156 Airbag system
is met c'> page 149, More important things to
know about front airbags.
I n addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep t he driver or front pas
senger in position in a frontal collis ion so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt . Rathe r, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
c:'>page 132, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air
bag control module 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 decelera tion than if the belt is not be
ing used . Therefore, in a par ticu lar 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 pos ition where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al
ready deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag 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
safe ty be lts correctly.
It is importan t to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther inj uries, fo r example, swel ling, bruising,
a nd minor abras ions and fri ct io n burns c an al
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable ai rbags (a irbag a nd gas gen -
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ig nit ion is t urned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light is on)
c'> page 20.
A WARNING
--
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection w hen occupants
are in the proper seating position
c:'>page 149.
-If the airbag ind icator light c:'> page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used ,
have the system inspected immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi dealer .
It is pos
sible tha t t he airbag will infla te when i t
is not supposed to, o r will not in fla te
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles : w ith knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re
du ced by f ully deployed knee airbags.
Fi g. 1 55 In flated airbags protecting in a frontal colli-
s io n
II--
- in rollovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags
and side ai rbags may be t rigge red togethe r.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and t he a irbag sys tem will
only provide protection when occupan ts
are in the p roper seating posit ion
¢ page 159.
-If the airbag indicato r light c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Aud i dea ler. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld .
How supplemental side airbags work
.
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 15 7 Infla ted s ide a irbag s on left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is trigge red , the airbag is
fi lled w ith p ropel lant gas and breaks thro ugh
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG" . It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In orde r to help provide
t his additional protection, the side a irbag
must inf late within a fraction of a second at
very high speed a nd with great force . The 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 side a irbag expands . T his app lies
especia lly to children
c::> page 161, Child Safe
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side
A irba g sy stem 159
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lision
c::> fig . 157 .
Although they are no t a soft pillow , they can
"cushion" the impa ct and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de
ploys . T his is normal and does no t mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety belts and r ide in a
proper sea ting position.
T here is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do the ir job to pro
vide supplemental protect ion.
A WARNING ,-
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause se rious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
belts and imp roper seat ing pos itions in
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- I n o rder to red uce the risk of i nju ry when
the s upplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the area where the
suppleme nta l side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplementa l
s ide a irbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put t he ir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make su re t hat the side a irbag
can inflate without interfe rence .
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 .,.
164 Child Saf ety
-Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
con vertibl e child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
_&. WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
(!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsib le for the safe
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il
dren:
... Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 167 .
... Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When using the veh icle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap o r tether is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure tha t it i s n ot so tight th at i t
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Secure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
c::;, page 166 .
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
chi ldren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size. .,.
166 Child Safet y
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restra int.
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from be ing moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c::> page 132, Safety
belts,
c::> page 140, Airbag system and
c::> page 161, Child Safety.
.,&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig. 158 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from chil dren in child safety seats. @· outer rear
sa fety be lt
.
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c::> &.
-Guide the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head restra int of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
c::> fig . 158. When doing
so, do not engage the switchable locking re
tractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
.,&. WARNING
-A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower a nchorages or with the
standard safety be lt or a child in a boos ter
seat on the rear seat co uld p lay with un
used rear seat safety belts and become en
tang led . This co uld cause the chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat sa fety
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly routing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the switchable locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward -fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fig . 159 Sche matic overv iew: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retracto r on the
safety be lt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171 or install the seat
using the LA T CH attachments.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 166.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infan t carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re
straints in which the ch ild faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba
by's back, neck and head in a crash
¢fig . 159.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
l arger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
Child Safety 16 7
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stall ing a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air
bag Sys tem. A ch ild will be ser iously in
jured and ca n be killed when the inflat
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof ¢
page 141, Child restraints on the
front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rea rward -facing chi ld safe
ty seats or infant carriers on the rea r
seat .
- Never install a rea rward -facing ch ild re
straint in the forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra in ts are designed for the spe
cial needs of infants a nd ve ry sma ll chil
d ren and cannot pro te ct them p roperly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately insta ll t he rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect ed by your autho riz ed Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave
h icle is being used ¢
page 132, Safety
belts,
Q page 140, Airbag system and
¢ page 161, Impor tan t thi ngs to know .
168 Child Safet y
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig . 160 Sche matic overv iew : ins tallat ion of t he at
t a chments appl icable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 161 Sche matic overview: in sta llat ion of t he sea t
us ing t he veh icle's safety be lt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to install
a chi ld safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving
c::> page 171 or insta ll the seat using
the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::> page 171.
.. Secure unused safety bel ts on the rear sea t
~page 166.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if i t is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
Toddle rs and ch ildren who are o lder than one
yea r up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be proper
ly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for the ir size and weight
~ fig. 160 and r:!) fig . 161 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dangerous place for a
c h ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safe
ty seat. It is a very dangerous place for an in
fant or a larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING c=
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the
wrong child safety seat or imprope rly in
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death in a
collis ion or o ther emerge ncy sit uat ion.
- Ch ild ren on the front seat of any ca r,
even with Advan ced Airbags, can be seri
ously injured or even k illed when an air
bag inflates. A chi ld in a rearwa rd -facing
child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be serio usly injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
-
-The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest, center
armrest, doo r or roof .
-Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seats on the rea r seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized A udi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave-
h icle is being used
c::> page 132, Safety ll>-
belts,<:!) page 140, Airbag system and
i=> page 161, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe
ty and well-being require that the follow ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer 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 infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in
to the rearmost position of the passen
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
q page 151, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
-
Child Safety 169
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 162 Rear seat: c hild p roperly restrained in a boos
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re
strain a child on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body .
It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r:1;>page 166 .
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats designed for
their age and weight. Experts say that the
skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without
a suitable child restraint.