The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 148. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of inju ry for occupants ' heads and upper
t orso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision . The side curta in a irbag in
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i
cle acce le rat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
i s high enoug h.
If th is rate is below the refer
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de
f ine an a irbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
in clude, for examp le, the nature (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, et c. ¢
page 164, How side cur
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion i n the event of a co lli
sion so that the side curtai n ai rbags can pro
vide p rotection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupa nt restraint system in your veh icle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you shou ld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re
qu ires you to do so ¢
page 134, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
i njuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated w ith
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
A irbag system 163
of accidents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The a irbag in dic ator light in t he in str ument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
times. Each time yo u turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system ind icator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off ,
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 53, Seats and s torage .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should. •
•
-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.
@ 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 .
Child Safety 167
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 ..,. •
•
168 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child re straints
Model
A ngel Guard Angel
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury 5martFit December 1, 19 99
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
I
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
I
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
will have no warning from a sudden in
crease in engine speed as with a front
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con
ditions -risk of crash .
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting
the engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
i s not driven for a long period of time, the bat
tery is discharged by idling current consumers
(e.g. immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it
can result in there being insufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
I ntelligen t energy management in your vehi
cle handles the distribution of electrical ener
gy . Starting ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists o f
battery diagnosis, idling current manage
ment
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
Batt ery d iagnosis continuously dete rmines
the state of the battery. Sensors determine
battery voltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
I dling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individual consumers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Intelligent technology 191
Dynamic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
ergy management distrib utes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individ u
al components. It regulates consumption, so
that more e lectrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge fo r the battery .
{!) Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited .
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi
cator light(•] appears¢
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
c rit ical if the engine is not running and electri
ca l components are turned on. In this in
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you will
notice energy management actively regulat
in g the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electr ical compo
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
T h is reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capability over a longer period .
Some of the convenience functions may not
operate, such as the interior lights or the
power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be available again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine.
•
•
202 Cleaning and protec tio n
@ For the sake of the environment
In the interest of the environment, the ve
hicle should on ly be washed in special
wash bays.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high
pressure power washer is safe as long as you
observe a few simple rules .
~ Before using the power washer, make sure
you have read and understood the WARN
INGS
c::> A in General information on
page 200 .
~ Always follow the operating instructions for
the power washer.
~ Make sure that the jet on the spray hose
produces a "fan shaped spray".
~ Do not ho ld the spray nozzle too close to
soft materials.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power wash
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies particularly to the
o per atin g
p re ss u re
and the s p rayin g distance . Maintain
a sufficient d istance to soft materials such as
rubber hoses and sound/vibrat ion deadening
materials (part icularly on the underside of the
engine hood). Do not use a jet wh ich sprays
water in a
dire ct st ream or one that has a ro
ta ting
jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F
(60 °() .
A WARNING
Never wash tires w ith a je t that sprays wa
ter in a direc t stream. This cou ld cause in
visib le damage to the tires and weake n
t hem, even if the spray is from a relatively
long distance and for a short time . Dam
aged and weakened t ires can fai l and cause
accidents and persona l injury.
([) Note
To avoid damag ing your vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient distance between the spray head and soft materia
ls
like rubber hoses, plastic parts and sound
deaden ing mater ials. Never aim the spray
head at the same point for a long time.
This also applies to cleaning headlights
and painted bumpers. Remember: the
closer the nozzle is to the surface of the
mater ial, the greater the stress on the ma
terial.
Sensors and camera lenses
- Remove snow with a hand brush and remove
ice with a de -icing spray that does not con
tain so lvents.
- Clean the sensors (adaptive c ruise control*,
parking system *) with a cleaning so lution
that does not contain so lvents and a soft
cloth.
(D Note
- If you wash your vehicle with a pressure
washer,
- make sure there is enough distance to
sensors in the rear bumper.
- do not clean the camera lenses and the
area around them with the p ressure
washer.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove snow o r ice from the camera lens. This
could cause the lens to crack.
- Never clean the camera lens with abra
sive products .
Waxing and Polishing
Waxing
A good wax coating prot ects the vehicle paint
to a la rge extent against the envi ronmental
factors lis ted under
c::> page 200, Washing and
even against s light scra tches .
You can use a liquid car wax to protect you r
paint as soon as one wee k afte r you r vehicle
has been delivered.
Even if you regularly use a
wa xing process in
automat ic car washes, we recommend that
you manually apply a coat of wax to g ive the
1111>
224 Check ing and filling
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
¢ page 218.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off .
The expans io n tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectr ic cool ant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the A uto-Check System
¢ page 18 w ill
b link until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rm al. Even though the re is
an e lec tric coolant level sensor, we s till rec
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolan t loss, the cool
i ng system should be inspected immedia tely
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
s e aled system, losses can occur only if
the boiling poin t of the coolant is excee ded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is unde r pressure and
can get ve ry hot. Reduce the risk of sca ld
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect yo ur face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and ve ry carefu lly in
a counter-clockwise direction wh ile ap
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being b urned, do not spill ant i
freeze or coolant on t he exhaust system
or hot eng ine parts. Unde r certain condi
tions, t he ethy lene g lycol in engine cool
an t can ca tch fire .
(D Note
Do not ad d any type of radiator leak sea l
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af
fect the funct ion and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage not cove red by your New Veh icle L imited
War ran ty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine com
partmen t,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ &. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 216.
.. Turn off the engine.
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 223, fig. 172 and carefully turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢
,&..
.,. Add coo lant.
.. Twist the cap on aga in
t ightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must confo rm to
exact spec ificat ions ¢
page 223, Coolant. We
recommend using on ly coo la nt add itive G 12+
+ , G 13 or in an eme rgency G12+. Do
not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain
water until yo u can get the correct additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amount o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold antifreeze
and cold wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lan t when refilling.
Do not f ill coo lant abov e the
"MAX" ma rk . Ex
cess coo la nt w ill be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
-= -
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of ..,.
250 Tire s and wheel s
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low t ire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installation of replace
ment or a lternate tires or wheels on the vehi
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
N
I
F ig. 181 Display : underinflatio n warning
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
ference and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the instru
ment cluster w ith a
IE warning symbol and a
message¢
fig. 181 . The driver message in the
display goes out after 5 seconds. The driver
message can be displayed again by pressing
the
! SE T! button. If on ly one tire is affected,
the display will indicate its pos it ion.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be reset via radio or MMI * each time the pres
sures are adjusted (e. g . when switching be
tween partia l and full load pressure) or after
changing or replacing a t ire on your vehicle
¢
page 251 . The TPMS indicator only moni
tors the tire pressure that you have prev iously stored
. You can find the recommended tire
pressures for yo ur vehicle on the label on driv
er's side B-pillar ¢
page 235.
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire p ress ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the t ire has structural damage ,
- the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotat-
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 251.
Warning symbols
IE Loss of pressure in at least one tire¢.&. .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The
IE i ndicato r light in the inst ru
ment cluster a lso illuminates
¢ page 13.
Check/cor rect the press ures of all fo ur tires
and reset TPMS via radio or MMI*.
11@1~1 (Tir e Pressure Mon itoring System) Tir e
pr ess ure : Sy ste m malfun cti on!.
If11Nlf:1 appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving and the
IE indicator light
in the instrument cluster blinks for approx i
mately one minute and then stays on, there is
a system malf unct ion.
Attempt to store the correct tire pressure
¢ page 251. If the indicator light does not
tu rn
off or if it turns on sho rtly the reafter, im
med iate ly dr ive you r vehicle to a n author ized
A udi dealer or authorized repair fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is sign ificant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressures. In
flate the tire pressu re to the prope r pres
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressu re labe l¢
page 235. D riving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes
Fuses and bulbs
Fuses
Replacing a fuse
Fuses that have blown will have metal strips
that have burned through.
Fig. 191 Left cockp it : fuse panel cover
The fuses are located at the front left and
r igh t of the cockpit and behi nd the trim on
the right side of the luggage compartment .
.. Turn off the ign it ion a nd the affected elec-
t rical consumers .
.. Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the consume r .
.. Remove the appropriate cover¢
fig. 191 or
¢page 215, fig. 165 .
.. To remove the purple plastic cl ip if necessa
ry
ll, hold onto it at the small s ide and pull
it out of the fuse panel¢
page 259,
fig. 192 .
.. Remove the clamp from the rear side of the
fuse cover ¢
fig. 191 .
.. Remove the fuse using the clamp and re
pla ce the blown fuse w ith an identical new
one.
& WARNING , -
Do not repair f uses and never replace a
blown fuse w ith one that has a higher amp
rating. This can cause damage to the e lec
trical system and a fire.
11 You can dis pos e of the plastic clip after removing it.
Fu se s and bulb s 259
(D Note
If a new fuse burns out again after short ly
have you have insta lled it, have the electri
ca l system checked by your authorized
A udi dealer .
{!) Tips
-The following table does not list fuse lo
cat ions that are not used .
- Some of the equipment items listed are
opt ional or only available on certa in
mode l configurations.
Left cockpit fuse assignment
Fi g. 192 Left cockpit: fuse panel wit h plastic clip
No. Consumer
Fu se panel @(black)
1 Dynamic steering
2 ESC control module
3
A/C system pressure sensor,
electromechanical parking
brake, Homelink, automatic
dimming interior rear view mir
r or, air quality/outside ai r sen
sor, ESC button
Amps
s
s
s