 5
Right cockpit fuse assignment
Fig.
199 Right cockpit: fuse panel wit h plastic cl ip
No . Consume r Amps
F use panel@ (bl ac k)
5 Steering column switch
5
module
.. -.. -
7
Term inal 15 diagnos tic con-
nector
5
8 Gateway (Databus diagnos-
5
tic interface) ...
No.
9 Supplementary heater
Fuse panel B (brown)
1 CD/DVD player
2
3 MMI/Radio
4 Instrument cluster
5 Gateway (instrument cluster
control module)
6 Ignition lock
7 Light switch
8
Climate control system
blower
9 Steering column lock
10 Climate control system
11 Terminal
30 diagnostic con-
nector
12 Steering column switch
module
Right luggage compartment fuse
assignment
5
5
5/20 5
5
5
5
40
5
10
10
5
Fig. 200 Rig ht luggage compartment: fu se panel wi th
pl ast ic d ip
Fuses and bulbs 257
No. Consumer
Fuse panel @ (black)
1
Luggage compartment lid
control module (allroad) / Power top control module
(Cabriolet)
2
Trailer control module or re
tractable rear spoiler (RS 5
Coupe)
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Trailer control module
Trailer control module
Electromechanical parking
brake
Electronic damping control
Electromechanical parking
brake
Rear exterior lighting
quattro sport
10 Rear exterior lighting
Vehicle electrical system
11 control module
12 Terminal 30
Fuse panel © (brown)
1
2
3
Luggage compartment lid
control module (allroad)
12-volt socket, cigarette
lighter
DCDC converter path 1
--·--
-
4
DCDC converter path 2, DSP
6
7
9
amplifier, radio
Right upper cabin heating
(Cabriolet)
Electromechanical parking
brake
Rig ht front door (window
regulator, central locking,
mirror, switch, lighting)
Left upper cabin heating
10 (Cabriolet)
Two-door models : rear right
window regulator, Four-door
11 models: rear right door (window regulator, central
locking, switch, lighting)
Amps
30/10
15
20
20
5
15
30
30
35
30
20
5
30
20
40
30
30
30
30
30
30
.