152 Airbag system
dealer is familiar with these re quirements
and we recommend that you have your
dea ler perform this serv ice 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 pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not app roved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, incl uding 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
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy 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 fo r the
d river and front passe nger 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 poss ible that an a irbag
will not deploy at a seating position whe re the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position whe re the safety belt is not bei ng
used. It is important tha t noth ing inte rfe re
with the safety belt buckles so t hat the sen
sors can send the correct information a bout
safety belt use to the electronic contro l unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim c ombina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of ser ious
personal i njur y in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist
ics as the components origi
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim com binations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety be lt
b uckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air bag System from wo rking prope rly.
- Always make s ure that nothing can inter
fe re with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 56 Dr iver 's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 156, the knee a irbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the inst rument
pane l underneath the g love compar tme nt.
The knee airbag offers additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up
per and lowe r th igh a reas and suppleme nts
the p rotec tion provided by t he safety be lts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in fron tal coll is io ns w hen the de
ployment th reshol d sto red in the control un it ..,,
is met c::> page 146, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, 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 wearing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do soc::>
page 129, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the a ir
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
ra te of deceleration than if the belt is not be
ing used . Therefore, in a particu 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 position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al
ready deployed, for example when your vehi
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f ir st coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee air bag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abras ions and frict ion burns can al
so occur when an airbag inflates.
Airbag system 153
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen- erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured 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/indicator light is on) c::>
page 20.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c::>
page 146.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How knee airbags work
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig. 157 Inflated air bags protecting in a frontal colli
s ion
154 Airbag sys te m
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas
senger dep loy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
I f the front air bags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When t he system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and i nflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and t he
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the front passenger
q page 146 ,
fig . 154.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
A ll 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 a irbags also
inflate wit h a great deal of force and it is im
po rtant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in their way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly wor n safety belts slow down and lim
it the occupant's forwa rd moveme nt and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: wit h kn ee 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
m ust know and do to help the safety be lts and
air bags to provide supp lemental protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used. -
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 inj ury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you a re
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk in
creases even more should the a irbag de
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that th e knee airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rea se
the risk of injury in an ac cident by inte r
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the air bag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. I f the airbag de
ploys, th is can resul t in serious o r fa tal
injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell are a in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, fo r example) can inte rfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag. Small ob jects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle 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
b ags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
q page 158, 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.
@ 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 159
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 ..,. •
•
dampened with dish detergent and water is recommended.
(D Note
- To avoid sc ratch ing the disp lay, yo u
shou ld never clean it dry.
- To preven t damage, ma ke s ure fl uids do
not enter the controls .
Aluminum trim
Use only neutral-pH products to remove spots
and depos its from alum inum s urfaces.
C hrome care products and alkaline cleaners
will attack alum inum surfaces and can dam
age them over time .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ~
page 189.
Fabrics and fabric coverings
Fab rics and fabr ic coveri ngs (e.g . seats, doo r
tr im panels, etc.) should be cleaned at reg ula r
i nte rva ls wi th a vac uum cleaner . Thi s removes
sur face dirt particles which could become em
bedded in the fabr ic 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 lint-free microfiber cloth to the clean fab ric. Brushes should on ly be used for carpets
and floor mats, s ince other fabric surfaces
could be harmed by brushes.
Normal surface sta ins can be cleaned using a
commercia lly available foam cleaner. Spread
the foam on the surface of the fabric with a
soft sponge and work it in gently. Do not sat u
rate the fabric. Then pat the foam d ry using
absorbent, dry cloths (e .g . microfibe r cloth)
and vacuum it afte r it has dr ied comp lete ly .
Cleaning and protec tion 197
Cleaning sta ins
Stains caused by bever ages (e.g . coffee, fr uit
ju ice, etc.) can be treated with a mild deter
gent solution. Apply 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 rema ining deterge nt. Apply the
water wit h a damp cloth or sponge and pat
t h e fabric dry with an abso rbent, dry clot h.
Stai ns from choco late or makeup should have
detergent paste rubbed i nto them . After
wards, remove the soap w ith water (damp
sponge).
A lcohol can be used to treat stai ns from
grease, o il, lipstick or a ballpoint pen . M elted
grease or dye must be patted off using ab
sorbent mater ial. It may be necessa ry to re
t reat the areas with de tergent pas te and wa
te r.
In the case of gene ral soiling of the uphols
tery a nd cover material, we recommend hir ing
a speci alist t hat h as the eq uipment to clean
t h e se at cove rs and othe r fabr ic surfaces by
shampooing and spray extraction.
A WARNING
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
~ page 189.
(D Tips
Open Ve lcro fas teners on yo ur clothing can
damage the seat cover . Please make sure
that Ve lcro fasteners are closed .
Plastic parts and instrument panel
Always use a clean cloth moistened in clear
water to clean these areas. For persistent d irt
use a n Aud i approved
solvent-free p lastic
clea ner/protectant .
•
•
198 Cleaning and protection
8_ WARNING
Solvents can change the properties of
some plastics and make it harder for the
airbag to deploy.
-
-Never clean the instrument panel or the
surface of airbag modules with cleaning
products that contain solvents .
- Products containing solvents will make
the surface of this part porous.
- Serious injuries can result if plastic parts
come loose when the airbag is deployed.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information ¢
page 189.
(D Note
Cleaning agents containing solvents will
attack the material and can change the
way it behaves.
Natural leather
App lies to vehicles: with natura l leather
Audi makes great efforts to maintain the
properties, natural look and feel of interior
leather.
General
We offer many different types of leather on
our vehicles. Most are different types of nappa
leather, which has a smooth surface and
comes in various colors.
The intensity of the color determines the visu al characteristics and appearance. If the sur
face of the leather has a typical natural look,
then the leather is a nappa leather that has
been left in a relatively natural condition. This
leather offers particularly good comfort and
breathes well. Fine veins, closed grains, insect
bites, skin folds , and subtle variations in color
remain visible. These characteristics demon
strate that the material is natural.
Natural nappa leather is not covered by a col
or finish.
It is therefore more sensitive to soil
ing and wear, which is something you need to
consider if children, animals or other factors
might prove to be particularly hard on the
leather. By contrast, leather types that are covered by
a colored finish layer are more durable.
This
has a positive effect on the leather's resist
ance to wear and soiling in daily use. On the
other hand, the typical characteristics of natu
ral leather are barely or not apparent . Howev
er, this does not mean that the leather itself
is of inferior quality .
Care and handling
Because of the exclusive nature of the types of
leather that Audi uses and their unique prop
erties (such as sensitivity to oils, grease, soil
ing, etc.), you will need to be somewhat care
ful with these leathers, and a certain type of care is required . For example , dark clothing
materials can discolor leather seats (especial
ly if such clothing is damp and was not dyed
correctly). Dust and dirt particles in pores,
folds, and seams can have an abrasive effect
and can damage the leather surface as well as
weaken seams.
The leather should be cleaned regularly as
needed. After having been used for a relatively
long time, your leather seats will acquire a
rich aged finish. This is a characteristic of nat
ural leather and a sign of true quality.
In order to maintain the value of this natural
product over the life of your vehicle, you
should follow the recommendations below:
(D Note
- To keep your leather from bleaching out,
do not allow it to be exposed to bright
sunlight for long periods of time. If you
have to leave the vehicle parked outside
for long periods, cover the leather to
protect it from direct exposure to sun
light.
- Sharp objects on clothing, such as zip
pers, rivets or sharp pieces on belts can
leave permanent scratches or scrape
marks on the surface of the leather.
(D Tips
-After each time you clean the leather and
at regular intervals, use a leather
1111>
Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 175 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
F ig . 176 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshield wipers are flat against the
windshield. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
.. Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel in the direction of the ar
row
<::)fig. 175.
.. Raise the hood slightly Q &.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up
ward
c::> fig . 176 . This re leases the catch .
.,. Open the hood.
& WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To redu ce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if yo u see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
Checkin g and fillin g 207
coolant can be seen or heard before care
fully opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
the struts is reduced .
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in place .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en
gage
c::> &, .
_&. WARNING
-
A hood that is not comple tely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure the safety catch has p rope r
ly engaged . The hood sho uld be flush
with the surrounding vehicle body parts .
-If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine compartment .
Whenever yo u mu st p erform an y w or k in th e
eng ine compa rtment, for example checking
and filling differ ent fluid s, there i s a ri sk of
injury , burn s and accide nts. To prevent per
sonal injury al ways obser ve the foll owing
WARNINGS . The eng ine compa rtment of an y
v ehicle is a hazardous are a
QA .
_&. WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check any
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector lever of automatic trans -
mission to "P" (Park).
- Always le t the engine cool down . Hot
components wi ll bur n skin on contact .
252 Fuses a nd bulb s
No.
5 Sound actuator/exhaust
sound tun
ing
6 Headlight range control sys-
tern/cornering light
7 Headlight (cornering light)
Control modules (electro
-
mechanical parking brake,
8 shock absorber, quattro
I
sport, trailer hitch), DCDC
converter
9 Adaptive cru ise control
10 Shift gate
11 Side ass ist
12 Headlight range control,
parking system
13 Airbag
14 Rear wiper (allroad)
15 Auxi
liary fuse (instrument
panel)
16 Auxiliary fuse terminal 15
(engine area)
Fu
se pa nel@ (b ro w n)
2 Brake light sensor
3 Fuel pump
4
5 Left seat heating with/with-
out seat vent
ilat ion
6 E5C
7 Horn
-Front left door (window reg·
8 ulator, central locking, mir-
ror, switch, lighting)
9 Wiper moto r
1 0 ESC
Two-door models: rear left
window regu lator, Fo ur-door
11 mode
ls: rear left door (win-
dow regu lator, central lock-
ing, switch, lighting)
12 Rain and light sensor
Fu se panel © (red)
3 Lumbar support
Amps
5/ 15
5/7,5 7,5
5
5
5
5
5
5
15
10
40
5
25
5
15/30
5
15
30
30
25
30
5
10
No . Consumer
4 Dynamic steering
6
7
8
9
Interior lighting (Cabriolet)
Windshield washer system ,
headlight washer system
Vehicle electrical system
control module 1
Vehicle electrical system
control module 1 Left rear window regulator
motor (Cabriolet)/sunroof
10 Vehicle e
lectr ical system
con trol module 1
11 Right rear window regulator
(Cabriolet)/sun shade motor
12 Anti-theft alarm warning
system
Right cockpit fuse assignment
Amps
35
5
35
20
30
7,5/20
30
7,5/20
5
Fig. 202 R ight cockpi t: fuse pane l wit h plast ic cl ip
No. Con sumer Amps
F u se panel @ (black )
5 Steering column switch
5
module
7 Term
inal 15 diagnos tic con-
nector 5
•
....